PARIS (AP) — The Paris police announced on Sunday the mobilization of 4,000 officers and 1,600 employees at the stadium for the soccer match between the France and Israel national teams, in order to ensure security inside and around the Stade de France, located in a northern suburb of the capital, as well as on public transportation, a week after the violence against Israeli fans in Amsterdam.
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France and Israel will face each other on Thursday in the UEFA Nations League.
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Why are French authorities taking extreme measures for the match?
Israeli fans were attacked last week after the match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in the Europa League in Amsterdam by hordes of young people apparently incited by calls on social media to attack Jewish individuals, according to Dutch authorities.
Five people were treated in hospitals and dozens were arrested after the attacks, which were condemned as antisemitic by authorities in the Netherlands, Israel, and across Europe.
The day before the match, Maccabi Tel Aviv hooligans broke a Palestinian flag and shouted insults against Palestinians due to the Gaza War.
On Sunday, the Dutch police arrested several people for participating in a demonstration in downtown Amsterdam that had been banned following violence against Israeli fans, as reported by a local media outlet.
What are the main measures that France will take?
"There is a context, tensions that make this match a high-risk event for us," said the chief of police of Paris, Laurent Núñez, to the French news channel BFM TV. He added that the authorities "will not tolerate" any violence.
Núñez indicated that 2,500 police officers will be mobilized around the Stade de France, north of the French capital, in addition to another 1,500 in Paris and on public transportation.
"There will be an anti-terrorism security perimeter around the stadium," Núñez said. Security checks will be "strengthened," he added, including systematic frisks and bag inspections.
Núñez mentioned that the French organizers have been in contact with the Israeli authorities and security forces to prepare for the match.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed on Friday that the France-Israel match would take place as planned.
"I believe that for a symbolic reason we should not give in, we should not give up," he said, pointing out that sports fans from around the world came together for the Paris Olympics this year to celebrate the "universal values" of sports.
In any case, Israeli authorities asked their fans not to travel to Paris for the match against France.