A rally in support of Palestine was allowed at the last minute. On the evening of Thursday, October 19, nearly 3,000 to 4,000 people gathered at Place de la République in Paris. The demonstration had initially been banned by the authorities due to fears of public disorder. However, the participants, who were on the verge of being fined, eventually witnessed the retreat of the police officers who were supposed to evacuate them. At around 7pm, the administrative court of Paris gave the green light to the protest, stating that it did not pose any “particular risk of violence”.
The administrative court relied notably on a note from the Directorate of Public Order and Traffic (DOPC) dated October 19 regarding recent attempts at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Paris. According to the court, while “virulent” slogans against Israeli policy could be observed, they were not “anti-Semitic”. This is the first time out of 65 banned protests that the prefecture has been overridden by the administrative court. Emergency freedom petitions had been filed by the office of attorney William Bourdon, known for his left-wing activism.
For an hour, thousands of protesters occupied the esplanade of République chanting “Israel assassin” and “Macron accomplice”. Similar to the p… Read more
