French Government Bans All Pro-Palestinian Protests Amid Rise in Antisemitic Incidents
France has banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country in the aftermath of Hamas’ terror attack in Israel which killed at least 1,200 people.
Amid a rise in antisemitic incidents since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, the French government has also demanded that local prefects tighten security around Jewish schools, synagogues and other sites. As many as 100 antisemitic acts were reported in France in the last six days, including verbal abuse, people caught with knives near Jewish schools and synagogues and a drone equipped with a camera spotted over a Jewish cultural center, according to the Associated Press.
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In a solemn televised address on Thursday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron said “those who mix the Palestinian cause with justifying terrorism are committing a triple mistake: moral, political and strategic.”
He said what’s happening in the Middle East “is not a war between Israelis and Palestinians. It’s a war waged by terrorists against a nation, a country, a society, democratic values.”
“France condemns in the strongest possible way these atrocious acts. Let’s say in clearly. Hamas is a terrorist movement. Hamas seeks beyond everything the destruction and death of the Israeli people,” said Macron.
Alluding to the 2015 Paris terrorist attack which killed over 130 people at the Bataclan concert hall and in cafés, Macron said, “We, French people, know in our guts what this pain is. We have, too, cried for victims who were killed during a party, during the carefreeness of youth, the ordinariness of family life.”
On Oct. 7, Hamas brutally killed civilians in their homes and committed a massacre at a music festival for peace where 260 bodies were found. More than 100 civilians have been kidnapped from Israel and are being held hostage in Gaza. Among these, 13 French people died and 17 are being held hostage.
“We know that nothing can justify terrorism. There can never be a “yes but,” Macron said. He added that Hamas knew that its “barbaric acts” in Israel exposes the population in a “criminal and cynical way.” In the wake of Hamas’ attack, Israel launched strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza and has deployed troops to conduct local raids after ordering residents of Gaza City to leave their homes, according to CNN.
But while Macron was speaking, hundreds of people defied the ban and gathered in central Paris, chanting “We are all Palestinians” and “Palestine will live, Palestine will prevail.” Police used teargas and water cannons to break up the demonstration.
Macron urged the French population to stay “united” against terrorism and said “neither suspicion nor division must exist within the nation.
“Let’s remember that antisemitism has always been the precursor to other forms of hate: one day against the Jews, the next against the Christians, then the Muslims, and then all those who are still the target of hate due to their culture, origin or gender,” he proclaimed.
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