French streets filled with police officers ahead of France and Israel UEFA game

Around 4,000 police officers are expected on the streets of France along with 1,600 security personnel following the UEFA Nations League tie game between France and Israel.

The match has been labelled as “high risk” after the violence that erupted in Amsterdam last week when the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv played Ajax.

The game has sold fewer than 20,000 tickets with only around 150 Israeli fans expected to attend. 

Israel’s government has instructed its nationals to avoid the game amid heightened tensions. 

Concerns about the upcoming France-Israel soccer match intensified following clashes between riot police and pro-Palestinian protesters on Wednesday night in Paris. The confrontation occurred outside a gala event where funds were being raised for the Israeli military

French President Emmanuel Macron has taken a firm stance, declaring that France will not "give in to antisemitism" on what is expected to be a tense night in Paris as the national football team prepares to face Israel at the Stade de France

In a show of solidarity with victims, Macron will be attending the game alongside Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and former presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy

Meanwhile, a pro-Palestinian demonstration has already drawn a few hundred people to the area outside the Front Populaire metro station in Saint-Denis, located approximately one kilometer from the stadium

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez has described these security arrangements as extraordinary, noting that only French and Israeli flags will be permitted inside the stadium.