Paris- The New Year brings bitterness to the countries of the world due to the Israeli aggression against the people of the besieged Gaza Strip. In this context, the “Ergonus Palestine” organization received a number of Gazans migrating to Belgium in meetings with residents of Paris.
The tour began in the Nanterre region and extended to the rest of the suburbs of the French capital to talk about the suffering of their families in light of the ongoing occupation bombing and the absence of international action to immediately stop the war.
The testimonies of Abdel Razzaq, Ismail and Salma were the honest and expressive link between the French and the residents of the Gaza Strip to reveal painful details about what is actually happening.
Having lived through previous wars, today they spend every second with pinned hopes, trembling in fear of hearing news of the injury or martyrdom of one of their family members.
Testimonies from the people of Gaza
In a warm, family atmosphere, the French and immigrants listened to the stories of these Palestinians with eagerness, interest, and a sense of helplessness broken by their desire to provide a helping hand to the people of Gaza, whatever the cost.
Abdul Aziz Zaid, a student from Jabalia refugee camp, north of the Gaza Strip, spoke about the difficulty he faces when trying to contact his family members and friends due to the constant internet outage.
In an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, Zaid said that he was asked several times about ways to provide a helping hand to the people of his country, and he replied that it is possible to use the weapon of “boycotting products issued by the Israeli entity and organizing demonstrations and events in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
Gazan immigrant Ismail Al-Sayyid pointed to the pressures and restrictions imposed on everyone who supports the movement in support of Palestine and calls for its freedom, “as if we are anti-Semitic and against the Jews,” he said.
Speaking to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, Al-Sayed denounced what he described as the “double standards” followed by Western countries and the United Nations Security Council, which declined to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, indicating that the international action that was harnessed to serve Ukraine in its war against Russia cannot Comparing it with the complete silence at all levels in the aggression against Gaza.
For her part, his wife, Salma Barakat, shed light on the conditions of women in wartime conditions, especially mothers and pregnant women, saying, “As a Palestinian from Gaza and an expatriate, I lived through several wars before I immigrated to Belgium 5 years ago, but this war is considered the harshest and most destructive.”
Referring to the narrative of the Gaza tragedy to external public opinion, Barakat says, “This is the least I can do now for my family and friends who are exposed to bitter and difficult circumstances that people can imagine, but living a life of war in its details is a completely different matter.”
Symbolism of working class neighborhoods
During the meeting of the people of the Nanterre area with the Palestinians of Gaza, the labor inspector and activist in the popular anti-racist neighborhoods, Mornia Al-Absi, pointed out the importance of these meetings with working-class residents in France, especially in this region that carries a long history of struggle during the period of French colonialism in Algeria.
Al-Absi continued in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net, “The testimonies we heard were very impressive, and today we feel helpless in the face of this genocide that does not stop,” describing the political discourse in France as “fascist” with regard to its position towards the war on Gaza and the immigration law that targets immigrants at the level. Internal.
Indeed, a large number of attendees expressed their sincere solidarity with the Palestinian cause and their hope for an end to the Israeli aggression, denouncing the types of pressures to which everyone who publicly supports Gaza and its people is exposed.
In turn, a member of the “Ergones Palestine” organization explained that this tour revolves around meeting people from working-class neighborhoods – of French and immigrant origins – who are usually unable to attend events organized in Paris.
He added, “We aim for Palestine to be everywhere and at all times, including working-class neighborhoods where people understand the meaning of anti-colonialism, because their origins often come from countries that suffered colonialism, racism, and fascism. Palestine today also suffers from Zionism, which is also considered a form of fascism.” .
In his statements to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, he pointed out that many French people belong to the organization, because “they fight in the name of justice and humanity, and they realize that what is happening in the Gaza Strip represents a common struggle that we are all fighting.”
An upcoming demonstration and a security threat
On the other hand, the “Ergones Palestine” organization, through its page on the
In response, Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez said on Friday that protest demonstrations would be strictly prohibited in the street in the French capital.
This comes after the head of the Socialist Party and Member of Parliament, Eric Ciotti, appealed to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to prevent “this pro-Hamas gathering on the Champs-Élysées, which represents a disturbance of public order,” as he put it.
The Minister of Interior commented on this by announcing the mobilization of more than 90,000 police, in addition to 5,000 soldiers from Operation Sentinel, including 6,000 members of the security forces in Paris to secure New Year celebrations.
For his part, a member of the organization told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “We cannot celebrate during genocide, when we know that there are unarmed civilians dying under bombing and bombing. Therefore, we tell all French people to carry Palestinian flags and prove that the suffering of Gaza cannot be forgotten.”
He continued by saying, “While about 300,000 are allowed to demonstrate in London, in Paris we are fined 135 euros if we raise the Palestinian flag. As soon as a Palestinian opens his mouth, he is accused of anti-Semitism and calling for terrorism and hatred.”
He stressed that the goal of the organization, based in Paris, is to “make the voice of the Palestinians heard in France and put pressure on the French government, which is one of the biggest accomplices with the criminal state of Israel.”