French MP faces criticism for saying Israeli athletes not welcome at Paris Olympics

A French MP is facing severe criticism from the Jewish lobby as well as party colleagues for saying Israeli athletes were not welcome at the Paris Olympics.

Thomas Portes, a lawmaker from France Unbowed, or LFI, 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”.

He also said later 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,” Mr Portes said.

The International Olympic Committee earlier announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes would only be allowed to compete in Paris under a neutral flag and that they would not participate in the opening ceremony due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Kremlin had denounced this decision.

The lawmaker’s remarks invited immediate and intense criticism.

Yonathan Arfi, head of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, said on X Mr Portes was “putting a target on the backs of Israeli athletes”.

“Indecency of Thomas Portes!” he said.

“1972: 11 Israeli athletes are murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics. 2024: LFI calls for the exclusion of Israeli athletes from the Paris Olympics.”

A Palestinian group called Black September infiltrated the Olympic Village in Munich, Germany, in 1972 and killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine hostage.

“Since October 7, Thomas Portes has legitimised Hamas. He now puts a target on the backs of Israeli athletes, already the most threatened in the Olympic Games,” Mr Arfi said.

He called Mr Portes “irresponsible”.

Israel’s air and ground assault on Gaza has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, a majority of whom were women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. Most of the territory’s homes, schools, hospitals and places of worship have been reduced to rubble, and a majority of the 2.3 million population have been left homeless, and without adequate food supplies amid warnings of potential famine.

The Israeli offensive began after Hamas attacked southern Israel last October and killed about 1,200 people.

“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 said.

Nearly 45,000 security personnel will be on duty this Friday as the Olympics kickoff at 7.30pm local time.

“Security was the number one priority for Paris 2024,” organising committee president Tony Estanguet said, according to Le Monde.

Mr Portes, however, also found support from some politicians.

“The few to denounce it and demand sanctions are the target of the far right. Support @Portes_Thomas. Russian athletes parade a under neutral banner. Why not the Israelis?”

Another politician Jerome Legavre wrote on X: “The relentlessness against Thomas Portes is intolerable.

“All the controversy unleashed against him has in reality only one objective: to try to erase and make invisible the fact that for more than 9 months a genocide has been underway. Whatever the outburst, we will not be silent and will continue to fight to end this barbarity.”