Pro-Palestine protestor receives €300 fine and ‘warning’ for Tour de France stage 11 incident

The pro-Palestine activist who entered the finishing straight during Stage 11 of the 2025 Tour de France in Toulouse has been fined €300 by a French court.

"I wanted to denounce the fact that a team proclaiming itself an ambassador of Israel was allowed to participate in the Tour de France," the protester told the court, according to regional French newspaper La Dépêche.

No riders were impacted during the incident, which formed part of wider protests against the presence of Israel-Premier Tech in the race. The demonstration occurred amid ongoing tensions related to the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The public prosecutor had pushed for a heavier €500 fine and a two-year ban from sports venues, arguing that "Bursting at full speed into a runner's field of vision is a real danger. Freedom of expression cannot take precedence over safety."

Defence lawyer Claire Dujardin countered by highlighting the different treatment of protests across Europe. "In Spain, the public can display banners and placards; in France, a symbolic gesture is penalised," said Dujardin. "My client did not disturb public order or the course of the race."

The protester insisted he had taken precautions, telling the court, "I made sure to check on the screen that the runners were far enough apart. I ran along the barriers to ensure that no one was injured. I used to be an athlete: I know how essential safety is."

Despite these claims, the judge found the protestor guilty of trespassing at a sports venue, though according to reports, the €300 fine was accompanied by a "warning" rather than the venue ban requested by prosecutors.

The protester expressed satisfaction that his message had reached its audience. "Politically speaking, that objective was reached," he said. "The idea was to get people talking about the people of Gaza and what is going on there."

Israeli participation in international sport has been the subject of increasing protest over the past two years amid the country’s invasion of Gaza. More than 69,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since Israel invaded Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, which killed more than 1,000 people. 

A ceasefire was declared on October 10, though the death toll in Gaza has continued to rise.

Pro-Palestine protests have increasingly affected major cycling events, with the 2025 Vuelta a España later experiencing significant disruption. Multiple stages of the Spanish Grand Tour were altered or partly suspended due to demonstrations, with the final stage ultimately cancelled. 

Additionally, the team formerly known as Israel-Premier Tech has made the decision to move away from its Israeli identity and rebrand as NSN Cycling Team for 2026.