French Interior Minister Refuses to Cancel Israel-France Soccer Match After Israeli Fans Attacked in Amsterdam

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Friday that he will not call off an Israel-France soccer match set to take place next week in Paris, explaining that it would be giving in to antisemitism following the violent attacks Israeli soccer fans experienced in Amsterdam late Thursday night and early Friday morning.

“Some are calling for the France-Israel match to be relocated. I do not accept this,” Retailleau wrote in a post on X. “France is not backing down because that would amount to giving up in the face of threats of violence and antisemitism.” He added that at his request, Paris Prefect of Police Laurent Nuñez “is taking the necessary security measures” to make sure the upcoming Nations’ League match on Nov. 14 at Stade de France will take place as scheduled.

The French Football Federation has been facing pressure from pro-Palestinian activists to cancel the Israel vs. France soccer match next week, but FFF leaders said the game will take place as planned, with heightened security. Paris police reportedly said it would deploy over 2,000 officers around the Stade de France to maintain order at the match.

Retailleau also met with the heads of the FFF and Qatari-owned French soccer team PSG on Friday morning, according to Reuters. The meeting is likely to focus on the massive “Free Palestine” banner that was raised in the stands at a UEFA Champions League match on Wednesday between PSG and their Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid.

Israel said it would send two planes to Amsterdam to help fans of the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv get back home after they faced violent overnight attacks in the streets of Amsterdam from anti-Israel and antisemitic gangs of men. The Israeli airlines El Al and Arkia said it will coordinate five flights to Amsterdam and Brussels to help victims of the attack leave The Netherlands.

Some 3,000 Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were reportedly in Amsterdam to watch the team’s UEFA Europa League match on Thursday night against the Dutch team Ajax, which won the game 5-0. The Israeli fans were attacked before and after the match, and videos circulating on social media showed them being beaten, kicked, chased down the street with knives and sticks, and run over by cars. In multiple incidents, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were forced by their attackers to say “Free Palestine,” and attackers yelled antisemitic and anti-Israel slurs at their victims.

Amsterdam officials banned demonstrations through the weekend and gave police emergency stop-and-search powers in response to the violent attacks, according to Reuters. Mayor Femke Halsema called the attackers “antisemitic hit-and-run squads” and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he was “horrified by the antisemitic attacks on Israeli citizens.” He added that he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and assured him that “the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted.”

Police said 62 suspects had been detained after the game and 10 remained in custody on Friday.

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