one year after October 7, thousands of people in Paris and London in support of Israel and the victims of the attack

Demonstrators gathered at Place de Fontenoy, in Paris, to pay tribute to the victims of the attacks perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

“I’m standing” : under this slogan, a few thousand people gathered in emotion on Sunday October 6 in Paris, in support of Israel and the victims of the October 7 attack. From 3 p.m., demonstrators of all ages crowded into Place de Fontenoy, around a stage where speakers and singers took turns, for this gathering organized by the Jewish National Fund (KKL).

It’s about coming together “in support of Israel, of the Israeli people” And “in remembrance of those who died and in support of those who were kidnapped” on October 7, 2023, told AFP Robert Zbili, president of the KKL, who speaks of“shock wave for us Jews in the diaspora”. The rally, organized on the eve of the Crif rally on Monday evening, also gave the microphone to several parents of victims. A mother recounts the death of her son, her voice filled with tears. “shot by vile terrorists” during “one of the most terrible days since the creation of the State of Israel”.

Other rallies were also organized in several French cities. Around sixty people gathered Sunday morning in Clermont-Ferrand to ask “the release of the last hostages or their corpses”. In Toulouse, around 300 people took part in the rally organized near the courthouse, on the gates of which a banner was displayed reading: “1,200 Israelis murdered, the greatest crime against humanity committed against Jews since the Holocaust.”

In London, thousands of people gathered at the initiative of several organizations representing the Jewish community, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council. “Release the hostages now”chanted the demonstrators who had gathered in Hyde Park, the largest park in the center of the British capital, where a large stage had been installed.

The commemoration, which lasted more than two hours, was punctuated by music and several interventions from the platform. Portraits of some 1 205 people killed during the Hamas attack on October 7 were broadcast on a giant screen. Candles were also distributed to the public, in tribute to the victims.

As of October 3, 97 people remain held in captivity, including 64 presumed alive, with 33 declared dead by the Israeli army. “Today we pray for all the lives that have been lost in Israel and also in Gaza and Lebanon”Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said from the podium.