FRANCE are set to take on Israel in a huge Nations League clash this week with Paris bracing for dangerous anti-Semitic chaos.
SAS-style special forces are being deployed across the city ahead of Thursday’s game with officials announcing there will be at least one cop per three football fans in the capital.
Security concerns ahead of the match are already mounting with Paris’ police chief labelling it as a “high-risk event”.
The fears have drastically ramped up in recent days after disturbing footage showed Israeli football fans being chased through the streets of Amsterdam by an anti-Semitic mob.
Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were ambushed by masked rioters in the Dutch city as they left the Johan Cruyff stadium last Thursday.
This has prompted international concerns over the safety of Jewish fans particularly those watching Israeli-based teams.
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With the international break now underway, Israel’s national side are due to play France away in Paris before travelling to play against Belgium on Sunday.
The match against Belgium has already faced intense scrutiny with it being moved to a neutral venue in Hungary due to safety fears.
Despite France agreeing to host the 81st ranked international side in their capital a number of security measures have been put in place.
SAS-style special forces and up to 6,000 other officers are all scheduled to be on duty for the high-risk game at the Stade de France.
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Organisers have told The Sun that they are struggling to sell tickets due to issues around Israel with the Middle Eastern conflict – with less than 15,000 seats reserved so far.
France’s elite RAID tactical unit are believed to be the first line of defence at the game and have been deployed following the violence in Amsterdam.
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez said security at the game was of extreme concern for the authorities.
He said: “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.”
RAID – which stands for Search, Assistance, Intervenion, Deterrence – will be in the stadium, he confirmed.
The RAID was one of the first special forces units rushed to the scene when ISIS suicide bombers attacked Paris in November 2015.
Terrorist thugs killed 130 people on a single night with chilling eruptions even being heard from the Stade de France on the harrowing night.
Israeli security forces, including agents from the Mossad intelligence agency, will also be inside the stadium.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his prime minister, Michel Barnier, will also attend the match.
Many people have called for the game to be moved to a neutral venue but Bruno Retailleau, France’s Interior Minister, said it was hugely important that the game went ahead in Paris.
He said: “I think that for a symbolic reason we must not yield, we must not give up.
“The RAID has been active since the Israeli team set foot on French soil, and they will be in the stadium.”
The Israel team arrived in France on Wednesday but have been forced to train and stay at secret locations on the outskirts of Paris.
Manager Ran Ben Shimon has told the press he and the team feel safe.
France has already answered calls for tightened security around Israeli athletes after the 2024 Paris Olympics earlier this year.
They deployed a widely successful “ring of steel” around the Games to ensure safety after several declarations of violence from terror group ISIS and anti-Israel parties.
It became the most guarded Games ever with over 60,000 cops and soldiers, drones, helicopters and a huge increase in AI surveillance all deployed.
Just this week, a Jewish football team was placed under police protection after it was “attacked” by a knife-wielding pro-Palestinian mob in Berlin.
Teens from Makkabi Berlin’s youth team claim they were “hunted down” by a group of Arab youngsters after a game against local rivals.
One player’s dad claimed that his son was “deeply shaken” when he came back home from the game.
The boy was allegedly spat at and later harassed by a mob of kids and adults who followed the squad off the pitch with sticks and knives.
There’s a context, tensions that make that match a high-risk event for us
Laurent Nuñez
Away from the football, another Israeli-linked security fear comes in the form of a pro-Palestinian march.
Thousands are expected to take to the streets of Paris on Wednesday – a day before the football clash – to demonstrate against a controversial pro-Israel gala.
The “Israel is Forever” gala was originally set to be attended by Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich but he has since pulled out.
Several controversial figures linked to Israel’s far-Right are expected to show – making life difficult for cops.
Police chief Nuñez spoke on the gala and said: “A gala in a closed place is not a demonstration on the public road, so it is more complicated for a prefect to ban it.
“I considered that there was no risk of disturbing public order but we will be attentive to the comments made and I can potentially take legal action.”
An open letter by seven civil rights groups to the French media reads: “Holding this gala in the French capital constitutes an insult to international law and contempt for the United Nations and for the orders issued by the highest international court.”
A counter-demonstration has also been announced and is expected to attract up to 8,000 people.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, antisemitic violence has surged globally.
It has been fuelled by heightened geopolitical tensions and polarising public discourse around the war.
This escalation is marked by an alarming rise in physical attacks, threats, and hate speech targeting Jewish communities.
In Europe, reports of antisemitism have spiked, with attacks on synagogues, Jewish schools, and individuals intensifying.
Countries like Germany and France have seen notable incidents of physical violence and vandalism.
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In Germany, synagogues were firebombed, and Jewish youth sports teams have reported attacks, reflecting a growing climate of fear.
Public spaces associated with Jewish identity, including schools and cemeteries, have also required heightened police protection.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
