Pro-Palestinian Protesters Rally Across France, Defy Ban
PARIS (Worthy News)– Despite a ban imposed by French President Francois Hollande after protesters marched on two synagogues in Paris, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched throughout French cities on Saturday to condemn Israel’s military action in Gaza.
French President Francois Hollande said he understood emotional responses to the killing of hundreds of Palestininan civilians in the Gaza Strip in a flare-up of hostilities with Israel but would not allow violence to spill over into France.
“That’s why I asked the interior minister, after an investigation, to ensure that such protests would not take place,” he told journalists during a visit to Chad.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve justified bans in Paris, the Sarcelles suburb and the Mediterranean city of Nice by saying the security risk was too great, prompting outrage from left-wing and pro-Palestinian groups.
He had asked police in cities to examine security risks city by city and, where necessary, to issue ban orders.