by JNS Staff
The protests come on the eve of a France-Israel soccer match near Paris, which Jerusalem has warned Israelis to avoid.
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| Rioters clash with gendarmes during a rally in Paris organized by the France Unbowed, Ecologists—EELV and New Anticapitalist parties against the "Israel is Forever" gala, on Nov. 13, 2024. Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images. |
Anti-Israel demonstrators erupted in Paris on Wednesday against a gala in support of Israel. The event, held in an undisclosed location in the city and organized by the pro-Israel group “Israel is Forever,” raised funds for the Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was to attend. The Religious Zionism Party leader is a strong proponent of expanding Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.
The planned invitation of Smotrich sparked criticism from “local associations, unions and left-wing political parties, prompting two protests in the French capital,” the Associated Press reported.
Smotrich canceled his appearance in light of the growing criticism.
The demonstrations, which according to Euronews was organized by BDS groups and the far-left France Unbowed Party, came on the eve of a soccer match near Paris between the national teams of France and Israel.
The protesters expressed anger that the gala was not canceled by the authorities, who said it posed no threat to public order.
“We’re really angry,” France Unbowed MP Thomas Portes told Euronews. “We’ve got people who, once again, in the comfort of a gilded ballroom are going to raise money to fund the Israeli army.”
A few stores, including a McDonald’s and a Carrefour grocery, were vandalized.
French authorities announced that 4,000 officers and 1,600 stadium staff will be deployed in and around Stade de France, the national stadium just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis, and on public transportation.
While the stadium capacity is 80,000, only 20,000 fans will be allowed in, creating a ratio of one police officer for every five attendees.
President Emmanuel Macron will attend the game “to show his full support for the French national team, but also to send a message of fraternity and solidarity after the unbearable antisemitic attacks following the football game in Amsterdam this week.”
The high security precautions for the match are a result of those riots, when Muslim mobs attacked visiting Israeli soccer fans in what has been described as a “pogrom” by Israeli and Dutch leaders.
It was the largest-scale series of antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands since the Holocaust and one of the largest events of its kind in Europe in decades.
On Wednesday, Israeli intelligence officials identified Dutch organizations with Hamas ties as the primary instigators.
Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday issued an alert warning Israeli travelers to avoid sporting and cultural events in Europe, with an emphasis on the Israeli national team game near Paris.
Despite the NSC warning, thousands of French Jews are planning to attend the match.
“I don’t want to gift an empty stadium to haters and antisemites,” Yonathan Arfi, president of France’s Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), told Ynet. “The worst thing we can do is abandon the field and leave it to antisemites.
“We understand the NSC’s position, but this game has important symbolic significance: The stands must be full, including with French people who reject antisemitism,” Arfi said.
On Nov. 4, scores of anti-Israel protesters burst into the French Football Federation offices in Paris and demanded the cancellation of the game.
In video footage posted on social media, the protesters, wearing red gloves and “blood” bags, are seen lying on the floor of the headquarters or holding placards with political slogans and PLO flags.
Some can be heard chanting: “No, no, no to the France-Israel game at Stade de France.”
Security is also being increased ahead of other sporting events in Europe involving Israeli teams in the wake of the attacks in Amsterdam, which followed a game against Ajax in the Europa League. Ten Israeli citizens were injured in the attacks.
Greece heightened security measures for a EuroLeague basketball game between Panathinaikos and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Athens on Tuesday.
JNS Staff
Source: https://www.jns.org/protesters-take-to-paris-streets-against-idf-gala/
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