More than 180,000 people across France march against soaring antisemitism amid the Israel-Hamas war

National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, center, joins thousands for a march against antisemitism in Paris, France, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023. (AP)
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Updated 13 November 2023
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More than 180,000 people across France march against soaring antisemitism amid the Israel-Hamas war

  • France has the largest Jewish population in Europe, but given its own World War II collaboration with the Nazis, antisemitic acts today open old scars

PARIS: More than 180,000 people across France, including 100,000 in Paris, marched peacefully on Sunday to protest against rising antisemitism in the wake of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, representatives of several parties on the left, conservatives and centrists of President Emmanuel Macron’s party as well as far-right leader Marine Le Pen attended Sunday’s march in the French capital amid tight security. Macron did not attend, but expressed his support for the protest and called on citizens to rise up against “the unbearable resurgence of unbridled antisemitism.”
However, the leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, stayed away from the march, saying last week on X, formerly Twitter, that the march would be a meeting of “friends of unconditional support for the massacre” in Gaza.
The interior ministry said at least 182,000 people marched in several in French cities in response to the call launched by the leaders of the parliament’s upper and lower houses. No major incident has been reported, it said.
Paris authorities deployed 3,000 police troops along the route of the protest called by the leaders of the Senate and parliament’s lower house, the National Assembly, amid an alarming increase in anti-Jewish acts in France since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas after its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel.
France has the largest Jewish population in Europe, but given its own World War II collaboration with the Nazis, antisemitic acts today open old scars.
Holding a French flag, Robert Fiel said marching against antisemitism is “more than a duty.”
“It’s a march against violence, against antisemitism, against all (political extremes) that are infiltrating the society, to show that the silent majority does exist,” the 67-year-old said.
Family members of some of the 40 French citizens killed in the initial Hamas attack, and of those missing or held hostage, also took part in the march, which Paris police said drew 105,000 participants.
Patrick Klugman, a lawyer and a member of “Freethem” committee working to obtain the release of people held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza, said the large participation in the march is meaningful and symbolic in reassuring Jewish communities in France.
“I am very proud of my country because of this mobilization,” Klugman said. “I feel less alone than in the past weeks and days.”
Yonathan Arfi, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France known as CRIF said he was encouraged Sunday’s show of support, but the question remains, he told French broadcaster BFM at the march, “what will be done (against antisemitism) tomorrow?”
Tomer Sisley, an Israeli and French actor insisted the massive show of solidarity proves that majority of French citizens are against violence and hate against any religious and ethnic group.
“We’re not Jews, we’re not Muslims, we’re not Christians,” Sisley said. “We are French and we are here to show that we are all together.”
French authorities have registered more than 1,000 acts against Jews around the country in the month since the conflict in the Middle East began.
Former French president Francois Hollande said “there are many French flags in the protest but what unites us is not just a flag, it’s what it represents, it’s the value of freedom and the value of human dignity.”
In a letter addressed to the French on Sunday, Macron vowed that perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished.
“A France where our Jewish fellow citizens are afraid is not France,” Macron said in the letter, published in Le Parisien newspaper. He called on the country to remain “united behind its values ... and work for peace and security for all in the Middle East.”
Macron said he will attend “in my heart and in spirit,” but not in person. “My role is to build unity of the country and to be firm on values,” Macron said Saturday on the sidelines of Armistice Day commemorations to mark the end of World War I.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen attended Sunday’s march amid fierce criticism that her once-pariah National Rally party has failed to shake off its antisemitic heritage despite growing political legitimacy.
After arriving to the march with the president of the party, Jordan Bardella, Le Pen dismissed critics and said that she and the party members are “exactly where we need to be.” She called on other politicians “to take a break from fomenting political controversies” during the march.
Le Pen and other far-right officials showed up at the end of the march, hundreds of meters away from government members and other officials who led the demonstration.
Borne, who is the daughter of a Jewish Holocaust survivor, tweeted “the presence of the National Rally is not fooling anyone.”
The president of the Paris region council, Valérie Pécresse, a former conservative presidential candidate, denounced “hypocrisy,” saying that National Rally officials ran against her in past elections “who were clearly antisemitic people and Marine Le Pen never sanctioned them.”
As of Saturday, officials counted 1,247 antisemitic acts since Oct. 7, nearly three times as many as in the whole of 2022, according to the Interior Ministry.
Sunday’s march in Paris appears as the biggest gathering to denounce antisemitism in France since a 1990 demonstration against the desecration of a Jewish cemetery.
France has banned a number of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, although supporters have marched in several French cities in the past weeks, including thousands demanding a cease-fire in Gaza in a protest in Paris last Sunday.
 

