The French government has prohibited Pro-Palestinian protests. President Emmanuel Macron appealed for unity, while Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin issued a warning that foreign people who flout the law will be “systematically” removed.
The action is being taken because European leaders are concerned that the Israel-Hamas conflict may spark an increase in antisemitism.
On Thursday, a sizable gathering of pro-Palestinian protestors demonstrated in Paris despite the embargo. Ten people were arrested by the police during the 3,000-strong demonstration at Place de la République. Protesters carried Palestinian flags and screamed, “Palestine will win” and “Israel murderer.” The police also used water cannons to scatter the crowd.
Claims of jeopardizing free speech
Those who disobey the prohibition should be arrested “because they are susceptible to disrupt public order,” according to Darmanin, who issued the order. However, pro-Palestinian organisations warned that it would jeopardise the right to free speech and vowed to keep protesting in favour of the Palestinian people.
Attendee Charlotte Vautier told Reuters News Agency, “We live in a country of civil law, a country where we have the right to take a stand and to demonstrate. [It is unfair] to forbid for one side and to authorise for the other.”
Pro-Palestinian protests were also outlawed by Germany’s capital Berlin’s police due to the possibility of antisemitic remarks and the celebration of violence.
About sixty protestors, according to the police, complied with the directive to vacate Potsdamer Platz on Thursday.
President Macron called on the French people to remain together in a video message, stating, “Let’s not add national divisions to international divisions.” He defined Hamas as “A terrorist organisation that wants the death of the people of Israel.”
Efforts to bring back French nationals
Following Hamas’ attack on Israel last Saturday, it has been established that thirteen French people have died.
President Macron stated that “France is doing everything it can alongside Israel and our partners to bring them home” in reference to the 17 French nationals who went missing and were probably being held captive by Hamas in Gaza. Four youngsters are among the missing.
He stated that while Israel has the right to protect itself by getting rid of terrorists, but “has to preserve civilian lives because it’s the duty of democracies”. “The only response to terrorism is one that is strong but fair,” he said.
The Jewish population in France is the largest in Europe, numbering close to 500,000. With an estimated five million members, France has one of the largest Muslim communities in Europe.
Anti-Semitic acts in France
On Thursday, Darmanin informed regional delegates that there should be a noticeable police presence to safeguard Jewish schools and synagogues. According to him, since last Saturday, 100 antisemitic incidents have been reported; the majority of them include graffiti with “swastikas, ‘death to Jews,’ calls to intifadas against Israel,” he told French radio. He said that among the events were those in which people were detained for trying to enter synagogues and schools with knives.
Leading MPs’ residences are already under surveillance by French police. Additional protection has been extended to Jewish MP Meyer Habib and National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet.
Apparently, Braun-Pivet, who belongs to Macron’s Renaissance party, has been the target of death threats.
She ordered for the parliament to be lit in Israeli flag’s colors and called a minute’s silence before an Assembly session on Tuesday. Additionally, Braun-Pivet declared that Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) member Maryam Abu Daqqa would not be permitted to attend a documentary showing in parliament the following month. The EU has designated the militant group as a terrorist organisation.
Meyer Habib is a fervent admirer of Israel and represents a constituency for overseas French citizens, which includes Israel and the Palestinian Territories. He declared that “we are witnessing the return of pogroms” following the Hamas attack.
The aftermath of the Hamas bombing has split French politicians.
Although the majority of parties have denounced the “terrorist attack” that occurred on Saturday and affirmed Israel’s right to retaliate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party first offered a more nuanced response.
The party’s description of the Hamas attack as “an armed offensive of Palestinian forces” sparked harsh condemnation from other political groups, notably the Socialist and Communist parties, who are left-wing allies.
