Watch: Tour de France Security Guard TAKES DOWN Anti-Israeli Protester
The protester ran onto the race course with an anti-Israel shirt.
An anti-Israel protester found out the hard way what happens when you try to disrupt the Tour de France.
Officials noticed the protester after he hopped over the barricade and began sprinting towards the finish line holding something in his hands while reportedly yelling about Israel's participation in the annual cycling event. The scary situation ended abruptly, however, when a quick-thinking security guard tackled the man before forcibly throwing him back over the barricade and into a crowded group of fans.
The wild scene took place just 25 meters from the finish line as the first winners of the 11th stage of the three-week race were coming into the last stretch.
Video of the officer's takedown quickly made its rounds across the Internet. The footage shows the protester wearing a shirt that said, "Israel out of the Tour," as he also held a keffiyeh, which is a black and white checkered headdress that has become symbolic of supporting the Palestinian cause.
The interruption happened after the pro-Palestinian movement, "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)," called the Israel Premier-Tech cycling team, "Team Genocide," and urged for peaceful protests against them.
"We call for more peaceful protests than ever along the routes of cycling races where Team Genocide is participating, including the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España," the organization wrote on their website. "Let’s make sure the road is closed to genocide perpetrators."
NOTHING BETTER THAN PROTESTERS BEING PUT IN THEIR PLACE
I'm not quite sure what is peaceful about hopping over a barricade and becoming a security risk not only to yourself, but to the rest of the fans in attendance and the cyclists themselves as well. But hey, act stupid, face consequences.
There has been what seems like an increase in protests in recent years. Whether it's climate protesters, Just Stop Oil, PETA or, more recently, the anti-Israeli protesters, more and more people are looking to disrupt popular events to maximize their cause.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes, you unintentionally end up on the receiving end of a viral video!