Brief scuffles in stand during tense night as Israel play France in Paris
President Emmanuel Macron attended the European Nations League football match saying beforehand that France would not give in to antisemitism.
Brief scuffles broke out in the stand seating Israeli supporters during the sides European Nations League match in Paris against France and Israel.
Some fans – amongst a crowd of just 20,000 – whistled and booed as the Israeli anthem played at the start of the game.
Despite fears of a repeat of the violence last week in Amsterdam, a large police presense both inside and outside the stadium prevented any major issues on a tense night.
Several fans appeared to clash at one stage, although it was unclear why, and the ugly scenes soon ended.
President Emmanuel Macron who attended the match with Prime Minister Michel Barnier said beforehand that France would not give in to antisemitism.
Thousands of police were deployed to ensure security at the Stade de France in the northern Paris suburbs and on public transport, while an elite anti-terrorist police unit protected the visiting Israeli squad.
100 Israel fans defied travel warnings from their government and attended the match sitting in a corner of the 80,000-capacity stadium.
Waving yellow balloons, they chanted “Free the Hostages” in reference to Israelis held in Gaza by Hamas militants, Reuters reported.
Before the match, several hundred demonstrators gathered in a square near the stadium to wave Palestinian, Lebanese and Algerian flags in protest at the war in Gaza.
“We don’t play with genocide,” one banner read.
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