A group of agitators, waving Palestinian flags, stormed the court during a basketball game between Israel’s Hapoel Holon and France’s Nanterre 92, causing chaos in the stands.
The madness came in the third quarter of the game Nanterre, Francewhich was part of the FIBA ​​Basketball Champions League.
About ten people ran onto the court waving Palestinian flags, angering hundreds of attendees from the French Jewish community and cheering on the Israeli team.
Some of the anti-Israel agitators jumped into the stands and were quickly arrested by security. A group on the pro-Israel side began breaking out into nationalist chants.
An anti-Israel agitator storms the basketball court waving a Palestinian flag. (Enzo Rabouy via Storyful)
The match resumed a few minutes later after police apprehended the disruptors. Security was increased for the remainder of the game, including officers equipped with shields, to separate members of the Jewish community from other fans.
The match was briefly halted before resuming with extra security. (Enzo Rabouy via Storyful)
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs had issued a warning regarding the match earlier in the day, including first indications of a planned protest by groups expected to gather near the arena. These included the pro-Palestinian organization Europalestine and the far-left party La France Insoumise.
The game was attended by hundreds of people from the French Jewish community. (Enzo Rabouy via Storyful)
Nanterre Mayor Raphaël Adam banned fans from attending the match earlier this week to ‘prevent public disturbances’, but a court overturned that decision on Wednesday morning.
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Hapoel Holon lost the match to Nanterre 87-77. But the Israeli team still advanced to the Top 16 stage thanks to Bosnian team Igokea’s loss to German team Würzburg. Yotam Hanochi led Guy Goodes’ scorers with 18 points, while opposition Paul Lacombe excelled with 23 points.
