France-'Israel' football match to go ahead in Paris next week
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Bruno Retailleau wrote on X that the country was not backing down because this would be "giving up in the face of threats of violence and anti-Semitism."
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Bruno Retailleau takes the reins from outgoing interior minister Gérald Darmanin in Paris on September 23, 2024. (AFP)
Despite clashes in Amsterdam during a game between the Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv club and Ajax, a Nations League football match between France and "Israel" will take place in Paris next week, according to the French Interior Minister on Friday.
The game on Thursday at the Stade de France has been recognized as a possible flashpoint, but Bruno Retailleau has stated that France would not "back down".
Retailleau wrote on X that the country was not backing down because this would be "giving up in the face of threats of violence and anti-Semitism."
Violence erupted across Amsterdam, the Netherlands, late Thursday when supporters of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv stormed through the city, tearing down Palestinian flags displayed on private property and chanting incendiary slogans, according to reports and footage circulated widely on social media platforms.
“Israel will defeat the Arabs”
— Leyla Hamed (@leylahamed) November 7, 2024
Maccabi fans call for the destruction of Arabs, supporting ethnic cleansing in Gaza, while being protected by the police in Amsterdam.
What are you going to do about this @UEFA? Will you allow such racist, discriminatory chants go unpunished? pic.twitter.com/ZCGFqxqaAK
The events, which unfolded before and after Maccabi’s match against Ajax, have ignited widespread outrage, with accounts of Israeli fans clashing with bystanders, damaging property, and burning the Palestinian flags.
Widely circulated videos on social media show Maccabi fans vandalizing private property, assaulting a local taxi driver, and clashing with law enforcement officials.
Last night, hooligans from the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv marched through the streets of Amsterdam — ahead of the Ajax vs Maccabi match.
— Leyla Hamed (@leylahamed) November 7, 2024
They stole Palestinian flags from homes and even set a Palestinian flag on fire. A taxi driver was also reportedly attacked by the mob. pic.twitter.com/wGiwR79Nr5
Videos on social media purportedly filmed on Thursday appeared to show some Maccabi Tel Aviv fans chanting in Hebrew: “Finish the Arabs! We’re going to win!”
Retailleau stated that he had requested Paris police head Laurent Nunez to implement the required security precautions for the match. Julien Odoul, a politician from Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN), urged on Thursday that the match be moved to Corsica.
Playing the victim'
Max Blumenthal, editor of The Grayzone News, commented on the footage, saying, "Many videos going around of Israeli soccer goons vandalizing property in Amsterdam, attacking cops and bystanders, and ripping down Palestinian flags. Now this fascist infestation is playing the victim and waiting for airlifts back to the colonies."
Sports journalist Leyla Hamed also said, "Hooligans from the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv marched through the streets of Amsterdam… They stole Palestinian flags from homes and even set a Palestinian flag on fire."
In response to the incidents, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced what he claimed was a "very violent incident against Israeli citizens in Amsterdam" and announced the dispatch of rescue planes to assist Israelis in the Dutch city, which was later canceled.
Dozens of individuals were detained following altercations in Dam Square. Though the identities of those arrested have not been disclosed, many of them were from the pro-Palestine camp, as reports surfaced of Israelis being forced to say Free Palestine before being let go after sustaining a beating.
In light of the incidents, several central areas were declared “risk zones", granting police the authority to conduct stop-and-search operations, as noted by Dutch News.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said in a city council meeting that there were no legal grounds to ban Maccabi fans from attending the game, but a nearby pro-Palestine demonstration was banned to prevent potential clashes.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry reported that 10 Israelis sustained injuries and advised others in Amsterdam to remain in their hotels.
