France - October 2023

On 12 October, the Ministry of the Interior instructed local authorities not to permit the organisation of pro-Palestinian protests on the grounds that they may create unrest and disturb public order. Protests took place across the country in defiance of the ban, and several protesters were arrested, including ten arrests in Lille. Days later, a ruling by the State Council, the highest court for public administration, found that there cannot be a blanket ban on protests in support of Palestinians but instead these events should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and the decision should be left to prefects and administrative judges at the local level. The case was brought to the State Council by the Palestine Action Committee, a French pro-Palestinian association, citing a breach of freedom of expression. The ruling rejected the association’s request to overturn the decision and found that the communication from the Ministry of the Interior did not seriously violate the rights to freedom of association or freedom of expression.

Sources: RFI, CNN, Le Monde (1), Le Monde (2), State Council