France tightens security for Israel soccer match after clashes in Amsterdam | U.S. & World [Video]

By Gabriel Stargardter

PARIS (Reuters) – French authorities have stepped up security in Paris ahead of a France-Israel soccer match on Thursday, hoping to avoid a repeat of violent clashes between locals and Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam last week.

The Nations League match at the Stade de France comes at a fraught moment, with diplomatic relations between French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu strained by Israel’s war in Gaza.

Some 4,000 police will secure the event, deployed in the stadium, outside the ground and on public transport, the Paris police force said.

“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.

Only French and Israel flags would be allowed inside the stadium, he added.

Macron will attend the game in a show of solidarity, while Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said after the Amsterdam clashes …