Israel condemns black partition walls around its pavilions at Paris Air Show
PARIS (AP) — Israel's Ministry of Defense has condemned the erection of black partition walls around its defense industry pavilions at the Paris Air Show, calling the move 'outrageous and unprecedented' and demanding an immediate reversal by French authorities and event organizers.
The walls appeared overnight ahead of the air show's opening Monday, visually isolating Israeli booths from dozens of other international exhibitors. Israeli officials say the move followed a last-minute demand from organizers to remove offensive weapons systems from display — a request they rejected.
'The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition — weapons that compete with French industries,' the ministry said in a statement Monday, calling the action 'ugly and improper.'
A French appeals court ruled Friday against activist groups who sought to block Israeli companies from participating in the show due to the war in Gaza. Despite the legal green light, Israel says it was effectively censored.
Sylvain Pavillet, a lawyer working with the air show organizers, said the final decision on who is allowed to exhibit lies with the French government, not the show itself.
'The fair is not the one who decides which countries are allowed to go to the show or not,' he told The Associated Press. 'That decision belongs to the government. We are not a state. We are a commercial company.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
40 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
After Minnesota shooting, some states are more tightly guarding officials' personal information
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lawmakers in some states are moving to delete their home addresses from online directories and Wisconsin legislators are seeking added security for a session this week after one Minnesota legislator was killed and another wounded in their suburban Minneapolis homes last weekend in what Gov. Tim Walz described as a targeted political attack. Vance Boelter is in federal custody facing murder and stalking charges in the shooting death of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Authorities say he also shot and wounded Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Boelter, 57, also faces state murder charges. Authorities said Boelter had a list of dozens of state and federal elected officials in Minnesota and meticulous notes on the homes and people he targeted early Saturday. He also stopped by the homes of two other legislators that night, according to police. Authorities say he found their addresses in a variety of internet searches. The Minnesota Legislature's website lists the addresses of members' offices in the state capital of St. Paul, not their home addresses. On Saturday, the North Dakota Legislature's staff agency removed lawmakers' addresses from their biographical webpages as a result of the targeted attacks in Minnesota, Legislative Council Director John Bjornson said. Most North Dakota lawmakers opt to give a home, business or postal box address on their webpage, where the public also can find their email addresses and phone numbers. Removing addresses of elected officials is a difficult decision because they have to be approachable, open and transparent, said Burleigh County Sheriff Kelly Leben, whose county is home to North Dakota's capital city. 'I think it's a balancing act between being a public official and the safety of myself and my family,' the elected county sheriff said. All home addresses for New Mexico legislators were also removed from the Statehouse website as an immediate precaution, said Shawna Casebier, director of the Legislature's legal office. Personal information on the website already had been limited at the discretion of individual lawmakers in the aftermath of drive-by shootings at the homes of four Democratic state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque in 2022 and 2023. In Colorado, at least 31 elected officials have filed requests to remove their personal contact information from a public-facing state campaign finance database called TRACER, which was briefly taken down Saturday so those requests could be fulfilled. 'We did so out of an abundance of caution for the safety of elected officials in an unprecedented political climate,' Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement. The Colorado development was first reported by Axios. Lawmakers in Wisconsin requested additional security for when the state Assembly meets on Wednesday, said Luke Wolff, spokesperson for Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. Wolff did not detail what was requested or what changes may be made. The Wisconsin Capitol is one of the most open in the country, with public access seven days a week, no metal detectors, screening checkpoints or security badges required to gain entry. There are galleries in both the Senate and Assembly where the public can view legislative debate. Even before the Minnesota shooting, states in recent years have stepped up efforts to shield the personal information of officials in response to high-profile attacks. One day before the Minnesota killings, Oregon lawmakers passed a bill that would prohibit the Oregon Secretary of State from making the residential addresses of those associated with a candidates' campaign committee viewable by the public on its electronic filing system. The campaign filings would still be viewable online, but home addresses would be redacted, unless the person asks the Secretary of State's office to publish it. A public records request would need to be filed to obtain such addresses. Louisiana Louisiana lawmakers passed a bill last week that adds statewide elected officials and legislators to the list of people who can ask that their personal information be removed from public records and the internet. Certain judges were already on the list. Officials can seek to have home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, date of birth, marital status, school or daycare of their child, their place of worship or employment location of their spouse removed. Under current law, if person does not comply with the removal request, they can be sued and face up to 90 days in prison or $1,000 fine for the misdemeanor. The measure still needs final approval from Gov. Jeff Landry, one of the Louisiana officials whose private information would be protected. Georgia Georgia legislators passed a law earlier this year to require that home addresses of candidates who file campaign finance reports, including themselves, be redacted from by the state Ethics Commission from public view. The action came after a number of Georgia officials were targeted by swatting incidents in December 2023. Lawmakers also passed a second law which removes the personal phone number, home address, and property or tax records of a judge or their spouse from public view. Records covered include voter registration and corporation records. Illinois The Illinois State Board of Elections stopped publishing the street addresses of candidates for political office on its website last year, spokesperson Matt Dietrich said. Lawmakers had raised concerns after protestors picketed the home of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, the state librarian, over legislation he pushed through the General Assembly that would cut state funding to libraries that ban books. Candidates' addresses remain on elections board documents that are no longer published on the web but accessible via public records request. New Jersey In 2020, a gunman posing as a delivery driver shot and killed the 20-year-old son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in New Jersey and injured her husband at their family home. The state legislature passed a law later that year by that exempted the home addresses of current or retired judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers from disclosure under public records laws. The measure, called Daniel's Law in honor of the judge's son, also allowed officials to ask websites to remove their home addresses. Maryland Maryland enacted a law in 2024 preventing individuals from publishing judges' personal information online after a circuit court judge was shot by a man hours after the judge ruled against him in a divorce case. Judges can submit requests to government entities and private websites to remove information like phone numbers, social security numbers, and personal emails. — Associated Press reporters Claire Rush in Portland, Ore., Jack Dura in Bismarck, N.D., John O'Connor in Springfield, Ill., Jeff Amy in Atlanta, Scott McFetridge in Des Moines, Iowa, Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, La., Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., Brian Witte in Annapolis, Md. and Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, N.M. contributed to this report.
