Macron to attend France-'Israel' football match
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Macron revealed he would attend the game to show his support for the French team as well as "Send a message of fraternity and solidarity" after what he claimed was antisemitism in Amsterdam.
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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a ceremony in south-eastern France on August 17, 2024. (AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the France-"Israel" football match at the Stade de France on Thursday as a show of "fraternity and solidarity" following clashes that took place in Amsterdam between Israeli soccer fans and pro-Palestine supporters.
Thousands of extra police officers will be on duty for the game and according to the Elysée, the president's participation on Thursday is intended to "show his entire and full support for the French team as he does for every match" as well as "send a message of fraternity and solidarity" after what he considered were acts of antisemitism in Amsterdam.
Paris police head Laurent Nunez stated that the impending game was "high-risk" and security would be "extremely reinforced." He described the circumstances as exceedingly uncommon for a national team match.
According to Nuñez, authorities did not demand a restriction on the number of fans permitted into the stadium. The French Football Association reported that around 20,000 tickets had been sold, accounting for one-quarter of the stadium's capacity.
Despite the lower ticket sales, 4,000 to 5,000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed, compared to a maximum of 1,300 for a French national team play at a sold-out stadium.
They will be stationed inside and outside the Stade de France, on public transportation, and across Paris. In addition, 1,600 security personnel have been brought in for the game. An elite police force has been deployed to guard the Israeli team.
What happened in Amsterdam?
Clashes between pro-Palestine supporters and Israelis in Amsterdam took place on Thursday after a match between Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam. The clashes resulted in the arrest of around 62 pro-Palestinian protesters and the injury of 10 to 20 Israelis.
It is important to note that the events began when Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, several thousand strong and including IOF soldiers, provoked pro-Palestinian residents and Arabs in Amsterdam.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent explained at the time that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans "chanted offensive slogans, claiming the Israeli army would deal with the Arabs," mocking the children of Gaza. They also removed dozens of Palestinian flags that Dutch citizens had displayed on their windows and balconies for months as a symbol of support for Palestine.
A solidarity demonstration in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples took place in the Dutch city of Utrecht on Sunday, rejecting the Israeli occupation's aggression against Gaza and Lebanon.
Our envoy reported that protests are ongoing in Dam Square despite police requests to leave the area. Police arrested a number of protesters and law enforcement is forcibly disbanding the protest. He also added that Dutch authorities had banned protests in Dam Square, but supporters of Palestine decided to demonstrate in the nearby city of Asdrecht, rejecting the Dutch government's and European governments' support for "Israel" over recent events.
Albanese calls for probe into Western coverage of Amsterdam clashes
A top United Nations human rights expert has called for an investigation into Western media's reporting on recent violent clashes in Amsterdam, where Israeli fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv football team engaged in confrontational behavior with local residents.
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Palestinians, accused Western media of "obscuring" events and disseminating disinformation, which she says has downplayed or ignored provocations by the Israelis.
Albanese's statement followed a series of clashes that erupted last Thursday and Friday in Amsterdam's city center and around the Johan Cruyff Arena, where Maccabi Tel Aviv faced Dutch football club Ajax in a UEFA match.
In a post on social media platform X, Albanese criticized Western media's framing of the confrontations, stating that certain outlets inaccurately portrayed the events as anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli fans.
Europe, as well as the rest of the West, must interrogate the pervasive antiArabism and Islamophobia across their societies. Antisemitism is rooted in the same distorted view of humanity, and so is Anti-Palestinian Racism. https://t.co/O4m6J5wSYs
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) November 10, 2024
"Once again, Western media should be investigated for the role they are playing in obscuring Israel's atrocities," Albanese said, arguing that such misreporting serves to "conceal" ongoing human rights abuses by Israelis around the world.
She drew comparisons to previous cases in international law, where media figures were held accountable for complicity in incitement and other international crimes.
Albanese, who has an extensive background in human rights law and Arab refugee issues, emphasized that media agencies bear responsibility for presenting accurate and unbiased information to avoid perpetuating disinformation.
Following the clashes, reports indicate that "Israel" took rapid action to fly several hundred Israeli nationals back to "Tel Aviv."
