Israel warns of planned attacks at large events in UK
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Pro-Palestinian groups are planning to harm Israelis at sporting and cultural events in the UK and other European nations, Israel has warned.
The country’s National Security Council urged its citizens to avoid all events involving Israeli participation over the coming week, including the UEFA Nations League match between Israel and Paris on Thursday.
Forthcoming cultural events in the UK this week include the annual Jewish film festival, running between 10 and 17 November.
In a statement published online, the council said: “In the past few days, there have been calls among pro-Palestinian/terrorist-supporter groups to harm Israelis and Jews.
“This is under the pretence of demonstrations and protests, taking advantage of mass gatherings (sports and cultural events) to maximise the damage and the media coverage.
Protesters run through Amsterdam with Palestinian flags as Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax played nearby last Thursday (Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock)
“In addition, preparations to harm Israelis have been identified in several European cities, including Brussels, major cities in the UK, Amsterdam and Paris (around the upcoming match of the Israeli team on 14 November).”
Israelis travelling abroad were also advised to avoid identifying themselves as such and to be aware as to whether their destination had a “large migrant population from countries opposed to Israel”.
The French government has resisted calls to reschedule the game on Thursday, but has said that it will significantly increase security measures.
On Sunday, French police said 4,000 officers and 1,600 stadium staff would be deployed for the UEFA Nations League match to ensure security in and around the stadium.
A supporter waves a Palestinian flag in front of police during a pro-Palestinian demonstration last week in Amsterdam (ANP/AFP/Getty)
It comes after pro-Palestinian rioters “actively sought out Israeli supporters to attack” after a football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Thursday last week.
Video emerged of a taxi driver driving through the city shouting, “Today we’re going on a Jew hunt”, as groups of young men tracked down and attacked Israelis across the city.
The night before Israeli fans had chanted anti-Arab slurs and pulled down a Palestinian flag in the city centre, according to video footage posted on social media.
Dutch police said five people were taken to hospital with injuries and 62 people were arrested after the violence which was widely condemned as antisemitic.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/israeli-planned-attacks-uk-europe-antisemitic-b2644680.html
