Security, whistles, clashes within the stands… We attended France-Israel | EUROtoday

Pace reseller of tickets or scarves or scorching canine stands… This Thursday night, alongside the alley of the Stade de France, which connects the RER B station to the 80,000-seat enclosure the place the Blues have had been topped world champions in 1998, we solely discover law enforcement officials, gendarmes and CRS. “We feel safe, there is nothing to complain about,” concedes Steve, 42, who got here along with his son Luca. But for a second we nonetheless questioned if the match was going down in the present day and if we hadn’t had the fallacious day.”

However no, it was on November 14, 2024 that the match between the French staff and Israel came about, counting for the UEFA Nations League. A match deemed “high risk” by Paris police prefect Laurent Nunez. As a consequence, an distinctive safety system has been put in place: 4,000 law enforcement officials and 1,600 safety brokers deployed in Paris, transport, round and throughout the Stadium. To sit down within the stands, you needed to current your ID 4 occasions and bear two physique searches. Or kind of the system used in the course of the Olympics But with a fervor divided by a thousand. Finally, backpacks had been banned like Palestinian flags.

ALSO READ France-Israel match: “I have decided not to be afraid, a Jew must not bow down in 2024”This assembly came about in a context of battle within the Middle East and anti-Semitic violence that occurred on the sidelines of the Ajax Amsterdam – Maccabi Tel-Aviv assembly every week earlier. Several Israeli followers had been focused and attacked after the match.

An “anti-Amsterdam”

Suffice to say that this night, the sporting subject was eclipsed by geopolitics. This match have to be an “anti-Amsterdam”, warned the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (Crif), Yonathan Arfi, whereas the Israeli authorities suggested its supporters to not make the journey to Seine-Saint- Denis for the match.

ALSO READ Violence in Amsterdam, the investigation is transferring aheadIf the stands sounded sadly empty – not more than 15,000 spectators had been current, half as many because the worst viewers within the historical past of the French staff on this stadium –, political figures got here en masse to “send a message of fraternity and solidarity” with Israel. Alongside Emmanuel Macron sat his predecessors François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy; Prime Minister Michel Barnier, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau; the Minister of Sports Gil Avérous, the previous Prime Minister Manuel Valls and the president of the Île-de-France area Valérie Pécresse.

A couple of minutes earlier than kick-off, the President of the Republic assured that France “will not give in to anti-Semitism”, responding to the request of the pinnacle of Israeli diplomacy, a couple of hours earlier, to make sure safety of the hundred or so Israeli supporters who made the journey.

“This empty stadium, it pinches my heart”

Despite the heavy ambiance that reigned across the match, Elie didn’t need to miss it. Under no circumstances. To mark the event, he got here with the 2 flags: the French and the Israeli. “Seeing this empty stadium, I can’t hide from you that it pinches my heart. This match should have been a happy interlude in a period which is not, it’s a failure,” he concedes.

In reality, the primary whistles erupted from the stands when the Israeli composition was introduced, which isn’t uncommon for gamers going through France. The Israeli anthem was whistled extra – which is rarer – and the technical groups on the Stade de France needed to flip up the sound on the audio system to saturation level to masks the whistles which continued each time an Israeli participant touched the ball. “We kind of expected it, we’re not going to lie,” reacts an Israeli supporter from the Paris area. But whistling the anthem like that’s exhausting to reside with.”

“France does not back down from anti-Semitism”

A relocation of the match to a different stadium in France had been talked about however the speculation was brushed apart by Bruno Retailleau. “France is not backing down, that would amount to abdicating in the face of violent threats and anti-Semitism,” declared the Minister of the Interior. Although no incidents had been reported across the stadium, the gloomy ambiance in the course of the match gave the impression to be a missed guess for the Beauvau tenant.

ALSO READ Retailleau on the entrance line towards anti-Semitism?Crowd actions from the tenth minute close to the Israeli car parking zone (the place there have been official supporters of the Israeli choice separated from impartial Israeli supporters, within the north flip), compelled the institution of a safety cordon on the stage of the The central ring of the stand however the ambiance remained calm within the first half. Some slogans “free our hostages” had been heard, in reference to the hostages nonetheless within the fingers of Hamas after the assault of October 7, 2023.

On the sector, as a result of it was a soccer match, the spectacle didn’t conceal the unusual ambiance of this assembly. After a painful first half not saved by the second, the 2 groups separated with a tragic 0-0 giving the feeling that this night, nobody got here out a winner from the Stade de France.