ISTANBUL

During a football match between France and Israel at Stade de France on Nov. 14, French journalist Emmanuel Hoarau defied a ban by raising the Palestinian flag.

In an interview with Anadolu, he explained that he felt compelled to act in light of the ongoing bombings in Gaza, where civilians have endured daily attacks.

"I raised the Palestinian flag because Gaza has been under bombardment for a year, and the international community has remained silent. France, the world’s sixth-largest power and one of Israel’s main arms suppliers along with the US, has also failed to take action," he said.

Ahead of the match, French authorities imposed a ban on Palestinian flags, citing concerns about potential violence following clashes between supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam during a Europa League match in the Netherlands.

"Only French and Israeli flags and messages supporting the teams will be allowed. Stadiums are no place for political messages – it’s the law," Paris prefect Laurent Nunez told French media.

The match, which was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Michel Barnier, saw French fans largely boycotting the event.

In response to recent fan violence in Amsterdam, the match took place under strict security measures.

Despite the deployment of 4,000 security personnel around the stadium and in Paris, the stands were nearly empty.

During the game, 20-year-old Hoarau, a university student studying history, raised the Palestinian flag in the stands.

He later shared the moment on his X account, tagging French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.

“Not a single restriction on freedom of expression can make us forget the ongoing massacre of civilians in Gaza,” Hoarau wrote.

“Why can't I say ‘Free Palestine’ at a France-Israel match?”

Hoarau emphasized that the ban on displaying certain flags in public stadiums is a direct attack on “freedom of expression and conscience.”

He noted that aside from the person who took his photo and those sitting beside him, no one seemed to notice when he raised the flag.

Once the photo went viral, however, a security officer escorted him out of the stadium in the 65th minute.

"If I can say 'Free Palestine' at a train station or on the street, I don’t understand why I can’t express the same during a match between France and Israel," he told Anadolu.

Hoarau explained that his action was intended to draw attention to what he sees as a growing threat to “freedom of expression and conscience” posed by the French government.

He pointed out that since the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1789, freedom of expression has been a fundamental right for all French citizens.

Although Hoarau has not faced legal repercussions for raising the flag, he revealed that he has received online threats from pro-Israel supporters.

*Writing by Beril Canakci