Israel's national anthem loudly jeered before Olympic soccer match against Mali
Israel’s national anthem was loudly jeered before its soccer team kicked off play at the Paris Olympics against Mali on Wednesday night
PARIS (AP) — Israel's national anthem was loudly jeered before its soccer team kicked off play at the Paris Olympics against Mali on Wednesday night.
The game began with a massive security presence outside the stadium amid an increasingly strained international climate that has Paris' safety efforts squarely in the spotlight.
The Israel team arrived under a heavy police escort, with motorbike riders at the front and around a dozen riot police vans following behind. Armed police officers patrolled the Parc des Princes stadium, one with a rifle resting on his shoulder. France's Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, and Paris police chief Laurent Nunez arrived at the stadium around 7:30 p.m.
“We owe this security to the whole world,” Darmanin said. “The threats to our country are the threats that concern the western world.”
