French authorities continue to ban a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Paris on Saturday, and the ban has been confirmed by the French Administrative Court. But the march’s organizers insisted on holding the demonstration. According to French newspaper Le Monde, some of the marchers were dispersed by police using high-pressure water cannons as soon as they gathered.
Earlier, the organizers of the march, the Association of Palestinians of Ile-de-France, said: “Because we refuse to be silent, nothing can stop us from demonstrating and we will be present at the Paris Barbershop metro station on Saturday “at 3 p.m.”.
As a result, they showed up at 15:00 this afternoon at the Barbès metro station and were then surrounded by a large number of police officers. The police tried to disperse the demonstrators with high-pressure water cannons. However, some demonstrators could still be seen on Osman Street carrying banners against the annexation of Palestine.
The association was joined by some 30 far-left groups, including the “New Anti-Capitalist Party”, “Paris Suburbs – Anti-Fascist Action”, and Attac, which yesterday accused the French government of banning marches in Paris in support of Palestinian march is an attack on democracy.
Walid Atallah, one of the march’s organizers, told AFP that the march was planned to start from the Balbais metro station in Paris’ 18th arrondissement and march to Bastille Square.
There were a number of other pro-Palestinian rallies or marches across France today. However, all of these marches have been authorized by the authorities.
Due to the serious risk of “disturbing public order,” Paris police chief Didier Lallement, at the request of Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, signed a ban on Saturday evening on pro-Palestinian demonstrations against Israel in the capital.
The Paris police chief signed the ban after specifically citing the pro-Palestinian demonstrations held in Paris in 2014 that turned into an urban violence.
France is considered to be the European country with the largest Arab and Jewish population. French authorities do not want the “Palestinian-Israeli conflict” in the Middle East to be imported into France.
President Emmanuel Macron tweeted Thursday that the decision to ban pro-Palestinian marches in Paris was made by him.
In a phone call with Palestinian Authority President Abbas on Thursday, Macron expressed his condolences for the deaths and injuries of Palestinian civilians, while “strongly” condemning the bombing of Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv by the terrorist group Hamas.
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