France steps up security for Israel match after Amsterdam violence
President Emmanuel Macron, prime minister Michel Barnier, former presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy expected to attend match in Paris
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Your support makes all the difference.France has stepped up security for the national football team’s match against Israel on Thursday to avoid a repeat of the violence in Amsterdam.
France and Israel will play the UEFA Nations League match with almost double the security usually assigned for an international fixture in Paris after violence involving fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv left five people hospitalised during a trip to play Ajax last week in the Netherlands.
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez said around 4,000 officers will oversee the security around the Stade de France in the northern suburbs of the city and 2,500 will be at the venue along with nearly 1,600 stadium staff.
An anti-terrorist police unit will be dedicated to the security of the visiting Israeli squad.
It is a “high-risk match” taking place in “an extremely tense geopolitical context”, Mr Nuñez said.
“We will not allow any attempt to disturb public order,” he added.
The match is scheduled to start at 8.45pm and is expected to be attended by prominent political names such as French president Emmanuel Macron, prime minister Michel Barnier, and former presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy.
But only about 20,000 fans are expected in the 80,000-seat stadium after Israel urged its citizens to avoid attending sporting and cultural events abroad following the violence in Amsterdam.
Five people were treated in hospital and dozens were arrested after the violence against Maccabi fans, which was condemned as antisemitic by Israeli and European politicians.
The violence began when the Israeli fans tore down a Palestinian flag, engaged in vandalism and assaulted taxi drivers, police said.
Israeli fans were also captured on video chanting anti-Arab slogans as they made their way to the Ajax stadium, escorted by police.
Mr Nuñez said French organisers have been in touch with Israeli authorities and security forces to prepare for Thursday’s match.
On the eve of the match in Paris, protests erupted against a gala organised in support of Israel. The gala, meant to raise funds for the Israeli military, had invited Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich as one of the guests.
Several hundred protesters marched through central Paris denouncing it as a "gala of hatred and shame”.
"Imagine if an association were hosting a gala for Hezbollah or Hamas. There’s no way police would allow that," said Melkir Saib, a 30-year-old protester. "The situation is just unfair."
The protesters rallied against the expected attendance of Mr Smotrich, a vocal advocate of Israeli settlement building in occupied Palestinian territories, who was eventually forced to cancel his trip to Paris.
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