Police officers in Paris arrested two fans at an Israel-France UEFA Nations League soccer game at Stade de France national stadium Thursday.
“There was the start of a fight. We were extremely reactive, so the incident was very quickly contained,” Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez told France 2.
The fight broke out around 10 minutes after the game kicked off at 8:45 p.m. Some of those involved had Israeli flags draped over their backs. It was not clear what prompted the altercation, and security intervened about one minute after it broke out.
Both individuals were taken into custody. One was taken right away, and the other was arrested after the match with the help of video evidence, Nunez said.
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Fans display a Palestinian flag and an Israeli flag amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas Nov. 14, 2024. (Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)
Fans at Stade de France booed during the Israeli national anthem, and minor altercations erupted at a UEFA Nations League game between the two countries Thursday. About 4,000 French security personnel were assigned to patrol inside and outside the stadium and on public transit.
Reuters reported around 100 Israeli fans were spotted sitting in a corner of Stade de France, which had an attendance of 16,611, not even close to its 80,000-person capacity.
Before the match kicked off, the Israeli national anthem played, and some “boos and whistles” were heard as it played.
Israeli supporters waved yellow balloons, chanting “Free the Hostages” in reference to those still being held by Hamas.
ISRAEL TAKES HARD LINE AGAINST TERRORISTS, ALLOWING DEPORTATION OF FAMILY MEMBERS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying Israel had intelligence that pro-Palestinian groups abroad intend to harm Israelis in cities in France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Belgium, among other countries.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Ma’ayan Toaf, Israel Government Press Office)
This incident is now the second violent altercation involving Israeli soccer fans at the national team’s games in Europe in recent weeks.
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC supporters were reportedly the target of violence in Amsterdam in the first week of November. The Embassy of Israel to the U.S. also posted a graphic video of the violence.
“Hundreds of fans of the @MaccabiTLVFC soccer team were ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam tonight as they left the stadium following a game against @AFCAjax,” the embassy wrote. “The mob who targeted these innocent Israelis has proudly shared their violent acts on social media.”
Dozens of arrests were made Thursday night, most before the match, the Netherlands’ RTL reported.
“There have been disturbances, including on the Dam,” a Dutch national police spokesperson told the outlet. “We cannot indicate who belongs to whom. The groups are not easy to distinguish from each other. Almost all of them are wearing dark clothes.”
Israeli fans clash with security staff during a match between Israel and France Nov. 14, 2024. (Reuters/Christian Hartmann)
That incident came 13 months after the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel’s national soccer team was recently subject to a potential suspension by FIFA after complaints by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).
The PFA’s original proposal claimed at least 92 non-professional Palestinian players have been killed in the war, football infrastructure has been destroyed, its leagues suspended and its national team required to play World Cup qualifiers abroad. The Palestinian federation wanted FIFA to adopt appropriate sanctions against Israeli teams, including the national side and clubs.
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FIFA ruled against suspending Israel from international play after the PFA proposed a suspension for Israel amid the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza earlier this year. However, FIFA still commenced an investigation of the Israel Football Association (IFA) over allegations of discrimination.
In a statement previously provided to Fox News Digital by IFA head of communications Shlomi Barzell, the IFA condemned the PFA for its recent proposal to FIFA.
A protester is draped in an Israeli flag during a protest against antisemitism at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany Dec. 10, 2023. (Reuters/Lisi Niesner)
“Whoever fantasized about the suspension of Israeli football from the international arena or sanctions through lies and false accusations, has suffered a defeat,” the statement read. “Again, we have acted over time in different channels, in a calculated and proactive manner in the face of the challenge of the Palestinian Association and its leader to distort reality, and the result today leaves no room for doubt.
“We respect the authors of the report submitted to the council members and the decision of the council members to consider transferring two issues to a legal examination, as long as there is any factual justification for it. Thanks to values that represent a glorious democracy and an independent and determined legal system of the Football Association, we have never violated and will not violate any of the FIFA/UEFA rules.”
The PFA has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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