Israeli fans assault activists waving Palestinian flags at basketball game in France

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - A basketball game Wednesday between French team Nanterre and Israeli side Hapoel Holon was interrupted when a group of activists ran onto the court waving Palestinian flags.

The match took place in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris.

Footage circulating on social media showed the activists evading security personnel on the court and escaping into the stands, where Israeli fans assaulted them.

Police intervened to separate them but used force against the activists.

During the altercation, Israeli fans hurled insults at the pro-Palestinian supporters.

The Administrative Court of Cergy-Pontoise had earlier annulled a decision by the Nanterre Municipality to hold the match without spectators.

A demonstration planned by Palestinian supporters in Nanterre against the game was banned.

Israel has been carrying out a large-scale ground operation in northern Gaza since Oct. 5 to allegedly prevent the Palestinian resistance group Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

Since then, no sufficient humanitarian aid including food, medicine and fuel has been allowed into the area, leaving the remaining population there on the verge of imminent famine.

The onslaught is the latest episode in a brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 45,000 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.

*Writing by Merve Berker