Security Guard’s Epic Tackle Halts Anti-Israel Protester at Tour de France Finish
Sarah Johnson
July 20, 2025
Brief
A security guard’s swift tackle stops an anti-Israel protester at Tour de France Stage 11 in Toulouse, highlighting global tensions at the iconic race.
In a dramatic turn of events at the Tour de France, a determined anti-Israel protester attempted to disrupt the race near the finish line of Stage 11 in Toulouse, southern France. The individual, wearing a shirt emblazoned with "Israel out of the Tour" and clutching a keffiyeh, leapt over a barricade and charged toward the cyclists, shouting objections to Israel's participation.
But security wasn’t about to let this sprint go unchallenged. In a move faster than a peloton on a downhill, a guard intercepted the protester just 25 meters from the finish, tackling him with precision and hurling him back over the barrier into the crowd. Talk about a podium-worthy takedown!
This incident, captured on video and rapidly shared online, unfolded during the 97.5-mile stage of the iconic three-week race. It comes on the heels of calls from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which has branded the Israel Premier-Tech team with inflammatory labels and urged non-violent demonstrations at major cycling events like the Tour de France. Their stated goal? To close the roads to what they call perpetrators of injustice.
As the Tour pedals toward its grand finale on July 27 along the Champs-Élysées in Paris, this disruption serves as a stark reminder of how global tensions can spill onto even the most celebrated of stages. The question remains: will the race to the finish be about cycling—or something far more contentious?
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Editor's Comments
Well, folks, if there were a gold medal for fastest sprint at the Tour de France, I’d nominate that security guard! Tackling a protester mid-race? That’s a breakaway move even the best cyclists can’t match. But seriously, when global politics pedals into a bike race, you’ve got to wonder if the real race is on the road—or in the rhetoric. Maybe next time, the protester can just wave a flag instead of playing bumper cars with the barricades!
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