French MP says Israeli athletes ‘not welcome’ at Olympics during Paris protests

A protest over the weekend in Paris called for a ban on the participation of Israeli athletes in the upcoming Olympics set to start in the French capital on Friday, as Israel’s deadly war on Gaza persists.

The protest, organised by the NGO EuroPalestine and held on Saturday, saw scores of demonstrators denounce the decision to host Israeli athletes in the Olympics, as the start of competition approaches.

Demonstrators were seen holding posters which read "no to the participation of Israel in the Olympic Games", "don’t be complicit in the genocide of the Palestinians" and "genocide is not a Olympic sport". Protesters also brandished images with the Olympic rings dripping in blood, in reference to the bloodshed in Gaza.

French left-wing MP, Thomas Portes of the France Unbowed (LFI), spoke at the demonstration, saying: "We are just a few days away from an international event to be held in Paris, the Olympic Games. And I’m here to say that no, the Israeli delegation is not welcome in Paris. Israeli athletes are not welcome at the Olympic Games in Paris."

"We have to use this deadline and all the levers we have to mobilise," he stressed.

Mandla Mandela, the grandson of former South African president and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, also spoke at the protest, paying tribute to the more than 400 Palestinian athletes who have been killed by Israel’s war in Gaza.

Backlash from politicians 

Portes’ comments have been met with backlash from a number of French politicians, including Foreign Minister  Stephane Sejourne, who said: "The Israeli delegation is welcome in France", while in Brussels ahead of talks with his Israeli counterpart, adding that the call by Portes for the country's exclusion had been "irresponsible and dangerous".

Portes also drew the ire of several Jewish leaders in France. Yonathan Arfi, a member of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, described the comments as akin to "putting a target on the backs of Israeli athletes".

The LFI depute later told Le Parisien newspaper that "France's diplomats should pressure the International Olympic Committee to bar the Israeli flag and anthem, as is done for Russia" over its invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Shin Bet security agency is also set to provide protection for Israeli athletes throughout the upcoming Olympic Games, the UK’s Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday. 

The security agents are likely in France already "checking the ground", former Shin Bet chief Yaakov Peri told the newspaper, adding that Israel’s security team has been doubled since the Tokyo Games in 2021.

In the run up to the 30th edition of the global sporting event, numerous calls have been made to bar Israeli athletes from competing, in the wake of Israel’s deadly war in Gaza, which has killed at east 39,006 Palestinians since 7 October.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been accused of double standards for not treating Israel and its athletes the way it has Russian and Belarussian ones, who will compete neutrally due to the countries’ involvement in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.