Thousands of security personnel descended upon Paris for an international soccer match between France and Israel, a week after violent clashes in Amsterdam targeted Israeli fans.
Authorities in the French capital deployed 4,000 police, including elite tactical officers, and 1,600 private security guards ahead of Thursday’s match at the Stade de France outside Paris.
Last week, Israeli soccer fans visiting the Dutch capital were chased and beaten by crowds in what officials from both countries described as antisemitic attacks.
The violence, in which at least five people were hospitalized and more than 60 were arrested, unfolded before and after a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv last Thursday.
Dutch authorities said they had prepared for the possibility of a clash between visiting Israeli fans and others, including pro-Palestinian demonstrators, because of tensions and rhetoric over the war in Gaza.
Videos circulated online last week showing Maccabi fans pulling down a Palestinian flag and chanting anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian slogans.
The Israeli government said it had intelligence that pro-Palestinian groups abroad intended to harm Israelis in countries including the Netherlands, the U.K., France and Belgium.
“In the coming week, categorically avoid attending Israeli sports/cultural events abroad, and specifically the Israeli teams’ upcoming match in Paris,” the government said Sunday.
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