French police used tear gas and water cannons to break up a banned rally in support of the Palestinian people in Paris on Thursday evening, as President Emmanuel Macron called on the French to remain united amid fears that the conflict between Israel and Hamas would spread in France could encroach on , home to the largest Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe.
First change: October 13, 2023 – 01:04
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In a prime-time televised address on Thursday, Macron called on the French people to remain united after the Hamas attack on Israel that killed 13 French citizens.
“Let us not, by illusion or calculation, add national divisions to international divisions and not give in to any form of hatred,” Macron said, adding that the number of French people killed in Hamas’s invasion of Israel had risen to 13.
Seventeen French citizens, including four children, have been reported missing since the attack.
Macron vowed to do “everything” to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas. “I am speaking to the families this evening and want to tell them that France, together with the Israeli authorities and our partners, is doing everything in its power to bring them home safely, because France never abandons its children.”said.
Hamas is a “terrorist organization” that wants the death of the Israeli people, Macron said, adding that the only way to solve the current crisis in the Middle East is to give Israel security guarantees while creating a state of Palestine .
Macron’s speech came amid increasing anti-Semitic attacks across France.
Amid concerns that the conflict could spill over into the Middle East region, Macron vowed to protect all citizens on French soil. “Our first duty is to ensure the safety of all our citizens in our territory and to avoid any action or word that could stigmatize them,” he said. “I know many of you are afraid, and tonight I want to repeat it: The Republic will be there to protect you.”
France has the largest Muslim and Jewish populations in Europe, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has contributed to tensions between the two in the past.
Police use tear gas at pro-Palestinian demonstration
Shortly before Macron’s speech, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced a ban on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, claiming that they were “likely to cause disruptions to public order.”
Despite the ban, several hundred pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in separate groups in central Paris on Thursday evening. Police used tear gas and water cannons to prevent them from joining.
Demonstrators shouted “Israel murderers” and “Macron accomplices”.
Protesters fire a tear gas canister during a solidarity rally with the Palestinian people in Gaza in Paris on October 12, 2023. © Thibault Camus, AP
Authorities say anti-Semitic attacks have increased in France since Hamas attacked Israeli cities on Saturday, killing more than 1,300 people.
Israel responded with the most violent bombing of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in the 75-year history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, killing more than 1,500 people and destroying entire neighborhoods.
Darmanin said there had been a rise in hate on social media in France, but also more direct threats.
“Since Saturday and the terrorist attacks in Israel, there have been more than a hundred anti-Semitic acts, especially tags and swastikas,” Darmanin told France Inter radio, “but also insults… and people arrested at the entrance with a knife,” one School or synagogue… and a drone flying over a Jewish place of worship.
24 people were arrested. The government has deployed 10,000 police officers to protect around 500 locations.
Darmanin said intelligence services had not seen any specific terrorist threats against the Jewish community in France, but that the threats could come from individuals rather than organized groups.
“The Palestinian cause is a perfectly respectable cause. France has always thought that we need two states, one Israeli and one Palestinian… but if it is a show of support for Hamas… no,” he said.
*With AFP; adapted from the English original