French President Emmanuel Macron plans to attend the upcoming France-Israel soccer match this Thursday, his office said on Sunday, according to the AFP news agency.
The French President's decision to attend aims to "send a message of fraternity and solidarity after the intolerable acts of antisemitism that followed the match in Amsterdam this week," the announcement said.
The decision follows the violence against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam on Thursday night. In the wake of that violence, security preparations for the game in France are extensive, with Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez announcing the deployment of 4,000 security personnel throughout Paris and its transportation systems.
In the wake of the Amsterdam pogrom, the National Security Council on Sunday advised Israeli citizens to "avoid attending sports games/cultural events involving Israelis, with an emphasis on the upcoming match of the Israeli national team in Paris."
Macron’s planned attendance at the soccer match in Paris is noteworthy. While he has condemned the rise in antisemitism in France, the French President has also been critical of Israel in recent months.
In August, Macron told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "avoid a cycle of reprisals" in the Middle East in a conversation which took place following the eliminations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
Previously, Macron spoke to Netanyahu and urged him to prevent a "conflagration" between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon despite Hezbollah's near-daily rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel since October 8, 2023.
Last month, the French President said that "stopping the export of weapons" used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon was the only way to end fighting there.
Later, Israeli delegations were banned from exhibiting at the Euronaval defense show taking place in France. However, a court in Paris overturned the ban and decided to allow Israeli companies to participate in the show.