With 4,000 police on duty and stringent entry checks in place, French authorities are likewise enforcing stringent security measures.
French officials have prohibited supporters from bringing the Palestinian flag to a France-Israel football game on Thursday in a Parisian suburb, following disturbances at a match last week.
“Only Israeli and French flags and messages endorsing the teams are permitted.” Political messages are illegal in stadiums, Paris prefect Laurent Nunez warned French media on Monday.
At the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a neighborhood of northern Paris, security guards will conduct two security screenings and identity checks on spectators. No one will be allowed entry if they refuse the checks.
Officials will leave the stands around the field empty during the game, while plainclothes police will patrol the stadium. The Israeli football players will be protected by RAID, a specialized police unit.
Israeli officials have cautioned its residents against going to the game.
The match, which coincides with Israel’s ongoing attack on Gaza, in which Israel has murdered over 43,000 people and injured about 103,000 more, mostly women and children, is expected to be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron himself, according to local media reports.
Measures for emergencies
On game day, accreditation will also be needed to enter the stadium’s security zone.
Shops in the area will close in the afternoon before the game, and fans are requested not to bring bags or bottles to the stadium.
On match day, 1,400 workers will be at the stadium, while 4,000 police and gendarmerie will be on duty around the capital and Saint-Denis.
Prior to and during a UEFA Europa League match against Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands last Thursday, Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters incited and attacked Palestinian supporters, creating a disturbance.
63 persons were arrested in relation to disturbances that occurred in Amsterdam before and after the game.
