Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl took to social media on Tuesday to voice his displeasure with France shutting down Israeli weapons stands at the Paris Airshow.
Israeli companies Elbit Systems, Rafael, IAI and Uvision were blocked off with black walls.
According to French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, exhibitors were told ahead of the show that offensive weapons would be prohibited from display, which he said Israel's embassy in Paris had agreed to.
The decision to block off the companies sparked outrage from Israel, which had already received criticism from France over its recent strikes on Iran. According to Reuters, "France, a long-time Israeli ally, has gradually hardened its position on the government of Benjamin Netanyahu over its actions in Gaza and military interventions abroad."
It also drew ire from Auburn's Jewish basketball coach, who compared the walls to France's Maginot Line from the 1930s. He also called on French President Emmanuel Macron to "just slap some yellow Star of David's on the wall to make your point even clearer!"
"I don't think this wall will have a much greater impact than the last wall you y'all put up prior to WWII," Pearl wrote on X. "Anyone remember the Maginot Line? Why don't you just slap some yellow Star of David's on the wall to make your point even clearer! @EmmanuelMacron."
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