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A protest over the weekend in Paris called for a ban on the participation of Israeli athletes in the upcoming Olympic Games 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. But it was French left-wing MP, Thomas Portes of the France Unbowed party (LFI), who attracted headlines for speaking at the demonstration. "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," he said. 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. However, Portes’ comments were met with backlash from a number of French politicians, including Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, who said: "The Israeli delegation is welcome in France", adding that the call by Portes for Israel'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.
