Pro-Palestinian rally in Paris banned amid rising Israel-Gaza tensions
FRANCE-AFP-May 13,2021– The Paris police prefecture on Thursday issued an order banning a Palestinian solidarity demonstration planned for Saturday in the French capital as weekend pro-Palestinian rallies were being planned across the world following Israel’s latest deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.
Earlier on Thursday, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had asked the police to ban a pro-Palestinian protest in Paris this weekend over the conflict with Israel, fearing a repeat of clashes during a similar situation in 2014.
Activists had called the protest in the Barbès district of northern Paris to demonstrate against Israel’s use of force in the Gaza Strip in response to the rocket fire by militant group Hamas at the Jewish state.
“I have asked the Paris police chief to ban the protests on Saturday linked to the recent tensions in the Middle East,” Darmanin wrote on Twitter.
“Serious disturbances to public order were seen in 2014,” he added, urging police chiefs elsewhere in France to remain vigilant over demonstrations.
Several peaceful Palestinian solidarity demonstrations took place in France in the summer of July 2014 to denounce an Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.
On July 19, 2014 though, several thousand protesters defied a ban on a demonstration at Barbès and the rally rapidly degenerated into violent clashes that lasted for hours.
