Parisians protest against Islamophobia amid war tensions in Gaza

A crowd of around 2,000 people protested in Paris on Sunday against racism, Islamophobia and violence against children after a court allowed their demonstration to go ahead.

Protesters gathering in Paris held banners, including one reading “Long live the resistance of the Palestinian people” during a protest “against racism, against Islamophobia” invited by several organizations in Paris on April 21, 2024.

Protest bans have increasingly been imposed in France in recent months due to the tensions caused by Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

In a country home to large Muslim and Jewish communities, authorities have banned many pro-Palestinian demonstrations and public gatherings, citing the risk of anti-Semitic hate crimes and violence.

On Sunday, demonstrators marched peacefully in Paris from the multi-ethnic Barbes neighborhood towards Place de la Republique.

Many chanted slogans in memory of Nahel, a 17-year-old boy of North African descent who was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop last year.

That argument was rejected by the Paris Administrative Court in an accelerated decision.

“Fighting and mobilizing for the protection of all children is normal and should be,” said Yessa Belkgodja, one of the march’s organizers, who welcomed the court’s decision.

(with Reuters)

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