4,000 police officers and 1,600 security guards will be mobilized to ensure the smooth running of the game.

The French Interior Minister mentioned that in view of the considerable resources deployed, he was asked to cancel the match or relocate it. ‘’There’s no question of backing down. France doesn’t back down; France and the Republic don’t submit, especially to hatemongers”, he said.

One week after the brutal attacks, deemed an ‘’anti-Jewish pogrom’’, by Muslims against Israeli supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam, another football match attracts all attention : France will play against Israel in a UEFA Nations League game on Thursday at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. An event classified under an ‘’increasing security risk.’’

“There will be an anti-terrorist security perimeter around the stadium,” said Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez said. ‘’Security checks will be reinforced, including with systematic pat-downs and bag searches.’’

‘’There is no particular threat, but there is no such thing as zero risk,’’ said French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.

Speaking on French TF1 channel Tuesday evening, he announced that 4,000 police officers and 1,600 security guards will be mobilized to ensure the smooth running of the event.
While the stadium capacity is 80,000, the number of fans is expected to number around just 20,000.µ

“We have taken exceptional measures before, during and after the France-Israel match”, he asserted, referring to measures ‘’near the stadium and on public transportation/’’

10,000 policemen will also be present in the streets of the centre of Paris after the match. In Amstterdam, while things went normal during the match, incidents occurred when Israeli supporters went to the city center after the event.

“We have mobilized a lot of stewards and law enforcement officers, mobilized all the resources of our law, which will enable us to carry out checks, searches, palpations and compare the names on tickets with ID cards,” said the French Minister. “There will be a virtually unprecedented service in the stadium”, he said.

In addition, the Raid, a special unit of the French police will be integrated into the operation. “Ever since the Israeli team set foot on French soil, the Raid has been active. And the Raid will be in the stadium,” explained Retailleau.

“We’ll also have uniformed police in the passageways, and police who won’t be visible because they’ll be in civilian clothes,” he said.

‘France is not backing down in the face of hatemongers’

The minister also mentioned that in view of the considerable resources deployed, he was asked to cancel the match or relocate it. ‘’There’s no question of backing down. France doesn’t back down; France and the Republic don’t submit, especially to hatemongers”, he said. ‘’But There is no question of taking the risk of a repeat of the dramatic events in Amsterdam”, he insisted.

Earlier this year, the city of Brussels declined to organized a similar match between Belgium and Israel ‘’because it could not guarantee the security’’ and the game was relocated in Hungary. And UEFA announced on Monday that the November 28 Europa League match between Turkish Besiktas and Maccabi Tel Aviv has been moved from Istanbul to Debrecen in Hungary.

“The match will be played behind closed doors, following a decision of the local Hungarian authorities,” said the European football executive body.

French President Emmanuel Macron will attendThursday’s match “to show his full support for the French national team, but also to send a message of fraternity and solidarity after the unbearable antisemitic attacks following the football game in Amsterdam this week,” the Elysée Palace said.

Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday issued an alert warning Israeli travelers to avoid sporting and cultural events in Europe, especially the upcoming Israeli national team game in Paris.

But despite the warning, thousands of French Jews are planning to attend the match.

“I don’t want to gift an empty stadium to haters and antisemites,” said Yonathan Arfi, president of Crif, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France. “The worst thing we can do is abandon the field and leave it to antisemites,” he added.

“We understand the NSC’s position, but this game has important symbolic significance: The stands must be full, including with French people who reject antisemitism,’’ Arfi told Ynet.

Last week, during a Champions League match hosted by PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) club against Atletico Madrid, a large banner reading “Free Palestine” was unfurled, featuring a map that omitted the State of Israel.