Pro-Palestinians Ask Court To Overturn French Demo Ban

Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th May, 2021 ) :The organisers of a banned pro-Palestinian demonstration in Paris said Friday that they had petitioned a court hoping to force police to allow the protest after all.

Police on Thursday complied with a request from France's interior minister to ban Saturday's demonstration called over the ongoing conflict with Israel, fearing a repeat of clashes during a similar protest in 2014.

But on Friday, lawyers for the Paris region's Association of Palestinians told AFP they had lodged a petition for the protection of civil liberties with France's administrative court.

The lawyers said they hoped for a decision later Friday.

- 'Politically motivated' - "France is the only democracy to ban such a demonstration," said Sefen Guez Guez, one of the lawyers, calling the decision "disproportionate" and "politically motivated".

Paris police chief Didier Lallement said earlier that there was a risk of "a serious disturbance of public order" if the demonstration went ahead, and he also feared "acts against synagogues and Israeli interests".

Lallement also cited the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in July 2014 denouncing an Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which ended in violence, in his justification of the ban.

Guez Guez responded that there had been "plenty of demonstrations defending the Palestinian cause since 2014 at which there was no problem at all".

Apart from protesting against Israel itself at Saturday's demonstration, organisers have also targeted the French government, which they say is too favourable towards Israel.

President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, his office said, offering his "condolences for the victims of the rocket fire claimed by Hamas and other terrorist groups".