The prefect of police, Laurent Nuñez, has announced that he will ban the demonstration scheduled for Saturday in Paris, organized by several organizations “in support of the Palestinian people.” He justifies the ban due to the risk of negationist, antisemitic, and pro-Hamas statements.
“It is not a static demonstration, it is a walk through Paris, which is always much riskier,” said Laurent Nuñez on France Info. “And the organizations that have filed this declaration, based on the statements they have made, could lead one to think that they were still supporting Hamas. Therefore, I will ban this demonstration,” he announced.
The collective Urgence Palestine, comprising several associations, unions, and political organizations, had called for a “major demonstration in support of the Palestinian people” on Saturday at 2:30 PM “starting from Châtelet.”
On October 18, the Council of State reminded the government that pro-Palestinian demonstrations could not be systematically banned and that it was up to the prefects alone to assess whether there was a local risk of public disorder.
“It is not a question of maintaining law and order (…), the criterion is rather intangible,” argued Laurent Nuñez. “Public disorder can be intangible. The mere fact that one could make negationist, antisemitic, or pro-terrorism statements is a problem for us, and that is what justifies these bans,” he declared, mentioning organizations such as the Front for the Liberation of Palestine in France and the NPA (New Anti-Capitalist Party).
Last Thursday, a pro-Palestinian gathering was able to take place at Place de la République in Paris, bringing together 15,000 people according to the prefecture of police, which made 10 arrests, particularly for antisemitic remarks and graffiti on the statue of the Republic.
“I did not ban it because in their declaration, there was a clear condemnation of these actions (by Hamas),” said Mr. Nuñez, assuring that he examines each demonstration declaration “case by case.”
According to the prefect of police, 189 antisemitic incidents have been recorded in Paris since October 7, resulting in 73 arrests, 50 detentions, and the administrative detention of 25 undocumented immigrants.
On October 7, Hamas commandos infiltrated southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, launching a bloody attack on civilians. In retaliation, Israel declared a war to “annihilate” Hamas, relentlessly bombarding the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli authorities, the Hamas attack killed over 1,400 people in Israel and more than 200 were taken hostage. According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, over 6,546 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the start of the relentless bombings.
