Paris police fired tear gas cannisters at violent activists protesting a gala evening fundraising for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Wednesday night.
An estimated 3,000 counter-protesters attempted to picket a fundraising dinner in support of Israel on Wednesday night. The protest, called by French left-wing political parties La France Insoumise (‘France Unbowed’, LFI), Les Écologistes – Europe Écologie Les Verts (‘The Ecologists – Europe Ecology The Greens’, EELV), Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste (‘New Anticapitalist Party’, NPA) started at the Saint-Lazare railway station near Place de l’Europe in the centre of the city and marched to the place de la République.
As reported by French newspaper Le Figaro there were “tensions” between the march and police, and officers used tear gas to control “violent” participants. As the protest progressed, branches of American chains McDonald’s and Starbucks on the Boulevard Montmartre were vandalised. Windows were smashed, and “accomplice, boycott, free palestine” written in red paint.
The pro-Israel gala was called by the ‘Israel Forever’ association to raise money for the IDF. The group was described by the Times of Israel as being coordinated by “French far-right figures in support of Israel” and the evening was due to be attended by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who pulled out at the last minute. Protesters proclaimed the event a “gala of hatred and shame” and named the Israeli government minister in their chants, proclaiming “Smotrich, fascist, we don’t want him”.
The clashes came the night before the much-discussed visit of an Israeli football team to Paris on Thursday night. Following major violence against Israeli tourist football fans who had come to enjoy another game in Amsterdam last week, French police have anticipated fresh trouble and deployed thousands of extra officers tonight. The chance for violence by virulently anti-Israeli left-wing elements may be somewhat curtailed, however, as Israel’s government has strongly ordered its citizens not to attend the match, and reportedly only 150 tickets have been sold to Tel Aviv supporters for a stadium of 80,000 seats.