French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne on Monday confirmed that Israeli athletes are welcome at the Paris Olympics, countering calls from a hard-left French lawmaker for their exclusion.
This statement came ahead of talks with Sejourne’s Israeli counterpart in Brussels.
“The Israeli delegation is welcome in France,” Sejourne declared, labeling the exclusionary call by lawmaker Thomas Portes of France Unbowed (LFI) as “irresponsible and dangerous.”
Sejourne also assured that the security of the Israeli delegation would be guaranteed.
Portes incited outrage from French Jewish groups and political figures after he stated during a pro-Palestinian demonstration that Israeli athletes were “not welcome” while also calling for “mobilisation” against their participation in the Olympics.
He later suggested to the Parisian newspaper that French diplomats should pressure the International Olympic Committee to ban the Israeli flag and anthem, similar to the measures taken against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
However, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin criticised Portes’ comments as having “hints of anti-Semitism,” while Yonathan Arfi, head of the Crif Jewish organisation, accused him of “putting a target on the backs” of Israeli athletes.
Similarly, Portes’ remarks faced condemnation from some of his more moderate allies in the Socialist Party, while others within LFI expressed support for his stance.
