Thousands join pro-Palestine protests in France
Thousands of demonstrators protested across France on Saturday in support of Palestinians and calling for peace in Gaza.
French trade unions, left-wing parties and pro-Palestinian activist groups called for a global weekend of protests against Israel's war on the territory.
They issued their rallying call before Israel on Friday launched a massive wave of strikes on Iran, raising fears of a prolonged conflict that experts say could engulf the region.
In Paris, where the largest march took place, police counted 9,000 demonstrators, while the CGT trade union and hard-left party France Unbowed (LFI) said 150,000 attended the gathering.
French-Palestinian lawyer and member of European Parliament for La France Insoumise (LFI) party Rima Hassan and member of the Gaza-bound aid boat Reva Viard (L) take part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration called by several French unions at the Place de la République in Paris on 14 June, 2025. (AFP)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
39 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Tens of thousands rally in Dutch Gaza protest
Tens of thousands of people dressed in red marched through the streets of The Hague Sunday to demand more action from the Dutch government against what they termed a "genocide" in Gaza. Rights groups, such as Amnesty International and Oxfam, organised a demonstration through the city to the International Court of Justice, creating a so-called "red line". Many waving Palestinian flags and some chanting "Stop the Genocide", the demonstrators turned a central park in the city into a sea of red on a sunny afternoon. One of the organising groups, Oxfam Novib, estimated that 150,000 people had taken part in the march. Dutch police generally do not estimate demonstration turnouts. Protesters brandished banners reading "Don't look away, do something", "Stop Dutch complicity", and "Be silent when kids sleep, not when they die". Organisers urged the Dutch government -- which collapsed on June 3 after a far-right party pulled out of a fragile coalition -- to do more to rein in Israel for its military offensive on the Palestinian territory. "People in Gaza cannot wait and the Netherlands has a duty to do everything it can to stop the genocide," they said in their call to action. Reporting by AFP
Middle East Eye
39 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Netanyahu sees Gaza hostage release 'opening', orders talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he ordered negotiators to "advance" talks on releasing hostages held in Gaza, after sensing an opportunity amid Israel's unprecedented attack on Iran. "I gave instructions the day before yesterday to advance negotiations, because I sense an opening... We will complete... both missions: the destruction of Hamas and the release of the hostages," he said of talks with the Palestinian movement Hamas for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
G7 leaders meet as Israel-Iran conflict escalates
Leaders from the world's seven largest developed economies are travelling to the Canadian mountain community of Kananaskis, Alberta, on Sunday as the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates and as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine continue to rage despite international efforts to end them. Israel's war in Gaza, where more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023, was always expected to be discussed by the G7 leaders, but their attention is now likely to shift to Israel and Iran. 'Given how things have escalated and how people are expecting it to escalate, that will be the core focus of at least the first day,' Julia Kulik, director of strategic initiatives for the G7 Research Group, an organisation affiliated with the University of Toronto, told The Nationa l. Israel launched a series of attacks on Iran's capital on Sunday, hitting several locations in central Tehran. This came after both sides launched attacks on Friday and Saturday night in the heaviest fighting between the two rivals to date, steering the region perilously close to a wider conflict. Israel has said it is trying to ensure that Iran is never able to develop a nuclear weapon and has fired on its military and nuclear bases. But according to Human Rights Activists, a Washington-based organisation, more than 400 people have been killed since Israel first fired on Iran on Thursday. Israel said 14 people had been killed and 400 were injured since the hostilities began. "Our wonderful combat pilots are in the skies above the burning city of Tehran,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. 'We are determined to complete the mission of removing the double threat". The Israeli leader added that Iran was planning to 'destroy all of us'. The escalating tension effectively scuttled nuclear talks between the US and Iran that were supposed to take place over the weekend in Oman. International leaders are trying to rein the two sides in. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to several Middle East leaders on Sunday, saying that Israel's attacks could 'drag the whole region into the fire'. While the remote Rocky Mountains could not be more far removed from Israel and Iran, it is likely to host a series of consequential discussions on the subject as the leaders look for ways to de-escalate the situation. The leader's summit will serve as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's debut on the world stage. The newly elected leader said he hopes to focus on three core issues during the meeting, including strengthing peace and security, building and energy security and accelerating the digital transformation and securing partnerships for the future. The meeting comes as tensions between the US and Canada remain high following US President Donald Trump's economic tariffs and repeated threats of making Canada the "51st state." The last time Canada hosted the G7, in 2018, Mr Trump famously left early and attacked then prime minister Justin Trudeau for being "very dishonest and weak."
