The threats against Israeli athletes in France. Should we worry?

Over the last week, Israeli athletes competing at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, taking place from July 26^th to August 11^th, have been receiving death threats, hateful messages, and phone calls from foreign numbers with the invitation to their own funerals.

The first messages were sent to 15 athletes’ emails, and were signed by an entity that identified itself as “the People’s Defense Organization”. Among the threats, is a reference to the 1972 Munich massacre, which the group claims intention to repeat.

One of the messages said:

“You will be awaiting attack at every moment — in the airport, the hotel, and the streets which belong only to us. Even a wave of arrests against our organization won’t stop us from seeing our plan through. Prepare for the intifada!” the letter ended.

While there is no group currently active with that name, it is worth recalling that a militant actor with the name “People’s Defence Organization (ODP)” was established in 1975 as a militia to support the “Marxist People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola” government against the “National Union for the Total Independence of Angola” and the South African Defense Forces.

Considering South Africa’s current extreme activism against Israel, the reference is curious, to say the least.

It must also be added that, as reported by the Times of Israel, security officials explained that they had looked into the threats and found that a bot generated them and not a real organization that could pose a threat to athletes.

Lior Akerman, a former Shin Bet officer, told the Telegraph that agents will be “equipped with weapons and technologies” and will be assisted by local security and police forces.

He also added:”…it is not possible to go into detail about the security methods, but the combination of Israeli experience and knowledge together with the cooperation with local security forces, provides an excellent and complete answer to the security of the delegation.”

The risks range from sensational acts of disruption to the Olympic event to actual violent actions. This prelude of threats to Israeli athletes was widely expected and the security apparatus aimed at ensuring the safety of the participants had already been activated in advance.

Moreover, France finds itself in an extremely problematic situation, with a strong Islamist presence, especially in the suburbs.  In the last decade, France has been the scene of numerous attacks on events such as the Bataclan (2015), the Stade de France (2015), and the Promenade des Anglais in Nice (2016), all perpetrated by Islamist terrorism.

The fact that the threats came from bots and that the organization’s name does not correspond to any active terror group is indeed a positive factor, but the situation must not be underestimated. It must be kept in mind that terror groups planning attacks usually do not warn preventively.

A concerning statement came from French lawmaker Thomas Portes over the weekend as he said that Israeli athletes were “not welcome” and called for “mobilization” around the Olympics, during a demonstration in support of Palestinians.

On Monday, July 22^nd, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné attempted to turn off Portes’ statement by saying that Israeli athletes were “welcome in France”.

However, this case shows that there is a clear problem within the French political arena as it is dangerous, in a situation like the current one, to call for “mobilization” around the Olympics as it could very likely turn into turmoil and violence.

The French security apparatus is already having to put great effort into dealing with multiple threats and the last thing needed is further calls to “mobilization”.

It’s also important to keep in mind that, while Israeli athletes are indeed the primary target, other delegations coming from countries accused by the extremists of “supporting Israel” could also become targets, for instance, the United States.

Terrorists could plan to attack multiple targets, like they did on November 13^th, 2015; they could perpetrate “diversion attacks” in an attempt to divert the attention of law enforcers and the counter-terror apparatus.

The sources of threat are multiple and go from Hamas and its major State supporter, the Iranian regime, which is well-known for spreading terror across the globe, to self-engaged Islamist extremists, potentially aided by far-left activists, and even ISIS terrorists.

These Olympic Games will indeed be the most complex ever, from a security perspective, but let’s hope that everything will turn out well.