 


Philippines to ‘seek help’ securing release of Houthi-held sailors

Updated 3 sec ago
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Philippines to ‘seek help’ securing release of Houthi-held sailors

  • Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega confirmed the Houthis were holding nine Filipino seafarers
  • “We’re not going to talk directly with the Houthis. We’re going to seek help from friendly countries,” he added

MANILA: The Philippines said Tuesday it would ask “friendly countries” to help secure the release of nine Filipino sailors being held by Yemen’s Houthis.
The Iran-backed Houthis released footage on Monday of crew members missing after attacks on the Eternity C and Magic Seas cargo ships, claiming in an accompanying statement to have “rescued” the mariners.
Last week, Human Rights Watch said the Houthis were unlawfully detaining the crew and that their attacks on shipping amounted to war crimes. The United States has accused the Houthis of kidnapping.
Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega confirmed the Houthis were holding nine Filipino seafarers.
“I do not want to use the term hostage. At least we know they are alive,” he told AFP.
“We’re not going to talk directly with the Houthis. We’re going to seek help from friendly countries,” he added.
The European Union’s Operation Aspides naval task force told AFP that 15 of the 25 people onboard the Eternity C were still missing — with four presumed dead.
Cosmoship, the owner of the Eternity C, urged the Houthis on Tuesday to release its crew members “at the earliest opportunity.”
In a statement, the company expressed relief that “ten of our missing crew members, as well as one of the vessel’s security guards (11 in total), are alive and appear to be receiving care,” after viewing the footage released by the rebels.
“We continue to work through every available channel to support their continued care and to facilitate their safe and swift return home to their families,” it added.
The Philippines Department of Migrant Workers, which has overseen efforts to bring the survivors home, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Houthis sank the Magic Seas and Eternity C in separate Red Sea attacks this month, after a temporary hiatus in their campaign against maritime traffic.
The Houthis launched attacks on ships in the trade route soon after the start of the Gaza war in October, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.
The sinking of the Magic Seas was their first attack since late last year, with the Eternity C facing a similar fate soon after.
In its statement, the Houthis said they rescued 11 crew members, including two injured, and also recovered a body from aboard the ship before it sank.
The video appeared to show the moment the mostly Filipino crew were pulled from the sea wearing life jackets.
A man the Houthis said was an electrician was shown lying in bed and speaking in English. Aspides had said a Russian electrician onboard the ship had lost his leg.
De Vega said one of the nine Filipinos had suffered an unspecified injury, and that one of the non-Filipino personnel was also injured.
Two weeks ago, eight other Filipino crew members who survived the Eternity C attack were flown back to the Philippines. All 17 Filipino seafarers from the Magic Seas have likewise been flown home.
Previously, the Houthis held the mostly Filipino crew of the Galaxy Leader merchant ship for more than a year, before releasing them in January.
Filipino sailors make up as much as 30 percent of the world’s commercial shipping force. The nearly $7 billion they sent home in 2023 accounted for about a fifth of the remittances to the archipelago nation.


UK plans to recognize Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets conditions, Starmer says

Updated 19 min 46 sec ago
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UK plans to recognize Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets conditions, Starmer says

  • Government statement: ‘He (Starmer) said that the UK will recognize the state of Palestine in Sept., before UNGA, unless Israel takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza’
  • Statement: ‘He (Starmer) reiterated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas and that our demands on Hamas remain’

LONDON: Britain will recognize the state of Palestine in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the “appalling situation” in Gaza and meets other conditions, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told cabinet on Tuesday according to a government statement.
“He said that the UK will recognize the state of Palestine in September, before UNGA (United Nations General Assembly), unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a Two State Solution,” the statement said.
“He reiterated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas and that our demands on Hamas remain, that they must release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, accept that they will play no role in the government of Gaza, and disarm.”


Ukraine to let over 60s into armed forces amid shortages

Updated 29 July 2025
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Ukraine to let over 60s into armed forces amid shortages

  • The law will allow them to sign a one-year contract for non-combat roles
  • Ukraine has launched several initiatives to attract more people into the armed forces

KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday signed a law allowing Ukrainian people over 60 to join the armed forces, which are struggling to find recruits as the Russian invasion drags through a fourth year.

