Race news

'Israel out of the Tour' protester arrested after disrupting stage finish

Extinction Rebellion Toulouse has claimed responsibility for the protest, which took place just as Jonas Abrahamsen and Mauro Schmid were sprinting for victory on stage 11 of the Tour de France in Toulouse.

Tour de France stage 11 protest
Cor Vos

A protester was arrested after invading the finishing straight of stage 11 of the Tour de France in Toulouse just as Jonas Abrahamsen and Mauro Schmid were sprinting for victory.

The man, who was wearing a t-shirt bearing the slogan ‘Israel out of the Tour,’ was tackled by a security guard and pushed against the barriers without interfering with the riders. A police officer later confirmed to Reuters that the man had been arrested.

Extinction Rebellion Toulouse has claimed responsibility for the protest, which it said was “to denounce the Tour de France’s complicity in genocide” and, specifically, the presence of Israel-Premier Tech in the race.

“Activists from Extinction Rebellion Toulouse attempted to disrupt the race, wearing t-shirts with slogans such as ‘ISRAEL OUT OF THE TOUR’, ‘STOP GENOCIDE’ and ‘FREE GAZA’. The activists also waved a Palestinian flag and wore keffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian culture,” the group said in a statement reported by FranceBleu.fr. 

The protest was also aimed at the actions of the local government in Toulouse.

“Toulouse is twinned with Tel Aviv and hosts companies contributing to the genocide, such as Thalès,” continued the statement. “In addition, a few months ago, Mayor Moudenc banned an exhibition by Médecins Sans Frontières on Gaza.”

In a statement to Reuters, an Israel-Premier Tech spokesperson said: “Israel-Premier Tech respects everyone’s right to free speech, which includes the right to protest. However, the team absolutely condemns any protests or actions of individuals that interfere with racing at the Tour de France or threaten the safety of the entire peloton, as was seen on stage 11.”

The Tour de France organisation has not commented on the incident. Reuters reports that Israel-Premier Tech have received additional security on the Tour, "with police officers by the team bus and they were escorted by plain-clothed officers at the team's presentation in Lille."

Israel-Premier Tech’s presence in a major race was previously the subject of demonstrations at the Giro d’Italia, where two protesters forced the breakaway to slow in the finale in Naples on stage 6. 

According to Gaza health authorities, more than 58,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since Israel invaded Gaza in response to the October 7 terrorist attacks, which killed more than 700 people.

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