A banner supporting Palestine is displayed in the stands before the Champions League match between Paris St Germain and Atletico Madrid at the Parc des Princes stadium, Paris, France, taken November 6, 2024.
Reuters
Follows violent clashes at Ajax match
High-risk designation due to geopolitical tensions
A high police presence is being prepared for the France v Israel Nations League match at the Stade de France in Paris on Thursday.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez described the event as high risk and revealed 4,000 gendarmes would be around the stadium, on public transport and in Paris.
"An elite unit of national police will also protect the Israel team," Nunez said. "The geopolitical context is extremely delicate."
Nunez said the police would adopt an attitude of zero tolerance of disorder before and after the event.
Clashes in Amsterdam
The match follows on the heels of an Ajax v Maccabi Tel Aviv game which descended into violence on the streets of Amsterdam in midweek with Tel Aviv fans being tracked, chased and beaten.
Tensions began when some Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters burned a Palestinian flag in Dam square, pulled down another Palestinian flag from a building, and vandalized a taxi.
Later, violent confrontations occurred with various groups targeting Israeli supporters, resulting in injuries and arrests. The city ultimately banned demonstrations and gave police emergency powers.
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