Thousands of people demonstrated in Paris on Saturday in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by more than two years of bloody war between Israel and Hamas.
A large crowd, estimated by organizers at around 50,000 people, while Paris police estimated it at around 8,400, marched, chanting slogans including “Gaza, Gaza, Paris is with you” and “From Paris to Gaza, resistance,” waving Palestinian flags and banners that read “Palestine, we will not be silent” and “Stop the genocide.”
Many left-wing political figures participated in the march, most notably Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the France Unbowed party.
Anne Tuyon, president of the France-Palestine Solidarity Association, told AFP, “We must remember that nothing is right yet,” seven weeks after the ceasefire came into effect on October 10. The association is one of 80 NGOs, political parties, and unions that called for the demonstration.
She added: “The ceasefire is just a smokescreen… Israel violates it daily, continues to prevent humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, and continues to destroy infrastructure and homes in Gaza. We demand a permanent ceasefire and an end to the genocide.”
Under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army withdrew within the Gaza Strip to behind the “yellow line,” which still gives it control over more than 50% of the territory.
But the truce in the war that erupted following Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, remains extremely fragile, with both sides exchanging accusations of violating it daily.
Anne Tuyon argued that “sanctions must be imposed, as they are the only way to make Israel comply with international law,” condemning the “astonishing acceleration of settlement activity” in the occupied West Bank, where settler violence has reached “unprecedented dimensions.”
Saleha, 72, who did not want to reveal her identity, said she came to participate in a march against the “genocide” in Gaza.
She added: “All of humanity is watching helplessly. It is total impunity,” adding: “It is extremely shocking that humans see this and cannot do anything. The only thing we can do is mobilize.”
Bertrand, 42, who also preferred to remain anonymous, said that “genocide is ongoing,” as evidenced, he said, by videos of two men killed on Thursday during a joint Israeli police and military operation in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The United Nations has called for an investigation into the incident, which “appears to be another summary execution.”
In the absence of economic and financial sanctions, the protestor felt that “we must continue to exert pressure in the streets and through elected officials.”
