A masked individual threatened the 2024 Paris Olympics “with rivers of blood” in a video published on social media earlier this week.
The man, clad in a shirt adorned with a Palestinian flag, stated, “In the name of God, our struggle against the Zionist regime continues.”
Addressing “the people of France” and “French president Macron,” the masked individual said, “You supported the Zionist regime in its criminal war against the people of Palestine. You provided Zionists with weapons; you helped murder our brothers and sisters, our children.”
“You invited the Zionists to the Olympic games. You will pay for what you have done!” he continued.
“Rivers of blood will flow through the streets of Paris. This day is approaching, God willing. Allah is the greatest.”
At the end of the video, the individual held what appeared to be a severed doll’s head.
Hamas threatens Olympics, promises “rivers of blood” in the streets of Paris.They are a threat not just to Israel, but to the entire Western world. pic.twitter.com/ihOUzO3yzi
— Michael Freund (@msfreund) July 23, 2024
Israeli athletes threatened ahead of games
The video comes amid multiple online threats targeting the Israeli athletes partaking in the games, which are set to be held between July 26 and August 11.
Earlier this week, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin affirmed that the Israeli athletes would receive constant protection.
In a Tuesday interview with the French Channel 2, French President Emmanuel Macron stated, “The Israeli athletes are welcome in our country. They must be able to compete under their colors.”
“France’s responsibility is to ensure the security, and I condemn in the strongest terms all those who in any way put these athletes at risk and implicitly threaten them,” he added.
Security services were reportedly on high alert in the French capital ahead of the opening of the Olympic games.The French newspaper Le Figaro reported on Monday that some 50,000 private security officers had been recruited to work alongside police officers in Paris and the surrounding area.
Mathilda Heller and Reuters contributed to this report.