Paris deploys thousands of police officers before France-Israel match this evening

France's football match against Israel at the Stade de France in Paris will be accompanied by a huge police mobilisation, the largest since the Olympic Games in August. The game will start at 8:45 PM CET tonight, Thursday, November 14.

The mere fact that the match wasn't cancelled or moved to other city (like Brussels, which refused to host its game and was moved to Hungary) or the presence of France's president Emmanuel Macron and PM Michel Barnier, giving the match an almost diplomatic dimension, has sparked lots of controversy and protests.

Last week, the Europa League match between Amsterdam's Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv resulted in riots and a street battle between Israeli fans (many of whom were seen chanting anti-Palestinian songs and breaking Palestinian flags) and Palestinian supporters. Macron and Barnier's presence today is an act of solidarity with Jewish communities in Europe after Amsterdam's incidents.

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu advised Israeli fans not to travel to Paris for today's match. There are still at least a hundred Israeli attendees expected today, which will be watched by 4,000 police officers, distributed between the stadium, near suburbs and public transport.

For France's supporters coming today, it will be prohibited to carry Palestinian flags. Only France or Israel flags will be allowed.

A pro-Palestinian demonstration happened yesterday, November 13, to protest against the match as well as a gala organised by organisation 'Israel is Forever' intended to raise money for Israel. Another protest will be held today in front of the stadium, which is expected to welcome just 25,000 people, out of the 80,000 capacity.