cross-posted from: https://lemmus.org/post/1165004
Edit2: added link to direct article, removed duplicate link
WaybBackMachine article:
Fighting in the Middle East in the past has led to tensions in France, which is estimated to have the world’s third-largest Jewish population after Israel and the U.S., and the largest Muslim population in Western Europe.
The French government has reported 24 arrests for more than 100 antisemitic acts in France since Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday, including verbal abuse, people caught with knives near Jewish schools and synagogues and a drone equipped with a camera spotted over a Jewish cultural center. More than 2,000 cases of antisemitic speech have been reported to an online watchdog force.
It said pro-Palestinian demonstrations should be banned and those who defy bans should be arrested, ‘’because they are susceptible to disrupt public order.’’
Pro-Palestinian associations decried the move. The National Collective for a Fair and Lasting Peace between Palestinians and Israelis said it ‘’denounces this threat to freedom of expression,’’ and pledged to continue holding actions to support the Palestinian people.
Denouncing Hamas as a terrorist group, Macron called for peace efforts that would ensure both Israel’s security and a Palestinian state.
The Hill, Rising video mentions article
Journalist Glenn Greenwald weighs in on a meeting to discuss peace in Middle East was barred from happening by Germany amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Glenn Greenwald on Rising: HYPOCRITES Exploiting Israel Conflict To Justify CENSORSHIP
Holy shit, that’s a big stamp of the foot. That’s the first country to ban Pro-Palestinian demonstrations isn’t it?
Yes, France is one of the first.
Source: https://time.com/6326360/europe-palestine-protests-free-speech/
Where have protests in support of Palestinian rights been banned?
But tensions were particularly heated in France and Germany, home to the largest Jewish and Muslim communities in the European Union. In Berlin—which is also home to one of the largest diaspora communities outside the Middle East with an estimated 30,000 Palestinians—the police ramped up security and cracked down on pro-Palestinian groups with full force. Many Palestinians told reporters they felt fearful of being labeled pro-Hamas for speaking out against Israel.
The demonstrations prompted both countries to impose a nationwide, blanket ban on protests in support of Palestine altogether. In France, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote that “pro-Palestinian demonstrations must be prohibited because they are likely to generate disturbances to the public order.”
Along with banning protests, Berlin’s education authorities have also considered banning students from wearing the Palestinian Keffiyeh scarf and “free Palestine” stickers. Since the initial ban, Berlin police have approved two requests for pro-Palestine protests, both proposed as silent vigils.
In the U.K., a new law introduced by the Conservative government in April 2022 has been met with criticism from civil liberties groups, who say it is too restrictive on protests and infringes the right to freedom of expression. Last week, Home Secretary Suella Braverman told senior police officers that waving a Palestinian flag or chanting specific phrases for Palestine, such as “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” may be a criminal offense.
Other countries like Hungary and Austria have also blocked pro-Palestine protests since Oct 7.
A PBS poll recently showed that the divide on Israel-Palestine is 60-ish% in favor, but for the youth its split 48% for Israel and 52% for Palestine. That is quite the even split.
This has got to be one of the most divisive issues among people my age, which is ages 18-25.