San Francisco Chronicle
40 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
What to know about the shooting death at a Utah 'No Kings' rally
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The 'No Kings' protest in Salt Lake City was struck by violence when a man allegedly brandished a rifle near the crowd, prompting someone nearby to fire three shots, hitting that man and a protester who later died. Police said that Arturo Gamboa, 24, never shot his rifle, but that he was arrested on a murder charge and accused of creating the dangerous situation that led to the death of protester Arthur Folasa Ah Loo. The investigation includes whether the man who shot Gamboa and Ah Loo was justified in firing his gun, the Salt Lake City Police Department said Monday. Questions remain over why Gamboa was carrying a rifle and whether the man who shot him, who police have not publicly identified, was part of an organized safety team for the demonstration or acting on his own initiative. Here's what is known so far about the shooting at the otherwise peaceful protest. How did the shooting unfold? Hundreds of protesters were marching through downtown Salt Lake City on Saturday when, around 8 p.m., two men said they spotted Gamboa, who was wearing all black clothing, move behind a wall and then withdraw a rifle from a backpack, according to a news release from police. The two men drew their handguns and ordered Gamboa to drop the rifle, but witnesses said the young man instead moved toward the crowd and held his rifle in a 'firing position," according to police. One of the two men shot three rounds, hitting Gamboa and Ah Loo. Gamboa's wound was relatively minor and he was arrested nearby by police, who found a rifle, gas mask and backpack in the area. Ah Loo died after being taken to a hospital. Police said they don't yet know why Gamboa carried a rifle or disobeyed the orders from the two men. The Associated Press could not immediately find attorney listed for Gamboa or contact information for his family in public records. Was the man who shot Gamboa and Ah Loo a 'peacekeeper'? The two men who confronted Gamboa wore neon green vests and one of them later described himself to investigators as a 'peacekeeper." However, police said they don't yet know whether the two men were brought in by the event's organizers or were acting on their own initiative, adding that there's no indication that the men were current or former members of law enforcement. Protests often have safety teams — sometimes called safety marshals — that help keep order during a demonstration. For the 'No Kings' protests, all attendees, including those in safety roles, were asked not to bring weapons, said Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for 50501 Movement, which helped organize the demonstrations. The permit for the protest did not say that there would be armed security, police said. Who was the protestor who was killed? Ah Loo was a successful fashion designer and former 'Project Runway' contestant who devoted his life to celebrating artists from the Pacific Islands. Benjamin Powell, a friend of Ah Loo's, said the designer was born in Samoa but lived in Utah for about a decade. Ah Loo, who was a self-taught designer known to many as Afa, devoted his life to doing 'good things for his neighbors and community,' state Rep. Verona Mauga, a close friend, told The Associated Press. Their families were from the small village of Lotopa in Samoa, she said. The 39-year-old leaves behind a wife and two young children, according to a GoFundMe page for his family. Powell said he and Ah Loo were working on an upcoming August fashion show, which Powell said will now honor Ah Loo's unwavering commitment to his community.
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
Trump leaves G7 summit early after "evacuate Tehran" warning
President Trump called on Iranian civilians to "immediately evacuate Tehran" on Monday evening, shortly after which the White House announced he would be departing the G7 summit early to "attend to many important matters." Why it matters: It's not immediately clear what triggered Trump's dramatic post on Truth Social or his early return from Canada. Israel has been conducting strikes in Tehran since Thursday night, but the U.S. has so far declined to join the operation. White House spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer denied reports the U.S. was attacking Iran: "American forces are maintaining their defensive posture, and that has not changed. We will defend American interests," he wrote. Trump later told reporters before departing Canada that "they (Iran) want to make a deal, and as soon as I leave here, we're going to be doing something. But I have to leave here." Tehran is home to around 10 million people, with around 17 million in the metropolitan area. What he's saying:" Iran should have signed the "deal" I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump wrote. Trump followed up with a post chiding "kooky Tucker Carlson" for not understanding that "IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON." Next, he posted: "AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!" State of play: The Israeli military has said it has complete control of the skies over Tehran. It signaled Monday that it's expanding its targets beyond strictly military or nuclear sites, including by bombing Iranian state TV. Israel issued several evacuation orders for civilians in Tehran, in areas where hundreds of thousands of people live. One of those evacuation orders focused on the neighborhood where Iran's state TV is located. It's not clear how many civilians have managed to evacuate, or whether such a mass exodus is even possible on such a short timetable. Split screen: Less than two hours before his Truth Social post, Trump said at the G7 summit in Canada that the U.S. was talking to the Iranians by phone and even suggested it will be "better to talk in person." Trump expressed hope that Iran would make a deal. "I think a deal will be signed. I think Iran is foolish not to sign one," he said. French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday evening that Trump had told his fellow G7 leaders that the U.S. had been involved in discussions to get an Israel-Iran ceasefire, and had offered to meet with the Iranians. What's next: By skipping the second full day of the G7 summit, Trump is also skipping meetings with leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
