Thousands of protesters march in Paris ahead of tense football match between France-Israel

The demonstration was also organised to denounce a highly controversial gala organised on Wednesday night by the Israeli far-right in Paris.

Transcript

00:00Protests erupted in Paris on Wednesday night against a controversial gala organized by

00:09Israel's far right.

00:11The event, held in a secret location, intended to raise money for Israel.

00:16It advertised guests such as the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smodrich, known for his

00:22extreme positions on Gaza, who ended up cancelling his trip to Paris.

00:27The demonstration was organized by multiple pro-Palestinian groups and the hard-left France

00:32Unbowed Party.

00:33It is a follow-up to the Israel Forever gala, I would rather say Horror Israel, because

00:41we invite people who have said things that incite racial hatred, and beyond that, who

00:47dehumanize, that is, to speak concretely, that is, who compare Palestinians to animals.

00:57French authorities refused to cancel the event, claiming it posed no major threat to

01:01public order, further angering protesters and some left-wing politicians.

01:07It is a real anger, because we have people who, once again, here, in the heat, in a golden

01:12living room, will raise money that will feed tomorrow the Israeli army that will massacre

01:15children in Palestine.

01:16It is absolutely unacceptable.

01:17Although the demonstration was relatively peaceful, a few stores, such as McDonald's

01:21and Carrefour, were vandalized.

01:24Tensions are at an all-time high, as the gala was coincidentally held on the eve of a football

01:30match between Israel and France.

01:33Some are worried the game could lead to major clashes.

01:46A total of 4,000 police officers will be mobilized for the football game on Thursday evening

01:52in Paris.

01:53That means one police officer for every five attendees, a highly unusual number for such

01:59a sporting event.