2023-10-23 08:43:00
Tensions have been high in France – which has the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Europe – ever since the Gaza attacks, and the subsequent Israeli response.
The French government had banned pro-Palestine demonstrations in the immediate aftermath of the attack because of security fears, but Sunday’s gathering was allowed to go ahead.
Very large crowd on Place de la République in Paris in support of Palestine.#Palestine #Israel #Hamas #Gaza pic.twitter.com/Icnt32Kf4r
— Luc Auffret (@LucAuffret) October 22, 2023
The initial Hamas attack killed at least 1,400 people, most of them civilians, while more than 4,600 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in relentless Israeli bombardments in retaliation for the attacks by the Palestinian Islamist militant group, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry in Gaza.
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The Paris demonstration on Sunday was held in the Place de la Republique and saw around 15,000 people gather to show their support to the people of Palestine and call for an immediate ceasefire.
“You don’t have to be Palestinian to be affected by what’s happening. For me, this kind of gathering is a sign of despair”, Maya, a student who had come to demonstrate with friends, told AFP.
“The (French) government has a role to play diplomatically. It must take a firmer stance and not act as a supporter of Israel”, she added.
In total 10 people were arrested at the demo, according to police.
Separately, around 300 people gathered in Paris on Sunday to call for the freeing of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the group’s attack in southern Israel earlier this month.
A long table was set and dozens of empty chairs placed around it in the Place de Fontenoy, not far from the Eiffel Tower, AFP journalists saw, the latest in a series of such demonstrations after similar actions in Rome and Tel Aviv.
The aim was to “pay homage to the victims of terrorism”, said Sarah Ouakil, vice-president of the Union of Jewish Students in France (UEJF), and to call for the freeing of all the hostages. Some of those taking part carried placards with photos of some of the hostages.
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Thirty French nationals have been killed in the attacks, while seven others remain missing including at least one hostage, a diplomatic source said on Friday.
The hostages include Mia Shem, a Franco-Israeli woman who was in a video released Monday by Hamas. It was the first time the Palestinian Islamist movement has released a video showing a hostage since its attack on Israel.
Emmanuel Macron will visit Tel Aviv on Tuesday for talks with the Israeli prime minister.
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