The gathering in support of the Israeli people scheduled for October 9 in front of the City Hall brought together more than 500 people two days after the deadly Hamas attack on Israel.
In front of the City Hall, at the beginning of the afternoon, rue Saint-François de Paul is crowded. Between 500 and 600 people responded to the call to gather in support of the Israeli people, initiated by Christian Estrosi, who came to express his “steadfast support”. Several cities in France have called on their populations to come and show their support for the Hebrew state. The Israeli flag was raised and will remain on the facade of the town hall “as long as the war is not over”, affirmed the mayor of Nice.
“I see so many of you here, and it is an immense comfort as the shock and pain are immense,” begins a moved Jérôme Culioli. The President of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France Southeast since 2013 speaks of a time intended for reflection, faced with a toll that continues to worsen.
In the crowd, the expressions are serious, conversations evoke all the nightmarish events that have occurred since Saturday, October 7. A sign stands out, reading: “Free the hostages”.
This Monday morning, the conflict’s toll has significantly exceeded a thousand deaths on both sides, including two French nationals, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. More than 2,150 Israelis have been injured and 700 have died in the Hamas attack. The Israeli army responded, mentioning “more than 500 strikes” against the Gaza Strip from Sunday night to Monday. A retaliation that, according to local authorities, killed 560 Palestinians and injured 2,900. Hundreds of hostages have been counted. “As I speak, the conflict remains extremely alarming and intense,” comments Christian Estrosi.
“A terrorist attack against a democracy”
The CRIF president urges not to forget in the coming days and months “that it is not about defending a cause, it is a terrorist attack against a democracy”. He does not hesitate to point to the responsibility of states that ideologically and financially support this terrorism: “They are also guilty.”
“Saturday, October 7 remains a day we will never forget,” asserts Christian Estrosi. He continues by reminding the context: “It was not an army that attacked another army. It was a terrorist organization that targeted civilians with thousands of rockets. The most ignoble acts of barbarism, even in homes.”
“Since Saturday, we have been helpless witnesses of the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” pronounces the mayor of Nice to applause. In his speech, he speaks of “the horror that adds to the horror in a country created so that the Jewish people could finally be safe.”
La France Insoumise has placed itself “outside the Nation”
“Unfortunately, even though the vast majority of the national and international political class has firmly condemned, we still find, and it is astonishing, in France, political movements that will try to equate a terrorist movement with a democracy,” denounces the Jewish community representative.
The target of his comments is none other than La France Insoumise and some of its elected officials. The far-left political party has been criticized from all sides since the very day of the assault. It is Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s response that created the controversy. The party leader did not condemn the Hamas terrorist attack. “Unacceptable positions” for Jérôme Culioli. A voice in the crowd rises and demands the lifting of parliamentary immunity for the insoumis elected officials. He responds: “Why not.”
Christian Estrosi also heavily criticized La France Insoumise and “certain far-left groups”, accusing them of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. “Some have placed themselves outside the Nation, outside the Republic, outside democracy,” he continues, calling on the French justice system to take measures to determine if “these statements constitute an apology for terrorism.”
This peaceful gathering ended with a minute of silence followed by the Israeli national anthem and the Marseillaise.
