Esra Taşkın
16 October 2024•Update: 16 October 2024
PARIS
Supporters of Palestine gathered at the Place de la Republique in Paris to protest the violence in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli attack for one year.
Demonstrators demanded an end to the genocide and insisted that the Israeli military halt its assaults on Gaza and Lebanon.
The protest, organized by supporters of Palestine and Lebanon, drew a large crowd who carried Palestinian and Lebanese flags.
Protesters held banners with poignant messages such as "Toys in Gaza are losing their children" and "Free Palestinian political prisoners," while chanting: "Free Palestine" and "Long live Palestinian resistance."
One of the most striking parts of the demonstration was the display of two trees adorned with a banner that read: "Israel’s favorite targets."
Red-painted children's clothing and toy dolls, symbolizing the blood of children affected by the conflict, were hung beneath the banner, serving as a powerful visual condemnation of the violence.
Notable figures in attendance included Marine Tondelier, leader of the Green Party (EELV), Thomas Portes, a far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) Member of Parliament and Salah Hamouri, a Palestinian-French lawyer and author of The Prisoner of Jerusalem.
Tondelier voiced deep frustration and sorrow about the continued violence in Gaza in her speech.
"This helplessness is terrible because we have been protesting for a year, and this atrocity has been going on for a year," said Tondelier, accusing world leaders of turning a blind eye to the actions of the Israeli military.
She specifically criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for what she described as his lack of meaningful action.
"After a year of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Macron now says: 'We must listen to the United Nations.' It’s been a year. Who is he fooling?" she asked.
