While the bombardments by the Israeli army continued in the Gaza Strip, demonstrations in support of Palestine took place, Saturday, November 4, 2023, in several major cities around the world yesterday, including Paris, where these photos were taken by our colleague
The demonstration, organized at the call of associations, unions, and political parties, was not banned by the police headquarters. This is the first mobilization in support of the Palestinian people not banned in Paris. She started at 3:00 p.m. from Place de la République to head towards Nation. And brought together several thousand people.
The leader of the Insoumis, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, was part of the procession. He called for an immediate “ceasefire” in Gaza, where according to him “a terrible massacre” is taking place, referring to Israeli bombings. “The most important, the most urgent, the most immediate is a ceasefire,” he urged.
Other similar demonstrations and gatherings took place in France on Saturday, notably in Bordeaux, Orléans, Rouen, Nice, and Strasbourg. We heard several slogans including “So, so, so, solidarity with the Gazans” or “Israel terrorist, Macron complicit”.
Some 19,000 people demonstrated in the French capital, according to the prefecture, and 60,000 according to the CGT.
Quoted by Le Parisien, Leila Gharbi, a 46-year-old legal assistant, who is holding a Palestinian flag, came to Paris so that “the genocide stops”: “We need an immediate ceasefire. ” At his side, his daughter Inès, a 21-year-old student, wants “the barbarity to stop”. For her part, Keltoum Alouache came “for the children of Gaza and Palestine”. “We are against no one,” specifies this 75-year-old Algerian retiree, who is holding a Palestinian flag.
“Free Palestine” and “ Cease fire, stop bombing civilians!”, proclaim some of the signs. Alongside the majority of slogans of support for Gaza, others target Israel such as “State of Israel assassin, Macron complicit”, launched into the microphone of an NPA truck. “Boycott Israel” or “Israel is a terrorist state!”, or “Supporting Palestine is not a crime”, we also read on certain signs.
