THOUSANDS ATTEND PRO-PALESTINIAN RALLY IN PARIS DESPITE BAN

Despite a ban, large numbers of people gathered in Paris on Saturday for a pro-Palestinian demonstration, Julia Naue reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Police used tear gas and water cannon to try to disperse the first groups of demonstrators, the broadcaster Franceinfo reported on Saturday afternoon.

Around 4,200 police officers were deployed in the French capital, according to the report. By 7 p.m. (1700 GMT or 1 a.m., May 16, 2021, in Manila), 44 people had been arrested there, according to police, and one policeman was injured.

People demonstrated in the capital to mark Nakba Day, especially in Paris' 18th district, where the police had previously ordered shopkeepers to close their businesses. According to the Ministry of the Interior, between 2,500 and 3,500 people took to the streets in Paris, French media reported.

According to official figures, around 22,000 people demonstrated throughout France. There were also demonstrations in cities like Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon and Strasbourg. Nakba Day, referring to the Palestinian "catastrophe," marks the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians after the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. The Paris police prefecture had previously banned the demonstration on the orders of Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

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