Thousands of police officers are being deployed around Paris ahead of a soccer match between France and Israel in order to prevent a repeat of the violence seen in Amsterdam involving locals and Israeli fans. The match is expected to be met with widespread protests amid heightened tensions in Europe over Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon. Around 4,000 officers will be on duty, with 2,500 deployed around the stadium and 1,500 posted elsewhere in the city. French and Israeli flags will be allowed inside the stadium, but Palestinian flags will not. Drones will be used for crowd surveillance and additional security measures will include increased presence on metro lines. Attendance at the game is expected to be low despite the heightened security.
Demonstrations have already taken place in Paris, including a protest against a pro-Israel gala attended by far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich. At one of the protests, tear gas was reportedly deployed against the crowd, and another rally organized by leftist Jewish groups was shut down by police. Protesters at these events expressed concerns about Israel’s actions in Gaza, where thousands of people, including children, have been killed. The U.N. has reported that women and children account for the majority of those killed in Gaza. Demonstrators have vowed to continue protesting and not be deterred by police presence.
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