Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credit: LOIC VENANCE / AFP 20:04 p.m., October 19, 2023

The Paris administrative court on Thursday suspended the prefectural ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration on the Place de la République in Paris, which already gathered several thousand people. According to the court, the prefectural decrees constitute "a serious and manifestly illegal attack on the freedom to demonstrate" and ordered their suspension.

The Paris administrative court on Thursday suspended the prefectural ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration already underway on the Place de la République in Paris and which gathered several thousand people, according to an AFP journalist at the scene. "The execution of the decrees (...) of the prefect of police of October 18 is suspended insofar as they prohibit the planned gathering between 19:00 p.m. and 20:00 p.m.," the court said in its order, a copy of which was obtained by AFP. The demonstration, which had been taking place peacefully since 18 p.m., was organized by the CAPJPO Europalestine association and the New Anti-Capitalist Party.

"A serious and manifestly unlawful attack on the freedom to demonstrate"

"Respect for freedom of demonstration and freedom of expression, which have the character of fundamental freedoms (....) must be reconciled with the constitutional requirement to safeguard public order," the court said. "It does not follow from the investigation, and in particular from the note from the specialized services drawn up for the present demonstration, that the planned gathering would present a particular risk of violence, against other groups or the security forces," he argues. The impugned prefectural decrees therefore constitute "a serious and manifestly illegal infringement of the freedom to demonstrate", the court concluded, ordering their suspension.

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The Council of State had reminded the government on Wednesday that pro-Palestinian demonstrations could not be systematically banned and that it was up to the prefects alone to assess whether there was a risk of public disorder locally. As soon as the news spread in the demonstration at Place de la République, the police forces who had "nassed" the crowd completely withdrew from the square, according to the AFP journalist at the scene.