Current:Home > MarketsFrance has banned pro-Palestinian protests and vowed to protect Jews from resurgent antisemitism -GrowthSphere Strategies
France has banned pro-Palestinian protests and vowed to protect Jews from resurgent antisemitism
View
Date:2025-04-15 17:26:53
PARIS (AP) — France’s interior minister on Thursday ordered local authorities to ban all pro-Palestinian demonstrations amid a rise in antisemitic acts since Hamas attacked Israel over the weekend. President Emmanuel Macron urged French people not to allow the war in the Mideast erupt into tensions at home.
Soon before Macron spoke in a televised address to the nation about the Mideast conflict, Paris police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who had defied a ban and demonstrated Thursday against the Israeli government.
’’Let us not bring ideological adventures here (to France) by imitation or by projection. Let us not add national fractures ... to international fractures,″ Macron pleaded. ’’Let us stay united.″
With several French-Israeli citizens believed held hostage by Hamas, Macron pledged that France would protect its Jewish citizens and be ’’ruthless toward all those who bear hate,″ and noted concerns about hostility toward France’s Muslims too.
Fighting in the Middle East in the past has led to tensions in France, which is estimated to have the world’s third-largest Jewish population after Israel and the U.S., and the largest Muslim population in Western Europe.
Thirteen French citizens in Israel have been killed in the current fighting, Macron said, with 17 people missing. Many are believed held hostage by Hamas. The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation Thursday into the killings and suspected kidnappings.
The French government has reported 24 arrests for more than 100 antisemitic acts in France since Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday, 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. More than 2,000 cases of antisemitic speech have been reported to an online watchdog force.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin sent a directive to local prefects on Thursday, seen by The Associated Press, calling for a further tightening of security around Jewish schools, synagogues and other sites.
It said pro-Palestinian demonstrations should be banned and those who defy bans should be arrested, ‘’because they are susceptible to disrupt public order.’’
Pro-Palestinian associations decried the move. The National Collective for a Fair and Lasting Peace between Palestinians and Israelis said it ‘’denounces this threat to freedom of expression,’’ and pledged to continue holding actions to support the Palestinian people.
At the banned Paris protest Thursday, protesters wearing Palestinian flags draped around their shoulders sprayed ‘’Free Palestine’’ on the monument underpinning Republic Plaza in eastern Paris. Many chanted chanted “We are all Palestinians.’’
Earlier this week, thousands of people marched in Paris in support of Israel, and the Eiffel Tower was lit up with a Star of David and the blue and white of the Israeli flag.
Other European cities have seen pro-Palestinian demonstrations in recent days as well as pro-Israeli gatherings.
Denouncing Hamas as a terrorist group, Macron called for peace efforts that would ensure both Israel’s security and a Palestinian state.
’’Those who confuse the Palestinian cause with justifying terrorism are committing a moral, political and strategic error,″ he said.
Macron also sought to address the concerns of French-Israeli families whose loved ones have disappeared and are believed kidnapped or killed by Hamas.
Struggling to speak as they sobbed or choked back tears, family members of missing French citizens pleaded Thursday at a news conference in Tel Aviv for help from Macron.
’’We will do everything so that these hostages, regardless of their nationality, are freed,″ Macron said.
France’s government organized an evacuation flight Thursday to bring French citizens in Israel to Paris, and other flights are planned in the coming days.
___
John Leicester, Masha Macpherson, Nicolas Garriga and Alex Turnbull in Paris contributed.
veryGood! (63819)
Related
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Novak Djokovic's results at US Open have been different from other Grand Slams: Here's why
- AI is biased. The White House is working with hackers to try to fix that
- Inter Miami vs. New York Red Bulls recap: Messi scores electric goal in 2-0 victory
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Fed rate hikes don't just fight inflation. They hurt economy over long-term, study says
- Arizona State self-imposes bowl ban this season for alleged recruiting violations
- Check Out the Most Surprising Celeb Transformations of the Week
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Love, war and loss: How one soldier in Ukraine hopes to be made whole again
Ranking
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- How PayPal is using AI to combat fraud, and make it easier to pay
- Arleen Sorkin, 'incredibly talented' voice of Harley Quinn, 'Days of Our Lives' star, dies at 67
- NASCAR driver Ryan Preece released from hospital after scary, multi-flip crash at Daytona
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Some experts see AI as a tool against climate change. Others say its own carbon footprint could be a problem.
- Texas judge blocks state's upcoming ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors
- How Paul Murdaugh testified from the grave to help convict his father
Recommendation
The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
3 killed in racially-motivated shooting at Dollar General store in Jacksonville, sheriff says
Heineken sells its Russia operations for 1 euro
How Simone Biles separated herself from the competition with mastery of one skill
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
DeSantis leaves campaign trail and returns to Florida facing tropical storm and shooting aftermath
Kim Kardashian Debuts New Look as She and Kris Jenner Hang Out With Meghan Markle's Mom
The towering legends of the Muffler Men