TOULOUSE, France (Velo) — An anti-Israel protester jumped onto the race course and disrupted the final sprint in Wednesday’s 11th stage at the Tour de France.
With eventual winner Jonas Abrahamsen sprinting ahead of Mauro Schmid for the stage win, a protester jumped over the barriers and ran onto the course with about 50 meters to go.
The protester ran along the opposite side of the finishing straight where the two leaders were sprinting and did not directly impact the final two-up sprint for the stage victory.
A race security official quickly leapt into action and tackled the person and pushed them back against the race barriers.
Trailing riders were not impacted by the incident.
The protester wore a T-shirt that read, “Israel Out of the Tour,” and was waving a black and white keffiyeh, the distinctive head garment worn by Palestinians that’s also become a political and protest symbol.
There have been sporadic protests during this Tour de France against the ongoing Israeli operations in Gaza in Palestine.
The protester was arrested and handed over to local police authorities, a police officer on the Tour de France told Reuters.
Extinction Rebellion claims it was behind the protest
The climate-crisis protest group Extinction Rebellion claimed credit for the incident, the same group that disrupted the Tour de France before.
In 2022, protesters from the group were pulled off the route about 35km from the finish in stage 10, when Magnus Cort won out of a breakaway.
The Israel-Premier Tech team, backed by sponsors from both Canada and Israel, has been the focus of protests since the outbreak of the Gaza War in the aftermath of the massacre of 1,200 Israeli citizens in 2023 by Hamas.
Since the Israeli invasion of Gaza, an estimated 58,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.
Israel-Premier Tech — owned by Canadian-Israeli magnate Sylvan Adams — is racing during the Tour de France, but no Israeli racers are in the Tour.
The team released a statement to the media after the incident.
“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,” Israel-Premier Tech said in a statement to Reuters.
“We continue to work closely with race organizers and relevant parties to ensure that any protests do not jeopardize team members’ safety, nor impact racing, or our right to participate.
“The security measures afforded to the team during the Tour de France are the directive of (organizers) ASO and relevant French police departments. The team cooperates fully with the security protocols outlined by the race and appreciates the significant efforts made by all parties to ensure team members’ safety at the race.”
Israel-Premier Tech has been the focus of stepped-up security across this Tour de France.
Velo reporters on the ground have spotted armed French police patrolling the area around the team bus at every start and finish.