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Paris has learned a lesson from the violence that unfolded in Amsterdam on the night of November 7 – when Israeli soccer fans were targeted and brutally attacked – and deployed 4,000 police officers for a France-Israel soccer match.
Knewz.com has learned that 1,600 stadium staff will be deployed as well for the UEFA Nations League match on Thursday, November 14.
According to a statement from the Elysee presidential palace, French President Emmanuel Macron will also be attending the match at the Stade de France stadium north of Paris.
An official from the Macron entourage stated that the President's presence at the match is not only aimed at being a show of support for the French soccer team but also aimed at sending "a message of fraternity and solidarity following the intolerable antisemitic acts that followed the match in Amsterdam."
To ensure security in and around the stadium and on public transportation, Paris Police Chief Laurent Nuñez said in a statement to the media that 2,500 police officers will be deployed around the stadium, in addition to 1,500 officers stationed in the French capital and on public transport.
"There’s a context, tensions that make that match a high-risk event for us... There will be an anti-terrorist security perimeter around the stadium," Chief Nuñez said in his statement, adding that the “reinforced” security checks on the day of the match will include "systematic pat-downs and bag searches."
He further stated that the authorities "won’t tolerate" any violence, like the incident in Amsterdam a week before the scheduled UEFA Nations League match.
The Paris Police Chief added that the organizers in France have contacted Israeli authorities and security forces to prepare for the game night.
It is worth noting that in the wake of the violent incident in Amsterdam, the National Security Council of Israel issued a statement on Sunday, November 10, warning Israeli citizens abroad to avoid cultural and sporting events—including the France-Israel UEFA Nations League match in Paris.
The Israeli National Security Council also urged its citizens to be wary of possible violent attacks “under the pretense of demonstrations.”
On November 7, a week before the France-Israel match, supporters of the Israeli soccer club Maccabi Tel Aviv were hunted down and assaulted in several violent incidents across Amsterdam following a soccer match between Maccabi and the Dutch football club Ajax.
According to reports, tensions in the Dutch capital city were already on the rise prior to the soccer match, with videos circulating on social media showing fans of the Israeli club chanting anti-Arab slurs and yelling "F--- the Arabs."
Israeli soccer fans were also heard praising the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the ongoing military operation in Gaza—which has left more than 43,000 people dead in the past 13 months, most of whom are women and children.
It has been reported that video clips on social media supposedly filmed prior to the soccer match also showed Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ripping Palestinian flags off buildings.
The atmosphere at the stadium was relatively calm during and after the match, which the Israeli soccer club lost by five goals.
However, after the Europa League match was over, a night of targeted violent assault descended upon Israeli soccer fans as "criminals on scooters" looked for Maccabi supporters to "ambush and attack."
The Israeli embassy to the United States shared video clips of the attacks on social media, one of which showed a man being kicked repeatedly as he lay helplessly on the ground. Another rather shocking clip purportedly showed an Israeli soccer fan being run over by a car—which was seemingly filmed from the driver's point of view.
Yet another video clip showed a Maccabi fan being beaten up by an individual yelling "Free Palestine" and "For the children, motherf-----," presumably referencing the numerous children who have died in the Gaza conflict so far.
One of the video clips also showed a man shouting "I am not Jewish" while being chased down the street. His "clarification" seemingly made no difference, however, as he was soon thrown to the ground and beaten up.
It has been reported that five of the injured Israeli soccer fans were released from the hospital on the morning of Friday, November 8, and that 20 to 30 people were lightly injured in the attacks.
Law enforcement officials in Amsterdam have stated that 63 individuals were arrested over the night and 10 remain in custody.
Police reportedly detained several other people on Sunday, November 10, for "taking part in a demonstration in central Amsterdam that had been outlawed following the violence targeting Israeli fans."