France Steps Up Security Measures Before Israel match

French authorities have stepped up security measures in Paris on the eve of the football match between France's national and Israel's Thursday, hoping to avoid violent clashes between local and Israeli fans that took place last week in Amsterdam.

The League of Nations match at the Stade de France Stadium will take place at a fragile time, as diplomatic relations between France's president, Emmanuel Macron, and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyah are tense as a result of the Gaza war.

About 4,000 police officers will be deployed in and around the stadium, as well as in public transportation sites, police said in Paris.

This is an extraordinary measure, three or four times larger than the usual”, Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez said on Wednesday.

Only French and Israeli flags will be allowed inside the stadium, he added.

Macron will take part in the match as a sign of solidarity, while Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said after the clashes in Amsterdam that the match would take place on schedule and that there was never any doubt about it.

However, only 20,000 fans are expected to be at the stadium, with 80,000 seats in northern Paris.

The group of French fans, Les Irreucables Français, conducted a poll among its members, which showed 15% will boycott the match due to the Israeli-Gase war, while about 30% quoted “security risks” as a reason.

Emotions about Israel's actions in Gaza are strong in France, which is home to the largest Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe. Reports of antisemitic acts have increased by a “per cent of unprecedented” of 284% in 2023, the Commission for Human Rights in France said in June, while anti-mysmilian acts have increased for about a third.

Israeli football fans and locals clashed last week in Amsterdam, causing at least five Israelis to get hurt after the Maccaby Tel Aviv match against Ajax in the League of Europe. /Radio Europe Free