French Security Services Slip off Algerian Fans of National Team’s Shirts in French Stadiums

A number of representatives of the Algerian community in France expressed regret of the shameful behavior that they are facing, every time they tried to enter the stadiums which host the European Cup especially the Stadium of Princes Square in Paris.

Algerian fans are prevented from waving the Algerian national flag and even the Palestinian flag, in exchange for giving them the shirts of the French team, in the form of renting as they are compelled to return the French shirts after they came out of the stadium, in an explicit attack on the national and Arab identity. 

One of the Algerian activists said in a phone interview from France that the abuses exacerbated by the organizers who apply senior instructions for the need to prevent and block out everything that is related to the Algerian identity. 

In this regard, the spokesman added that he was personally prevented from entering the stadium wearing the Algerian national team’s shirt, while he was watching the French team’s match against Ireland.

“Security agents told me that they apply senior instructions and that they cannot leave me enter the stadium wearing the Algerian shirt, asking me to wear the French team’s shirt, but I refused and decide to lose 70 Euros instead of giving up my patriotism.”

“Same thing happens with the Palestinian flag, which has become a taboo to a large number of European stadiums. Some tricks are used by the Algerians fans, as they give flags and T-shirts to other supporters of different nationalities, provided that they retrieved them after their arrival in the stadiums, in order to take souvenir photos, but even in this case they cannot escape from the harassment and they become surrounded by security agents who pulled those flags and T-shirts, after monitoring them in the screens of surveillance cameras that are installed in terraces.

This situation prompted hundreds of Algerian fans to support the teams that play against the French team, in retaliation for the restrictions, even if a lot of expatriates became fans of the Belgium team, which includes Algerians as well.