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Edited by: Fern Sidman
In a shocking incident during the 2024 Paris Olympics, a Hell’s Kitchen resident has accused the French National Police of violently arresting him after he attempted to take a photo with an Israeli flag outside an Olympic venue, according to a report that appeared in The New York Post. The man, Neil Frias, who is Jewish, shared his account of the ordeal with The Post, describing how a moment meant to celebrate his support for the Israeli team turned into a traumatic experience.
Neil Frias, 35, was in Paris to support the Israeli team at the Olympics and had just finished volunteering with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for three months. According to the information provided in The Post report, on July 30, as he stood outside the Olympic Aquatics Center in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, he decided to take a selfie with the Israeli flag. It was a moment meant to capture his pride and solidarity with the Israeli athletes competing in the games.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞? 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡
Neil Frias, who is Jewish, was posing for a selfie with the Israeli flag outside the Olympic Aquatics Center in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis when a trio of cops began interrogating him and asked if he was “inciting a… pic.twitter.com/Fxrkq0MgLw
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) August 10, 2024
However, what began as a simple gesture quickly escalated into a confrontation with the French National Police. According to a complaint filed with the Inspector General of the National Police, a trio of officers approached Frias and began interrogating him. The Post report indicated that the officers reportedly asked if he was “inciting a riot, or a protest,” and demanded to know why he was taking the picture. Frias, taken aback by the aggressive questioning, tried to explain that he was merely showing support for the Israeli team.
The situation worsened as the officers seized Frias’ phone and attempted to tear his Israeli flag, according to the complaint. The information in The Post report noted that after verifying his passport and confirming that he had a ticket to attend the France-Japan water polo match that afternoon, the officers eventually let him go. However, the ordeal was far from over.
The “riot-inciting” selfie: pic.twitter.com/nQarbDgPSn
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) August 10, 2024
Approximately 15 minutes later, as Frias stood in line at the main entrance of the facility, ready to have his ticket scanned, he was suddenly tackled by a different group of five police officers. The forceful arrest left Frias bewildered and in pain. Frias told The Post that he recalled asking the officers in French why he was being arrested, to which one officer allegedly responded that it was because he was “resisting,” as stated in the complaint.
The police then shoved Frias against a tree before dragging him by his feet to a police van. The rough treatment caused visible bruising and bleeding, as evidenced by photos of his injuries shared with The Post. Frias described the entire experience as a form of psychological abuse, leaving him deeply disheartened and shaken.
The incident has cast a shadow over what was meant to be a joyous occasion for Frias. “I came to Paris to support the Israeli team and be proudly united with the Olympics,” he told The Post. His pride and excitement turned into a nightmare as he found himself the target of what he believes to be an unwarranted and violent reaction from the French authorities.
According to a complaint filed with the Inspector General of the National Police, Frias was subjected to degrading treatment by the officers at the station. He told The Post that the police humiliated him by telling him to “go drink the toilet water” and took photos of him with their cell phones while he was in custody. The complaint details how Frias, who was visibly injured during his arrest, had to wait several hours before being provided with a translator. The report in The Post indicated that when a translator finally arrived, they spoke Spanish—not Frias’ native language of English—adding to the confusion and distress as he tried to understand his legal rights.
Neil Andrew Frias est venu en France pour assister à plusieurs épreuves des Jeux olympiques de Paris 2024.
Source : https://t.co/WL4FhwOHK2https://t.co/Z1nmETIOkD pic.twitter.com/enuhnqSrQx
— Benali (@Benali89790792) August 6, 2024
The Post report said that Frias’ lawyer, David Cazeneuve, expressed outrage over the situation, noting the stark contrast in how his client was treated compared to anti-Israel protesters who were not immediately detained despite waving Palestinian flags and booing the Israeli team during its match against Mali. “I cannot restrain myself from thinking it has something to do with him taking one picture of himself with an Israeli flag,” Cazeneuve told The Post, suggesting that Frias’ arrest was influenced by his display of the Israeli symbol.
The physical consequences of the arrest were severe for Frias. Despite his visible injuries, he waited eight hours before receiving any medical attention. Also indicated in The Post report was that when he was finally seen by a doctor, the diagnosis was alarming: Frias had suffered a sprain at the top of his spinal cord and a fractured rib. These injuries, coupled with the psychological trauma of his detention, have left Frias in considerable pain and distress.
Frias was eventually charged with violently resisting arrest and trespassing onto a sports venue while drunk, charges he vehemently denies. As revealed in The Post report, the criminal summons issued against him has further compounded his frustration and disbelief over the entire ordeal.
The fact that anti-Israel protesters were not arrested, while Frias was subjected to such harsh treatment for merely taking a photo with an Israeli flag, raises concerns about the motivations behind the police’s actions.
The National Police have referred all queries regarding the incident to the Bobigny district prosecutor, Eric Mathias, who has not responded to requests from The Post for comment. The silence from French authorities only adds to the controversy surrounding Frias’ detention and the broader implications for how individuals expressing national pride or political views are treated by law enforcement in France.
