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Parisians denounce Israel

Paris: Braving cold winds and freezing temperatures and accompanied by an unusually heavy police escort, a massive crowd marched through the streets here on Saturday to protest against the Israeli attacks against Gaza. Organisers claimed the demonstrations were 1,00,000-strong.

Wherever the eye could see there appeared to be an ocean of shouting, placard-waving people, many of them wearing the keffiye or traditional Arab headgear. Many carried placards bearing the picture of deceased Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. “Israel Assassin” and “Gaza-Palestine-stop the massacre” were printed on several placards.

There were some 50 demonstrations staged across France, the biggest and most vocal of them in Paris. The demonstrators were calling for an end to the Israeli offensive, an end to the blockade and the suspension of the agreements signed between the European Union and Israel. Several trades unions, political parties, humanitarian organisations as well as secular and religious human rights bodies participated.

Melia, a young law student of Algerien descent who was born in France was out in the streets with her brothers. “Yes, Hamas did break the ceasefire. But has anybody asked why? It was because Israel refused to keep its side of the bargain and remove the blockade. You too would become a terrorist if you had to suffer 40 years of occupation. Did the French talk about terrorism when they were carrying out terrorist acts against occupying Germans during WW II ?” she asked.

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