Paris bans pro-Palestinian march planned for 7 October anniversary
Paris police banned a pro-Palestinian march planned for Wednesday, the third anniversary of Hamas's attack on Israel, citing a high terror threat.
Update ·
Updated with new reports from our sources.
Paris's police prefect, Patrice Faure, banned a demonstration called by the Urgence Palestine collective for Wednesday, the day marking the third anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.
Faure said on X that he issued the ban at the request of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, citing a high level of terrorist threat and anti-semitic acts that remain at a historically high level in France. He said a march billed as being "against the genocide in Gaza and for respect of the ceasefire," held on that specific date, created "serious risks of public order disturbances."
Urgence Palestine said it would challenge the ban before an administrative court, calling it "political censorship" and a "serious violation of freedom of expression and the freedom to demonstrate," according to Franceinfo.
France raised its security posture around the anniversary, with a "level zero" alert reported by Romanian broadcaster Antena 3 CNN, as authorities moved to prevent disorder around Wednesday's commemorations of the Hamas attack.
The ban came as separate nationwide protests continued over school funding, with demonstrators clashing with gendarmes in Paris and throwing projectiles at police in Lyon, Antena 3 CNN reported. Tear gas was used against a children's demonstration in Paris, the broadcaster said.
Italian broadcaster TGCom24 reported that students and unions expected large crowds to take part in protests in cities across France, with a heavy security presence in place after disorder at earlier rallies over teacher numbers, school facilities and class sizes.
The two sets of protests are separate: one is the long-running dispute over school funding and conditions, now in its third week of near-daily demonstrations; the other is the row over Wednesday's banned pro-Palestinian march, which Urgence Palestine says it will fight in court.
What we know
- Paris police prefect Patrice Faure banned an Urgence Palestine march planned for Wednesday, the third anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.
- Faure said he acted at the request of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, citing a high terror threat and historically high levels of anti-semitic acts.
- Urgence Palestine said it would challenge the ban in an administrative court, calling it political censorship.
- France raised security to a "level zero" alert around the anniversary, Antena 3 CNN reported.
- Separate nationwide school protests continued, with clashes between demonstrators and gendarmes in Paris and projectiles thrown at police in Lyon.
- TGCom24 reported unions and students expected large crowds nationwide for the school protests.
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Why it matters for Europe
The ban highlights the French government's concern about public order risks around the anniversary of the Hamas attack, at a time when separate nationwide student protests over school funding have already produced clashes with police in several cities and heightened security measures nationwide.
The two disputes are unrelated in cause but overlap in timing, straining the same police resources: the security plan France has put in place for the anniversary comes as forces are also policing a third week of near-daily school protests that have already turned violent in Paris and Lyon.
Updates
·
Updated with new reports from our sources.
First published.
Sources
Reported by 13 reports from 13 independent outlets in 10 countries.
- De Telegraaf: Parijse politie verbiedt grote Gazademonstratie op 7 oktober
- Le Figaro: Commémorations du 7 Octobre : une manifestation à l’appel du collectif Urgence Palestine interdite à Paris
- 7sur7: “Acte III” de la colère lycéenne en France: 86.000 manifestants recensés dans la matinée
- Le Monde: 7-Octobre : une manifestation à l’appel du collectif Urgence Palestine interdite à Paris, le jour des commémorations des attaques du Hamas
- Antena 3 CNN: Alertă de gradul zero în Franța. Protestatarii s-au îmbrâncit cu jandarmii la Paris. La Lyon, au aruncat cu proiectile în polițiști
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- Why did Paris ban the pro-Palestinian march?
- Police prefect Patrice Faure cited a high terrorist threat and historically high levels of anti-semitic acts in France, and said the march risked public disorder on the Hamas attack's anniversary.
- Will the march go ahead anyway?
- The organisers, Urgence Palestine, said they would challenge the ban before an administrative court.
- Is this linked to the separate French protests over schools?
- No, it is a separate demonstration; nationwide school protests were continuing at the same time, with clashes reported in Paris and Lyon.
This article was written with AI assistance from 14 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.