Paris police will deploy 4,000 officers and 1,600 stadium staff for a France-Israel soccer match on Thursday. They seek to ensure safety around the stadium and on public transport. The effort comes after violence against Israeli fans in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Last week, groups of young people in Amsterdam assaulted Israeli fans. That came after a Netherlands-Israel soccer game. The Dutch youth apparently responded to calls on social media to target Jewish people.
Five people went to the hospital. Police arrested dozens of suspects. Authorities in Amsterdam, Israel, and across Europe condemned the attacks as anti-Semitic.
Before the game, video showed some supporters of Israel’s team chanting anti-Arab slogans while heading to the stadium.
France and Israel will face off in a Union of European Football Associations Nations League match on Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron plans to attend.
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez calls the upcoming match “a high-risk event for us.” He adds that authorities “won’t tolerate” any violence.
Nuñez says French organizers have contacted Israeli authorities and security forces to prepare for the soccer match.
Nuñez says he will deploy 2,500 police officers around the stadium. An additional 1,500 other officers will be present elsewhere in Paris and on public transportation. Pat-downs and bag searches will be part of “reinforced” security checks.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau says the game will happen as planned. “I think that for a symbolic reason we must not yield; we must not give up,” he says.
Still, Israel’s National Security Council warns citizens abroad to avoid sports and cultural events. It specifically names the match in Paris. The council is also telling Israelis to be careful of violent attacks “under the pretense of demonstrations.”
President Macron’s expected attendance at the game is a show of support for the French team. But his office says it also has another purpose. It will send “a message of fraternity and solidarity following the intolerable anti-Semitic acts that followed the match in Amsterdam.”
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. — 1 John 4:8
