A major French Jewish group has slammed a hard-left French parliamentarian for saying Israeli athletes were not welcome at the Paris Olympics from next week because of the fighting in Gaza, calling the comments “irresponsible”, AFP reports.
France Unbowed (LFI) lawmaker Thomas Portes was “putting a target on the backs of Israeli athletes,” said Yonathan Arfi, head of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, on X.
Portes had said at a rally in support of Palestinians that “the Israeli delegation is not welcome in Paris. Israeli sportspeople are not welcome at the Paris Olympic Games” and called for “mobilisation” around the event.
He later told The Parisien that “France’s diplomats should pressure the International Olympic Committee to bar the Israeli flag and anthem, as is done for Russia”.
“It’s time to end the double standard,” Portes added.
Beyond the Jewish group, Portes also came under attack from nominal parliamentary allies in the Socialist Party and conservatives.
“Of course, Israeli athletes are welcome, like all sportspeople from all over the world. Not for who they are but for what they do,” Socialist MP Jerome Guedj posted.
Some LFI lawmakers came out in support of Portes. “The Israeli flag, stained with the blood of Gaza’s innocents, should not fly in Paris this summer,” MP Aymeric Caron wrote.
