Outrage after French lawmaker says Israeli athletes not welcome at Paris Olympics
Far-left MP condemned by political allies, Jewish groups but doubles down, comparing war against Hamas to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as he seeks to ban Israel from sporting event
A French hard-left MP sparked outrage among lawmakers and Jewish organizations after he declared at a weekend rally that Israeli athletes weren’t welcome at the Paris Olympics due to the war against Hamas in Gaza.
At an anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian rally on Saturday, La France Insoumise (LFI) lawmaker Thomas Portes condemned Israel’s participation in the Games, which begin on July 26, and, in a speech covered by French daily Le Parisien, called for “mobilization around the event.”
“I am here to say that no, the Israeli delegation is not welcome in Paris,” Portes said at the rally. “Israeli athletes are not welcome at the Olympic Games in Paris.”
The far-left lawmaker’s remarks drew anger on Sunday from the president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, Yonathan Arfi.
Branding Portes’s statement as “irresponsible,” Arfi accused him of endangering Israeli athletes, and recalled the 1972 Munich Olympics — where 11 competitors from the Israeli team were murdered by Palestinian terrorists from the Black September group — to underscore the dangers faced by past Israeli delegations.
“Since October 7, Thomas Portes has legitimized Hamas,” Arfi wrote on X. “Now, he puts a target on the backs of Israeli athletes, already the most threatened in the Olympic Games. Irresponsible.”
Criticism from inside the halls of government was also not long in coming.
Indécence de Thomas Portes !
1972 : 11 athlètes israéliens sont assassinés par des terroristes palestiniens aux JO de Munich.
2024 : LFI demande l'exclusion des athlètes israéliens des JO de Paris.
Depuis le 7 octobre, Thomas Portes légitime le Hamas. Il met maintenant une… pic.twitter.com/1YwR7aUWmn
— Yonathan Arfi (@Yonathan_Arfi) July 20, 2024
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, of the liberal-conservative Les Républicains party, weighed in, telling French public broadcaster France 2 on Sunday that the “hints of antisemitism in his remarks are obvious.”
Darmanin recommitted to ensuring the Israeli delegation is safe and secure throughout the entirety of the Games, and noted that law enforcement would be providing the athletes with round-the-clock security coverage.
Portes also came under attack from nominal parliamentary allies in the Socialist party, who found themselves in a begrudging alliance with LFI for the legislative elections earlier this month.
“Of course Israeli athletes are welcome, like all sportspeople from all over the world. Not for who they are but for what they do,” Socialist MP Jerome Guedj posted.
In spite of the backlash, Portes doubled down on his comments in a statement to Le Parisien, and compared the war in Gaza, where Israel is seeking to dismantle Hamas after the terror group’s deadly October 7 terror onslaught, to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I believe that French diplomacy must put pressure on the IOC so that the Israeli flag and anthem are not allowed during these Olympic Games, as is done for Russia,” he said. “We must put an end to the double standards.”
Some LFI lawmakers came out in support of Portes, including MP Aymeric Caron, who wrote that “the Israeli flag, stained with the blood of Gaza’s innocents, should not fly in Paris this summer.”
Israel’s soccer team is set to play its first Olympic match against Mali in Paris’ Parc des Prince stadium on Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony.
France is at its highest state of security as it gears up to host millions of visitors, athletes, and world leaders during the Games.
The Paris 2024 organizing committee has already made assurances that “unprecedented” steps will be implemented to secure the Games, including the deployment of 30,000 police and gendarmes who will be reinforced by roughly 20,000 soldiers. In addition, between 17,000 and 22,000 private security agents are expected for the Olympic sites and fan zones.
In addition, the UK’s Telegraph newspaper reported Sunday that members of the Shin Bet security agency would accompany the Israeli athletes throughout the Games.
The guards will be armed and will work in cooperation with local French security and Parisian police forces.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office said Sunday that he would attend Friday’s boat parade on the river Seine and a commemoration for the Israelis killed in Munich in 1972.
