On the eve of the France-Israel match… demonstrations in support of Palestine move through the streets of Paris… Video – Youm7

On the eve of the France-Israel football match, demonstrations were held in the streets of the French capital, Paris, yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, in support of Palestine and denying that the ceremony to hold music for Israel in Paris.

Thousands of citizens took to the streets of Paris at the same time as a concert for the group “Israel Forever”, an international Jewish movement that includes several people against the right, in support of Israel.

These demonstrations came with the invitation of associations and organizations in solidarity with Palestine, unions, and political parties of the left to hold this ceremony, in which the Minister of Finance of Israel, known for his positions, had the right against, to participate, but his spokesman announced that he was not present and gave a speech at a distance.

Demonstrations in support of Palestine and Lebanon in #Paris The day before a soccer match, the French team gathered with its Israeli counterparts.
French authorities declared a state of maximum alert and deployed thousands of security personnel around the match’s stadium, train stations and public squares. pic.twitter.com/LFLJ33NLCA

– Mustafa Qattan Mustafa Qattan (@moustafaqattan) November 13, 2024

The demonstrators gathered in Saint-Lazare Square in the eighth arrondissement (west of Paris), chanting slogans denouncing Israel, including “Israel is a killer, ” and chants of support for the Palestinians, including “Long live Palestine” and “Free Palestine.”

The demonstrators also raised Palestinian and Lebanese flags to denounce the military activity in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

These demonstrations come at a time when the French authorities have strengthened their security measures in Paris on the eve of the upcoming match between France and Israel in the European Nations League football competitions. at the “Stade de France” stadium in the suburb of Saint-Denis, north of Paris, where the Paris police chief announced that 4,000 police and gendarmerie members had been deployed, hoping for a repeat of the violence happened in the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, and to avoid targeted Israeli soccer fans.

It is expected that another demonstration will be held on Thursday night in front of the Saint-Denis City Council as a protest against the holding of this game, a few hours before it starts.

Groups in solidarity with Palestine and rejecting Israeli military intervention in Palestine and Lebanon have called for a demonstration to be organized in Saint-Denis, where the Stade de France is located, at 6 pm, that is, less than three hours before the start of this “high risk” game, as Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said.

These groups and associations that support Palestine published a poster on social media, reading, “We do not play with genocide,” and “No to the France-Israel game ,” along with a picture of the large banner for “Free Palestine,” which was recently raised in the stands before the Football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid from Spain.

Laurent Nunez, the head of the Paris police, confirmed that this match will take place tonight, amid heavy security forces, saying: “We will ensure that this match, as it comes in a tense geopolitical context, in a context where there will be events in Amsterdam and the clashes that targeted the supporters of Israel, and it also comes after the incident of the giant flag that read “Free Palestine” that was raised during a football match for Paris Saint-Germain against Atletico Madrid from Spain is a political message of a nature that we should not normally see in stadiums.

He indicated that a total of 4,000 security personnel (police, gendarmerie, and mobile units) were deployed throughout the city (2,500 around the stadium, and 1,500 in Paris and transport), with double checkpoints: at the entrance to the security perimeter, then at the entrance to the stadium, to ensure the progress of the game between France and Israel in safe conditions.

The authorities have taken the necessary security measures to ensure that the match is held in safe conditions, and stressed that they are behind to ensure the security and protection of fans, as between 15 and 20 thousand spectators are expected to attend today’s game. , which is the lowest crowd in history for the game of the French team (Only 20,000 seats out of 80,000 seats in the stadium were reserved.)

However, many political figures announced their presence, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Michel Barnier, and former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande.