After antisemitic violence rocked Amsterdam, Paris braces for an Israel soccer match
Analysis by Joseph Ataman, CNN
5 minute read • Published 12:01 AM EST, Thu November 14, 2024


French riot policemen secure the Stade-de-France on the eve of the UEFA Nations League football match between France and Israel, in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on November 13, 2024. Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images

Paris (CNN) — With thousands of extra security personnel deployed on the streets of Paris and a “double ring” of security thrown around the national stadium, France is taking no chances with Thursday’s soccer match with Israel. ... After shocking scenes of violence in Amsterdam last week – with accusations of an organized “hunting” of Jews following days of unrest with fans of visiting Israeli club Maccabi-Tel Aviv – the French capital is determined to avoid a repeat.

Some 4,000 officers and 1,600 stadium staff will be deployed to police the game, with about 2,500 of those officers around the stadium itself, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said. ... Last year’s French soccer cup final saw some 3,000 police and 1,400 staff deployed, reports CNN affiliate BFMTV.

The elite RAID police unit will be present inside the ground, according to France’s interior minister, and an “anti-terrorist security perimeter” will ensure two separate ID checks and searches for attendees.

This fixture comes just days after several nights of clashes in Amsterdam, when at least five people were treated in hospital and dozens were arrested after Israeli fans were attacked following Maccabi Tel Aviv’s 5-0 defeat to Ajax in violence condemned as antisemitic by authorities in the Netherlands and Israel.

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