PARIS. The Parc des Princes stadium has proven one or the other over the years. Just under 50,000 spectators. The attractive multi-purpose arena is known as the home cave of the big club Paris Saint-Germain, but the stadium also regularly hosts music events.
Security measures have been put to the test when supporters from the world’s best club and national teams have been in the village. However, on Wednesday, the first competition day of the Olympics, there is an extraordinary atmosphere at the stadium.
A safety zone of a couple of hundred meters has been built around the arena, where there is no access without a good reason. This includes a purchased ticket, accreditation, or either living or working inside a closed block.
There are countless policemen, soldiers and members of special forces along the way. More than a hundred police cars can be seen within a kilometer. The security officials guarding the area are armed with pistols, assault rifles and pump-action shotguns.
In elite football, violent clashes between supporters have decreased since the worst years. Now, however, we are not on our way to the match of PSG or the French national team, but to the Israel-Mali men’s preliminary round of the Paris Olympic football.
Diplomatic relations between the countries that meet in the match have been broken since 1973, but it is not visible in front of the stadium. Dozens of supporters take group photos and hug.
Due to the war in Gaza, some of the countries participating in the Games have demanded the exclusion of Israel from the Olympic movement. This has not happened, which has increased the security threat to the Games.
– I have worked at this stadium for twenty years, but I have never come across such a display of strength, Radio France journalist Antoine describes the scale of security measures.
For Christmas the self-proclaimed supporter of Israel says he is grateful to the French authorities.
– They have made us feel very safe.
French Minister of the Interior by Gerald Darman announced on Wednesday morning on French TV channels that there will be a thousand additional security personnel in addition to French and Israeli special forces for tonight’s match. A little over an hour before the start of the match, Darmanin arrives to supervise the security measures and to thank the authorities personally.
– People have the right to express their opinion, but we do not accept anti-Semitism, the interior minister tells a group of journalists in front of the stadium.
It has already happened during the day. The plane carrying the president of Israel stood at the airport for a long time for security reasons. An Israeli journalist tells that the plane that landed in Paris was stuck for an extra hour because there was a person near the plane without a safety vest.
Earlier, a single bag was found near the Parc des Princes, prompting a bomb alarm and the evacuation of the streets. For the same reason, the international press center was emptied.
Tensions flared
Inside the stadium, the atmosphere is festive at first.
When the Israeli and Malian teams are announced, the stands erupt in applause. In the TV pictures, the match is played in a good spirit, but in the stands, the atmosphere quickly becomes strained.
The booing concert begins as the Israeli national anthem plays. Three Palestinian flags in the VIP stands arouse a furious reaction in some supporters of Israel.
Security guards have to intervene when a handful of spectators approach people displaying Palestinian flags in a threatening manner and demand that the flags be removed.
The security guards explain to the mobbed people that they do not have the right to remove the Palestinian flags because Palestine is one of the teams participating in the Olympics. The matter is debated for several minutes until the supporters of Israel return to their seats. The situation repeats itself a moment later, when more supporters of Israel arrive from another part of the stand.
On the other side of the stadium, an expression of opinion is seen, where some of the supporters form the phrase Free Palestine.
This clearly provoked close supporters of Israel. People showing support for Palestine and people waving Israeli flags shout unprintable text at each other and show the middle finger.
Demonstrators also light a torch in the stands, although it is forbidden to bring them into the stadium. After a short expression of opinion, they leave the stand themselves.
Hostile reactions can be seen in plenty of different parts of the stands as the match progresses. Palestinian flags regularly fly among the Malian flags. At the break, two Belgian supporters, one of whom says his name Yepshout cheers for Mali and reach Free Palestine shouts.
An older Israel supporter quickly arrives. He and the unknown woman sniff the Belgians until the people around calm the situation down.
“I felt the tension”
On the field, Israel and Mali end up with a 1-1 draw. After the match, there are no more new expressions of opinion in the stands, but the tense atmosphere does not go unnoticed by the players.
– I could clearly feel the tension on the field, the midfielder of Mali and the Spanish club Cadiz Moussa Diakite tells in the interview area after the match.
Immediately after the match, the spokesman for the Israeli national team informs the media representatives that the interview will be stopped immediately if the players are asked “political questions”.
Israeli goalkeeper Omer Yaacov Nir On is content to state to that representing Israel is a source of great pride for him. He describes the atmosphere of the match as great.
Before the Paris Olympics, however, the biggest topic of conversation immediately turns into a handshake. Political tensions are strongly present, even if they are not visible in television pictures.