Macron to attend France-Israel soccer game

11/11/2024 6:04

        President Emmanuel Macron will join soccer fans at the Stade de France on Thursday when France plays Israel in a sign of solidarity after violence directed at Israeli fans in Amsterdam last week led to a global outcry.
        
        The French government has insisted it won't change its plans to host the Nations' League game, relying instead on massive security measures with thousands of police deployed around the stadium to ensure the safety of visiting fans.
        
        Macron's participation is aimed at sending "a message of fraternity and solidarity after the intolerable acts of antisemitism that followed the match in Amsterdam", his office said.
        
        Still grappling with the fallout from the violence unleashed against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam, Dutch police on Sunday removed more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters who defied a ban on demonstrations.
        
        At least five people were injured in assaults that Dutch authorities and foreign leaders including Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced as antisemitic.
        
        Tensions over Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza are also running high in France, home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, where authorities this year reported a surge in antisemitic incidents.