French police used tear gas and water cannons today, Thursday, to disperse a government-banned protest supporting the Palestinian people in Paris. President Emmanuel Macron urged the French to remain united and refrain from bringing the conflict between Israel and Hamas to their doorstep. Earlier, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had banned pro-Palestinian protests, stating they "are likely to disturb public order." France has the largest Muslim and Jewish communities in Europe, and the conflict in the Middle East has often sparked internal tensions in the past.
Macron, in a televised speech, said, "Let us not engage in ideological adventures at home through imitation or show." He added, "Let us not add, through illusion and conjecture, internal divisions to international divisions... A shield of unity will protect us from hatred and excesses."
Macron stated that the government has moved to enhance police protection for Jewish sites, including schools and synagogues. He remarked, "This event is an earthquake for Israel and the Middle East and beyond... Those who conflate the Palestinian cause with justifying terrorism commit a moral, political, and strategic error."
Before his speech, the leftist party "France Insoumise" faced criticism for refusing to describe the Hamas attack as a terrorist act, causing tension with its opposition partners from the Socialist and Green parties.
Despite the ban, a few hundred pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in separate groups in central Paris, with police forces seeking to prevent them from assembling together.
Protesters chanted, "Israel is a murderer" and "Macron is complicit." Macron had previously condemned the attack carried out by the Palestinian Hamas movement and expressed solidarity with Israel.
