The Paris administrative court suspended on Thursday October 19 the prefectural ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration, while it was in progress on the Place de la République in Paris.
“The execution of the orders (…) of the police prefect of October 18 is suspended insofar as they prohibit the planned regrouping between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.,” writes the court in its order, including Agence France-Presse got a copy. The demonstration, which had been taking place peacefully since 6 p.m., was organized by the CAPJPO Europalestine association and by the New Anti-Capitalist Party.
“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,” considers the court. “It does not follow from the instruction, and in particular from the note from the specialized services established for the present demonstration, that the planned gathering would present a particular risk of violence, against other groups or the forces of order,” he argues. The contested prefectural decrees therefore constitute “a serious and manifestly illegal attack on the freedom to demonstrate”, concludes the court, ordering their suspension.
As soon as the news spread in the demonstration at Place de la République, the police forces who had “suppressed” the crowd withdrew completely from the square, according to an AFP journalist on site.
The Council of State 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 local risk of disturbances to public order. On Thursday, Emmanuel Macron put forward a “decency period” to justify the decision to ban these demonstrations.