EJP

Paris Olympics: investigation opened after antisemitic gestures and banner at Israel-Paraguay soccer match

The Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games “strongly condemns these acts.” It  has filed a complaint.

Anti-Semitic gestures were mimed during the match.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office announced that an investigation had been opened into aggravated incitement to racial hatred following the behavior of a group of people present at the Parc des Princes stadium on Saturday night for the Israel-Paraguay soccer match as part of the Olympic Games. Antisemitic gestures were observed during the match.

This group of 50 people dressed in black, masked and carrying Palestinian flags also unfurled “a banner bearing the words ‘Genocide Olympics’”, the public prosecutor’s office said.

Stewards immediately intervened to remove the two white cloths bearing the inscription in large black letters. From the stands below, Israeli supporters chanted “Free the hostages”, to which the ultras responded  with fists outstretched “Free Gaza”, “Gaza Gaza, we won’t forget” and ‘’Israel assassin.”  These slogans were  covered by the whistles of a section of the audience.

According to an AFP journalist present at the match, won by Paraguay 4-2, the Israeli anthem was also  whistled.

On Wednesday, the match between Mali and Israel (1-1) took place without any notable incident, but under heavy surveillance due to calls for “mobilization” against the presence of the Israeli Olympic delegation in France.

My question: why were these people allowed into the stadium by security ??

Exit mobile version