Tel Aviv Tribune Net correspondents
Paris- Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Place de la République in the French capital, Paris, on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, which led to the mass forced displacement of Palestinians from their cities and villages in 1948, to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to refuse to repeat the Nakba for the Palestinians.
A number of French representatives from the “Proud France” party, heads of associations supporting the Palestinian cause, and students from various universities participated in the forefront of the protest march, which reached the National Square.
While Palestinian flags were raised and demonstrators chanted the slogans “Israel is a killer, Macron is complicit” and “For the sake of Palestine we will not stop,” others carried the keys of return, in reference to the keys that Palestinian families have kept to their old homes for more than 7 decades.
Determination to continue
The leader of the leftist “Proud France” party, Mathilde Bannot, said that she participates in demonstrations every week in Paris, with the support of associations, the student movement, and secondary schools composed of young people, to stand against the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Bano added, in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “I have been accused of defending terrorism, and conferences for party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Palestinian activist and lawyer Rima Hassan have been cancelled, but we will remain here, we will not be silent, and we will never let Palestine disappear.”
Regarding the controversy over the use of the Palestinian issue in the European election campaign, the head of the party’s parliamentary bloc explained, “The European elections will not stop us from talking about this genocide. On the contrary, we will do everything in our power to continue to assert our demands until it stops, because the international community and the whole world He watches the pictures coming from Gaza in silence.
In response to the allegations of the far-right and the far-right, Banu pointed out that “you do not have to be a Muslim or an Arab to be affected by what is happening to the Palestinian people, because it is enough to be a human being, and it is an honor for us to do that, and it is also an honor for the entire people to stand up, scream and demonstrate to prevent the continuation of the massacre.” “.
Increased awareness
When looking at the demonstrators participating in these vigils since the Al-Aqsa flood in various French cities, it can be noted that awareness has increased within society regarding Gaza, according to witnesses.
Demonstrator Jacqueline told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “Compared to the past period, I think we have become more aware of what is happening in the Middle East, especially in the Gaza Strip, and we understand more clearly that what happened after October 7 is unacceptable and cannot be Silence him.”
For his part, Emmanuel and his wife are proud of their participation in most of the demonstrations since the beginning of the recent war on the Gaza Strip. He told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “I can confirm that French awareness of the Palestinian issue is increasing. And when I tried to discourage people from buying products coming from Israeli settlements, the response was positive once in a while.” “About 3 times, which is a really good percentage.”
But some groups in Western countries, Emmanuel explains, are still clinging to their sources of comfort and fear that their opinion will harm their personal interests, blaming the Western media, which greatly influences people, saying, “While Tel Aviv Tribune raises awareness of the issue, the Western media does the opposite and makes them “I am captive to the language that he speaks to them.”
Distorting peace advocates
The head of the parliamentary bloc of the Proud France Party, Mathilde Bannot, believes that supporters of Palestine find themselves facing a major problem, related to the government of President Emmanuel Macron’s lack of respect for the rule of law.
The Macron government, according to Banu, aims to distort the voices that are rising for respect for international law, a ceasefire, and an end to arms sales to Israel, as well as France’s recognition of the State of Palestine, and the suspension of the association agreement between the European Union and Israel, “even though the European Union is… Israel’s largest trading partner.
Student Adel from the Sorbonne University shares this opinion, lamenting, “Half of French society supports the Palestinian cause, and the other half is fascists who hate Palestine, Muslims, and immigrants, because their eyes are closed and they cannot comprehend the horror of what is happening.”
In his conversation with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, Adel said, “Many still value the life of a Ukrainian person over the life of a Palestinian, because they do not consider him a human being. We see that even now, as there is no ceasefire and the Israelis continue to mock everyone.”
In this context, Banu insists on clarifying that the vast majority of the French people do not agree with the disappearance of Palestine or the Palestinians, and do not agree with the discourse of genocide or the dehumanization of the Palestinian, because “most of us are on the side of peace and respect for international law.”
As the demonstrators chanted around her, “Thank you, Mathilde,” the French representative pointed to a black scarf decorated with Palestinian embroidery that a woman living in Gaza had given her last November, recalling a quote by the Palestinian writer and historian Elias Sanbar: “Palestine is a chain of hills stuck in the throat of the world, and no one will be able to from swallowing it.”
