The police in the middle of Paris used a type of gas that makes people’s eyes and noses hurt and machines that shoot water to stop a rally in support of Palestine. The French government had said that these types of rallies were not allowed.
The Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, stated that people who refuse to follow the rule should be taken into custody because “they could cause problems with how the public behaves. ”
Even though it was not allowed, many people gathered to protest in Paris, Lille, Bordeaux, and other cities on Thursday.
President Emmanuel Macron asked people not to create conflicts within the country.
“He said in a video message that the shield of unity will keep us safe from hate and going too far. ”
European governments have prohibited pro-Palestinian gatherings because they are concerned about an increase in hatred towards Jewish people caused by the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
After a few hours, the police arrested 10 people and used water cannons to break up a large protest in Paris at a place called Place de la République. The protesters were shouting “Israel murderer” and “Palestine will win” while waving flags from Palestine. 10 more people were taken into custody at another protest in Lille.
Groups supporting Palestinian rights said the ban might harm freedom of speech and promised to keep protesting for the Palestinian people.
Charlotte Vautier, who went to the rally, told Reuters that in our country, we have the freedom to speak out and protest because we have laws to protect our rights.
“It’s not fair to forbid something for one side and allow it for the other. ”
At the same time, the police in Berlin, the capital of Germany, have forbidden planned demonstrations supporting Palestine because they fear there might be anti-Semitic remarks and the promotion of violent acts.
The police asked about 60 protesters to go away from Potsdamer Platz on Thursday and they did.
In a video message, President Macron asked the French people to stay together and not let differences within the country create more problems in the global stage.
He said Hamas is a group that wants to kill people in Israel and is considered a terrorist organization.
On Saturday, Hamas attacked Israel and sadly, 13 French citizens were killed in the attack.
President Macron said that 17 French people are missing and are probably being held captive by Hamas in Gaza. He also said that France is doing everything possible, along with Israel and other countries, to bring them back home.
Four kids are missing.
Israel, according to what he said, has the ability to protect itself by getting rid of terrorists. However, it is important for Israel to make sure that innocent people are not harmed because this is something that democratic countries should prioritize.
France has the biggest Jewish community in Europe, with almost 500,000 members. France has a big Muslim community, which is one of the largest in Europe. It is believed that there are around five million Muslims in the country.
On Thursday,Darmanin said that it is important to have police officers visibly present to protect Jewish schools and synagogues.
He said on a French radio show that since Saturday, they had documented 100 acts of anti-Semitism. These acts mostly included graffiti with symbols like the swastika and messages like “death to Jews” and calls for intifadas against Israel.
Some people were caught trying to bring knives into schools and synagogues and they got arrested.
French police are already protecting the houses of important MPs. National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet and MP Meyer Habib, who are both Jewish, have been given extra security measures.
It was found out that Ms Braun-Pivet, who is part of Mr Macron’s Renaissance party, has been getting death threats.
This week, she made the parliament’s lights look like the Israeli flag and asked for a moment of silence before a meeting on Tuesday.
MsBraun-Pivet said that Maryam Abu Daqqa, who is a member of a political group called the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, will not be allowed to go to a movie showing in parliament next month. The EU considers the militant organisation to be a terrorist group.
Meyer Habib is a representative for French citizens living outside of France, including those in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. He strongly supports Israel and speaks out in favor of it. He said that after the Hamas attack, we are seeing the recurrence of pogroms.
The Hamas attack and its consequences have caused division in French politics.
Many parties have criticized the “terrorist attack” that happened on Saturday and have shown support for Israel’s right to retaliate. However, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party had a less clear response.
The party called the Hamas attack a “violent attack by Palestinian forces”, which made other parties, including left-wing allies like the Socialist and Communist parties, very upset.
Germany’s leader Olaf Scholz has said that he will not accept any form of anti-Semitism.
He informed the parliament that a pro-Palestinian group called Samidoun, who were seen distributing candies in the Neukölln region of Berlin to mark the Hamas attack, will be prohibited. He said that we will not accept or allow antisemitism.
MrSholz told members of the German parliament that Germany considers Israel’s security as an important part of its policies. The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock plans to visit Israel on Friday to show support and unity.
German authorities have reported that in various towns, like Mainz, Braunschweig, and Heilbronn, Israeli flags raised as a support gesture were pulled down and ruined, often within a short time.