As Hamas terrorists wage war against Israel, France has banned all pro-Palestinian demonstrations. So far, Hamas has killed 14 French citizens in Israel and captured 17 more.
Interior minister Gérald Darmanin issued “strict instructions” to ban “pro-Palestinian demonstrations because they are likely to generate public order disturbances,” French media reported Thursday. Fearing a rise of antisemitism in the country, Darmanin said, “The organization of these prohibited demonstrations should lead to arrests.”
Hamas invaded Israel on Saturday morning and is confirmed to have murdered 1,200 Israeli citizens, along with 27 Americans. The terrorist group has captured over 150 hostages.
The European country with the largest Jewish population, France, has reported more than 100 acts of antisemitism since Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday — including cases of individuals tagging phrases such as “death to Jews” and individuals bringing knives into Jewish synagogues, Darmanin said. The country has called for enhanced police presence around Jewish schools and synagogues.
Former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal encouraged pro-Palestinian protesters to join together on Friday in a global day of jihad. Already, pro-Palestinian groups in the U.S. have rallied to celebrate the murders of Israeli citizens. College organizations across the country have held “martyr vigils,” praising the Hamas terrorists killed in Israel’s counter-offensive.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Germany’s zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism, adding that the government would “not accept it when the heinous attacks against Israel are celebrated here on our streets.” The United Kingdom also reported a rise in antisemitic hate crimes against British Jews, and some Jewish schools have temporarily closed in response to security threats.
American intelligence agencies have increased police presence around Jewish schools and synagogues, and federal, state, and local authorities in the U.S. are also working to prevent domestic attacks on Jewish communities, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a “public safety concern” in response to Hamas’s “horrific terrorist attacks.”
A pro-Hamas rally took place outside of Australia’s Sydney Opera House on Monday. Protestors chanted “gas the Jews” in reference to gas chambers, one of the methods Adolf Hitler used to slaughter six million Jews during the Holocaust. Hamas’s invasion is the most deadly attack against Jewish people since the Holocaust.