The law will allow them to sign a one-year contract for non-combat roles if they pass medical tests, according to an explanatory note on the parliament’s website.

“A significant number of citizens aged 60 and over have expressed a strong desire to voluntarily join the defense of the state,” the note said.

“It is necessary to involve a larger number of people who wish to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” it said.

Ukraine has launched several initiatives to attract more people into the armed forces — including with a one-year contract and financial incentives for people aged 18 to 24.

It also lowered the mobilization age from 27 to 25 in April 2024 — resisting calls from the US administration to lower it to 18.


Netherlands bars two hard-line Israeli ministers

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (L). (File/AFP)
Updated 29 July 2025
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Netherlands bars two hard-line Israeli ministers

  • Smotrich responded on X, saying European leaders had succumbed to “the lies of radical Islam that is taking over” and “rising antisemitism”
  • Ben-Gvir said he would continue to act for Israel, even if he was banned from entering “all of Europe”

AMSTERDAM: The Netherlands has declared Israel’s finance and national security ministers persona non grata for inciting violence and urging ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
In June, the Netherlands backed a failed Swedish proposal to impose EU sanctions on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
“They repeatedly incited settler violence against Palestinians, promoted illegal settlement expansion, and called for ethnic cleansing in Gaza,” Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told parliament in a letter released late Monday.
Smotrich responded on X, saying European leaders had succumbed to “the lies of radical Islam that is taking over” and “rising antisemitism.”
Ben-Gvir said he would continue to act for Israel, even if he was banned from entering “all of Europe.”
“In a place where terrorism is tolerated and terrorists are welcomed, a Jewish minister from Israel is unwanted, terrorists are free, and Jews are boycotted,” he wrote on X.
Veldkamp said the Netherlands wanted to “relieve the suffering of the population in Gaza” and was exploring further ways to contribute to humanitarian aid.
“Airdrops of food are relatively expensive and risky,” he said.
“This is why the Netherlands is also taking steps to further support land-based aid delivery.”
Aid drops resumed in Gaza on Sunday as Israel announced temporary humanitarian pauses in parts of the besieged territory.
Around 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza are facing what UN aid agencies have warned is a deadly wave of starvation and malnutrition.
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) said on Tuesday that famine is unfolding across much of Gaza, with thresholds breached and over 20,000 children treated for acute malnutrition since April.
Veldkamp said the Netherlands would push to suspend the trade element of the EU-Israel Association Agreement if Israel fails to meet its humanitarian obligations.
“The summons will also be used to remind Israel to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law,” he said.
After speaking by phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said the government’s position was “crystal clear.”
“The people of Gaza must be given immediate, unfettered, safe access to humanitarian aid,” he said.
Israel’s foreign ministry said Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar had summoned the Dutch ambassador Marriët Schuurman to Jersualem for a formal reprimand on Tuesday afternoon.
“The conversation will take place in light of the Dutch government’s decisions to take measures against Israel, including against its right to defend itself and against ministers in its government,” the ministry said in a statement.
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 59,921 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.


Shipping on Rhine river in Germany back to normal after rain raises water level

Updated 29 July 2025
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Shipping on Rhine river in Germany back to normal after rain raises water level

  • Dry weather and a heatwave in June and July meant the river became too shallow for vessels to sail
  • Rain in past days means the last northern river sections where shipping was hindered by shallow water

HAMBURG: Repeated rain in past days has raised water levels on all of the river Rhine in Germany to normal levels allowing cargo vessels to sail with full loads, commodity traders said on Tuesday.

Dry weather and a heatwave in June and July meant the river became too shallow for vessels to sail fully loaded. Ship operators imposed surcharges on freight rates to compensate for vessels sailing partly empty, increasing costs for cargo owners.

Rain in past days means the last northern river sections where shipping was hindered by shallow water, including around Duisburg and Cologne, have been raised to levels allowing full loads.

Rain had raised other sections of the river, including the chokepoint at Kaub, to normal levels over the weekend.

The impact of the heatwave had been stronger than expected as fields were especially dry which drain into smaller streams and rivers feeding into the Rhine.

The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals, ores, chemicals, coal and oil products, including heating oil.

German companies faced supply bottlenecks and production problems in summer 2022 after a drought led to unusually low water levels on the river.