More than a thousand feminist, “anti-capitalist” and “anti-racist” demonstrators demonstrated this Thursday evening in Paris in “chosen non-mixed” fashion, on the eve of International Women's Rights Day and in support of Palestinian women, noted the AFP.
“Solidarity with the struggles around the world,” chanted the demonstrators, gathered at the start of the evening at Place de la République, some wearing purple t-shirts or playing percussion.
“Believe your child, educate your son” or “Bravo Judith” (in reference to the actress Judith Godrèche), could we read on their signs.
After speeches, the procession headed towards City Hall, at the call of the feminist organization AG Paris-Banlieue and in the presence of Urgence Palestine and numerous associations for the defense of women's rights, LGBTQI+ people, sex workers or undocumented immigrants.
🟣 [LIVE] CROWD IN REPUBLIC FOR THE DEPARTURE OF THE FEMINIST NIGHT MARCH
On the eve of #8March, the day of the fight for women's rights, the traditional night march will leave from Place de la République in Paris, at sound of songs in support of women… pic.twitter.com/RTCkHsvwcI
— Permanent Revolution (@RevPermanente) March 7, 2024
“The feminist strike begins on March 7,” we could read on leaflets announcing this march.
“We are organizing this night demonstration” to “allow women who cannot strike tomorrow to mobilize,” Arya Meroni, secretary of the feminist AG, explained to AFP.
The procession was open to women, transgender people and gay men.
“Palestinian women in the spotlight”
This year, “for us, it is important to put Palestinian women in the spotlight, to denounce the genocide in Gaza” of which “mostly women and children” are victims, she said.
The demonstration, supervised by a large police force, was marked by a few incidents: the front of the procession, where there were a few dozen hooded people, stopped in front of a supermarket, throwing paint on the front.
A little further away, police officers charged a group of individuals who had cracked the windows of a bank and took away at least two people, AFP noted.
The police headquarters confirmed the arrest of "one person" for "damage to a bank" and also "damage by tags" on the part of a "group of around thirty people, wearing hoods and umbrellas”.
The associations also called for denouncing the “restrictions and obstacles” against voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) around the world, the recent immigration law or even the “instrumentalization of the body” of women by President Emmanuel Macron who, with his “demographic rearmament” project, according to them, wants to “dictate to women whether and when they should have children”.