Israel has urged fans to avoid a UEFA Nations League football match between France and Israel on Thursday, November 14. Authorities fear the event could become a flashpoint after violence erupted in a match involving Israel in Amsterdam.
Although French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to be at the event alongside a large police presence, Israeli officials on Sunday warned its fans to stay away due to fears they could become victims of attacks. Israel is wary of a repeat of clashes in Amsterdam surrounding a Europa League match between Dutch side Ajax and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The violence, which leaders from Israel, the US, Europe, and the Netherlands termed "anti-Semitic," saw dozens injured, while the police reportedly arrested over 60 persons. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said the French police would deploy 4,000 gendarmes around the Stade de France, on public transportation networks and across Paris.
Speaking to French broadcaster BFM TV, Nunez admitted that such a massive deployment was “highly unusual” for an international friendly match. The police chief added that an elite unit of the police force would be tasked with protecting Israel’s footballers. In his words, France “will not tolerate any overspill or disturbances to public order.” Meanwhile, pro-Israel protests are defying bans in Amsterdam, following last week's unfortunate incidents at the said Europa match.
Intolerable Acts of Anti-Semitism
Ever since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim sentiment have risen globally, last week’s match being an unpleasant reminder of the hostilities between the two nations. The French government's office on Sunday said that President Macron will attend the said France vs Israel football match to “send a message of fraternity and solidarity after the intolerable acts of anti-Semitism that followed the match in Amsterdam this week”.
Jerusalem-based National Security Council on Sunday urged Israeli fans to "avoid sports games/cultural events involving Israelis, with an emphasis on the upcoming match of the Israeli national team in Paris." Israel's fan warning identified several European cities, including Paris, counseling its nationals to avoid recognizable Israeli or Jewish signs on display.
Attacks and Counterattacks
Tensions had brewed in the run-up to the Europa League game between peaking in groups of men on scooters launching “hit-and-run” attacks on Maccabi Tel Aviv’s supporters. Reports say some Maccabi supporters, alongside some youths supporting Ajax, chanted and sang anti-Palestinian slogans and songs. The Palestinian foreign ministry also reported “anti-Arab chanting.”
Amsterdam Police also reported that some Maccabi supporters burnt a Palestinian flag on the Dam central square. The police also reported taxi vandalization by Maccabi supporters. Following the assaults from Maccabi supporters, calls multiplied on social media to target Jewish people, possibly informing the “hit-and-run” assaults, per police reports.
Final Notes
Israel warns citizens abroad of potential risks ahead of an international friendly between Israel and France in Paris this Thursday. The warning comes after a UEFA Europa match between Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax resulted in violence last week. French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the friendly match to show "solidarity" with Israel against "intolerable acts of anti-Semitism."