France-Israel game: Paris ramps up security after Amsterdam violence
Thousands of police officers are set to be deployed around Paris on Thursday ahead of a soccer game between France and Israel, seeking to avoid a repeat of last week's violence in Amsterdam involving locals and Israeli fans.
PARIS — Thousands of police officers are set to be deployed around Paris on Thursday ahead of a soccer game between France and Israel, seeking to avoid a repeat of last week's violence in Amsterdam involving locals and Israeli fans.
The international match is expected to be met by widespread protests a week after the unrest in the Netherlands and amid heightened tensions in Europe over Israel’s deadly assault on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
Paris police confirmed to NBC News around 4,000 officers would be on duty, with some 2,500 deployed to ensure security around the Stade de France, in the suburb of Saint-Denis just north of the capital, and some 1,500 posted elsewhere across the city.
“It’s an exceptional measure, three to four times greater than what we usually mobilize,” Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told RTL radio on Wednesday, according to the Reuters news agency.
He said that only French and Israeli flags would be allowed inside the stadium, effectively barring the presence of Palestinian flags at the match.
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