On Wednesday, July 24, Israel’s national anthem was booed by a few spectators flying Palestine flags at Parc des Princes in Paris ahead of their men’s football match against Mali at the Olympics. A few spectators were spotted with “Free Palestine” written on the front of their t-shirts during the Group D clash, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The AFP reported that nearly 1,000 members of the French police were on duty for the Israel versus Mali football match as part of the security measures. Despite that, the fans flying the Palestine and Israeli flags got involved in heated exchanges at the Parc des Princes.
The stewards also told the pro-Palestinian spectators to remove yellow stickers which had “Gaza: Silence kills,” written on it. Moreover, apart from the Israel-Mali clash in Paris, the French authorities also identified the Ukraine-Iraq contest in Lyon as high risk.
Parc des Princes, will have security, an anti-terror perimeter: French interior minister before kick-off
Gerald Darmanin, the French interior minister, spoke on BFM television and radio about the security plans for the two high risk football matches. He said, “All the competitions have a security plan, but it’s true that these two matches, and particularly the match at the Parc des Princes, will have security, an anti-terror perimeter.”
“Tonight at the Parc des Princes there will be a thousand police officers who will ensure that we are there for the sport,” he added.
Here is the clip of Israeli national anthem getting booed at the Paris 2024:
Furthermore, the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, watched his national team play against Mali at the Paris 2024.