France-Israel match: massive boycott and empty stadium

Numerous videos show the sparse stands, confirming the impact of the boycott call launched by several organizations. The latter denounce the holding of this sporting event, described as the "match of the French genocide", due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Before kick-off, a campaign on social media urged players and supporters to boycott the event as a sign of protest against Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians. Messages of support for Palestine accompanied by hashtags flooded the web, echoing the calls for a boycott.

Faced with the scale of the movement and the potential disturbances to public order, the French Football Federation expressed its concerns to UEFA and the authorities. The Paris police prefect, Laurent Nuñez, himself described the match as "high risk".

A significant security device was put in place in the capital and around the stadium. No less than 4,000 police officers were mobilized, including 2,500 specifically dedicated to the security of the Stade de France. To this were added 1,600 private security agents and a special forces unit responsible for protecting the Israeli delegation.