130 people detained in pro-Palestine protests in Paris since Oct. 7

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Nov 2023 17:04

The Paris police force claims dozens of people were detained in relation to "anti-Semitic" offenses as anti-Palestinian sentiment rises among Western governments.

Protesters chant slogans as they march on Paris during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, on November 4, 2023. (AP)

Paris Police Prefect Laurent Nunez declared on Thursday that 130 people in Paris and its metropolitan area had been detained for "anti-Semitic" offenses as a result of a rise in pro-Palestine protests.

"After October 7, in Paris and its immediate suburbs we have registered 375 acts of anti-Semitism," Nunez told French radio station RMC.

France, following in the footsteps of many Western countries, seems to be equating "anti-Semitism" with anti-Zionism in order to delegitimize any bid to undermine the occupation.

The calls for labeling anything anti-Israeli as anti-Semitic originates from the Israeli occupation, wherein "Israel's" ambassador to Moscow, Alexander Ben Zvi, relayed to journalists on Monday that pro-Palestine protests amid the war on Gaza are nothing but "manifestations of anti-Semitism".

The term anti-Semitism refers to any kind of hostility, prejudice, or discrimination against Jews. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, anti-Semitism is defined as [an act of] hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group.

However, in 2016, a new definition of anti-Semitism was reintroduced by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which includes among its "contemporary examples” of anti-Semitism "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination".

To read more about how the occupation has weaponized anti-Semitism, read: 'Israel's' weapon of choice: Anti-Semitism

French law enforcement is attempting to play around the matter and mark the protests as being 'anti-Semitic' to justify their policies against peaceful protestors.

For example, just 90 minutes prior to a highly anticipated pro-Palestine march scheduled to take place in Paris last weekend to denounce 'Israel's' atrocities in Gaza, local authorities suddenly rescinded the protest permit.

This last-minute cancellation empowered the French police to enforce significant fines. Out of the approximately 4,000 attendees, 1,400 demonstrators were fined €135 each, resulting in nearly €200,000 collected from the pockets of peaceful protesters, many of whom were unaware of the sudden protest ban.

Paying 45,000 euros for facing injustice

France witnessed on Saturday a protest in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. Demonstrators raised the slogan "Stop the massacre in Gaza" as the war against the Gaza Strip reached its 36th day. The organizers of the demonstration, who belong to the left wing in France, called for an "immediate ceasefire."

French Members of Parliament Mathilde Panot and Eric Coquerel, affiliated with the leftist French Unbowed (LFI) party, attended the march amid criticism for their party's "unclear position on anti-Semitism."

This follows a group of 16 French senators, the majority of whom are members of the political party The Republicans (LR), submitted a bill, led by Senator Stéphane Le Rudulier, to make anti-Zionism a criminal felony.

Senator Le Rudulier claims that the surge in anti-Semitism is linked to anti-"Israel" sentiment.

Avec 16 sénateurs nous demandons la pénalisation de l’antisionisme

L’explosion de l’antisémitisme se nourrit de la haine d’Israel, faux nez de la haine des Juifs

L’antisionisme pourrait exposer ses auteurs jusqu’à 5 ans de prison et 75.000 euros d’amende pic.twitter.com/txVvCJRLvE
— Stéphane Le Rudulier (@slerudulier) October 31, 2023

The proposed bill, which was introduced to the Senate for a first reading, includes sanctions for numerous movements against Zionism and "Israel's" criminal acts. It intends to penalize anyone who denies the existence of the "State of Israel" with one year in prison and a EUR 45,000 fine.