Israel is set play France in a Nations League football match this week, despite this week’s Amsterdam pogrom, and many comments are reaffirming the need for heightened security.
For instance, on France’s RMC Sport Facebook page, a post about the game has generated many sick, antisemitic, and threatening comments, only a sample of which I have included below with their translations to English:
“They will receive a warm welcome from the Algerians”
“They aren’t ready
Some seem to transcend hate speech and fall into the category of direct threats, like the following:
These are just some from the one post on RMC Sport; I assume there would be much of the same elsewhere and – in all likelihood – Whatsapp and Telegram groups organizing another ambush.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has said he asked the Paris police chief to take the necessary security measures for the November 14 match. Given the nature of the above comments, I sincerely hope this is not just lip service and that the French do not make the same mistake as the Dutch.
