A Palestine solidarity rally that Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo had urged police to ban went ahead on Saturday, but under tight restrictions.
A journalist was attacked during the rally by pro-Israel counter demonstrators as police watched and did nothing.
Police placed a “ring of steel” around the normally bustling Place du Châtelet in central Paris, and only let a few hundred Palestine activists in, an individual who observed the events told The Electronic Intifada.
Every approach road was blocked off, and people had to show identity papers.
“I saw many activists who today did not want to deal with the legions of armed riot police just go home,” the observer of the Saturday rally said. “Officers were very aggressive and generally only let elderly – ‘harmless’ – people through.”
“It was absolutely ridiculous – by far the most unpleasant security I have seen since Tel Aviv Plage in 2015,” the observer, who asked not to be named out of concern open criticism of the police could lead to restrictions on access to future events, said.
In August 2015 – a year after Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza – Hidalgo’s administration sparked outrage by partnering with Israel for a propaganda stunt to turn part of the Seine river bank into a “Tel Aviv beach.”
Meanwhile, the observer said that those taking part in a pro-Israel counter demonstration across the street on Saturday “were treated like royalty” even though they were making obscene gestures at those attending the Palestine solidarity rally, as this video shows:
EuroPalestine, the group that organized the rally, is distinct from BDS France, the main coalition that supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, but it too calls for the boycott of Israel.
EuroPalestine said that the calls from the mayor and the pro-Israel group CRIF to ban the rally had only helped attract media attention.
Journalist attacked
At one point, pro-Israel demonstrators turned on Hajer M’tiri, a 26-year-old journalist with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, apparently because she wore a headscarf.
M’tiri told The Electronic Intifada she showed her press card to police, who let her approach the pro-Israel demonstrators to take photos. She said that she stayed close to the police and at some distance from the protesters.
Suddenly, she felt someone trying to pull her down to the ground and then felt a slap in the face. M’tiri said a woman continued to strike her and swear at her.
Very quickly she found herself surrounded by an angry mob hurling abuse at her as police watched and did nothing. When she called out that she was a journalist, some of the people shouted abuse including, “shit journalist” and called her a “terrorist” and “Islamist.”
Ali Abunimah-3 April 2017