Israeli athletes taking part in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will be granted “full protection”, France’s government has promised.
Gérald Darmanin, the country’s outgoing interior minister, has insisted that the sportsmen and women will receive 24-hour police protection after members of the French Socialist New Popular Front (NFP) demanded Israel’s exclusion from the competition.
“We made this decision because we know very well that Israeli athletes have been particularly targeted by attacks since the Munich Games,” Darmanin told French media.
La délégation Israélienne fera l’objet d’une sécurisation renforcée par les forces de l’ordre pendant toute sa présence sur le territoire national. pic.twitter.com/HPbO1RAmCu
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) July 21, 2024
He went on to lambast NFP politician Thomas Portes for his claim that “Israeli athletes are not welcome at the Olympic Games in Paris” over its actions in Gaza, with Darmanin accusing the left-wing representative of “anti-Semitism”.
“He is putting a target on the backs of these Israeli athletes. He is not attacking the North Korean or Iranian delegation, he is knowingly attacking the Israeli athletes because they are Jewish,” the minister claimed.
“I want to express my disgust at this and that the Israeli athletes will be granted full protection, like all athletes of course, but particularly them.”
Belgium will play its home match against Israel in Budapest after Belgian cities said they lacked the willingness or capacity to ensure adequate security for the Israeli team. https://t.co/USP4rfFJ4y
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 17, 2024
When pushed on Portes’s comments, NFP politicians have doubled down on the call for Israel to be excluded from the Paris Olympics.
Speaking on the matter, senior NFP politician Manuel Bompard insisted that there was “nothing anti-Semitic” about Portes’ comments, arguing that the left-wing deputy was simply pushing for Israel to be treated in the same way as Russia.
“No, there is nothing antisemitic in demanding that, in the face of violations of international law, Israeli athletes compete in the Olympic Games under a neutral banner, as is the case for Russian athletes,” he said.
Portes himself clarified that he had nothing against Israeli athletes taking part in the competition but wanted them to do so under a neutral banner.
“It is not a question of saying that athletes cannot participate,” he said.
“I consider that French diplomacy must put pressure on the IOC [International Olympic Committee] so that the Israeli flag and anthem are not allowed during these Olympic Games as is done for Russia,” he continued.
“We must put an end to the double standards.”
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— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 20, 2023
The controversy came in June after a football game between Israel and Belgium had to be rescheduled due to security concerns.
Having originally been due to take place in September, Brussels, it has now been moved to the Hungarian city of Debrecen after protests from mayors in the Belgian capital that the game represented a serious security concern.
Commentators speculated that security concerns were related to Brussels’ sizeable Muslim population, with the city having already experienced street violence related both to football and the conflict in Gaza.
“Outside of a war situation, this is the first time, to my knowledge, that a European country has officially recognised that it is no longer master of its territory, due to an overly pressing Arab-Muslim presence,” said political analyst Damien Rieu.
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— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 11, 2024
