A pro-Palestine protester in the 2025 Tour de France who broke onto the finishing straight at Toulouse at the end of stage 11 has received a €300 fine in court for his actions.
The action formed part of multiple protests against the presence of Israel-Premier Tech in the Tour.
Wearing an 'Israel out of the Tour' t-shirt and waving a keffiyeh, the black-and-white checkered headscarf that has become a symbol of the pro-Palestine cause, the protester vaulted over the barriers with around 100 metres to go.
He then ran towards the finish line just as the riders were completing the day's racing, at one point being parallel to breakaway stage winner Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility).
While no riders were injured or directly affected, during the hearing, according to reports by AFP, the public prosecutor underlined the dangers of breaking onto the course and insisted that, "Freedom of expression cannot happen at the risk of other people's safety."
Speaking in his defence, the protester said that he had been very careful and planned not to go anywhere near the riders or interrupt the course.
He added that his aim was simply to get a political message across and protest against the presence of Israel-Premier Tech in the race.
"Politically speaking, that objective was reached," he insisted. "The idea was to get people talking about the people of Gaza and what is going on there."
In October 2023, a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, sparked Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Despite the implementation of a recent fragile ceasefire, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, nearly 70,000 people have been killed by ongoing Israeli attacks, with much of Gaza being destroyed.
Later in 2025, the Vuelta a España was severely disrupted by massive pro-Palestine protests, leading to several stages being partly suspended or altered and the final day's stage being cancelled.
