Several demonstrations in support of Palestine were held in the streets of the capital this Thursday, although banned by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. Pro-Palestinian associations denounce this decision.
Several hundred demonstrators gathered Thursday evening at Place de la République in Paris in support of the Palestinians, despite the ban on this demonstration, confirmed by administrative justice in the afternoon, noted an AFP journalist.
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, ordered the systematic ban on “pro-Palestinian demonstrations, because they are likely to generate disturbances to public order“, after the attack perpetrated by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel, in a telegram sent Thursday to the prefects.
The ministry told AFP that “organizers“of these demonstrations, if they took place, and”the troublemakers“would be arrested. Around 6 p.m., surrounded by police, there were several hundred of them at Place de la République chanting.”Palestine will win“, or even “Israël assassin, Macron accomplice“, carrying Palestinian flags.”Zionists, Zionists, you are terrorists“, protesters intoned.
The police headquarters told AFP around 6:15 p.m. that the “order was given to the police force to disperse the people present, to arrest, or even to fine“. While the prefect of police Laurent Nuñez banned this gathering on Tuesday, predicting that it would be “lhe scene of attitudes, words and gestures, mainly of an anti-Jewish nature, inciting racial hatred and advocating the terrorist attacks perpetrated in recent days in the Middle East“.
Urgently contacted by several associations, the Paris administrative court decided on Thursday to maintain this ban. The summary judge considered that “the police prefect, by prohibiting the demonstration in dispute, did not cause a serious and manifestly illegal attack on the freedoms of expression, assembly and demonstration“.
A few days after the Hamas offensive on Israel on October 7, the court cited a context of “extreme violence“and”proven risks of exporting this violence (…) on national soill” with regard, in particular, to the “resurgence of anti-Semitic acts” since this attack.
The presidents of the AFPS (France Palestine Solidarity Association), Bertrand Heilbronn, and the FTCR (Federation of Tunisians for Citizenship of the Two Shores), Mohammed Ben Saïd, indicated to the AFP that they were not maintaining the call to demonstrate Thursday evening.
But “we are not going to let go“, added Mr. Heilbronn. “These demonstrations give a political outlet to an anger that wants to be expressed, it is important that we can carry this voice“.”It is high time for France to pull itself together a little and move away from this unconditional support for the State of Israel.“, he added.
For her part, the leader of CAPJPO-Europalestine, Olivia Zemor, told AFP her intention to “let people“manifest”if they want to do it“.
On Wednesday evening, pro-Palestinian rallies were held in Nantes, Nîmes and Bordeaux, despite prefectural bans taken for lack of prior declaration as well as for reasons of public security.