PARIS – Two hundred and thirty seven people gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Paris Trocadero Square calling for the release of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 massacre.
Carrying pictures one of the hostages held in Gaza, participants at the protest staged a call for the liberation of the captives. The participants all wore red ribbons covering their mouths, symbolizing the silenced hostages, who are prevented from meeting any Red Cross representatives or send their families a sign of life.
The staged-event was set up following the global appeal of the association of Israeli families of hostages “Bring Them Home,” for marking one month since the attack. It was organized by an association called ‘’the Oct. 7 Collective,’’ and with the cooperation of the French Jewish umbrella organization CRIF.
‘’It’s is on the emblematic Trocadero Square, which opens onto the Plaza of Human Rights that the Collective has chosen to mobilize its efforts,’’ said a statement issued by the group prior to the staged-event.
Standing on the first line amid six, one of the participants said she decided to join the initiative even though she was neither Jewish nor Israeli.
Raising awareness of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza
‘’I’m just an ordinary French person, but I’m defending Israel’s democracy against the barbarism of Hamas, a terrorist organization which makes its own people suffer tremendously. Hamas embezzles millions of euros which we Europeans send to the Gaza Strip every year, using the money to terrorize Israel,’’ she told The Jerusalem Post, adding that ‘’the French media speaks very little about these 237 hostages savagely kidnapped on Oct. 7. That is why I’m here today, so they are not forgotten.’’
Aurélie Assouline is the founder of the Oct. 7 Collective. ‘’Our mission is to remine the public that the hostages are not just a number. Behind the number, there are people with families, friends, lives,’’ she told the Post.
‘’To do that, we are setting up for each hostage an internet page (in French) with his/her biography. Almost every evening we hang on the streets of Paris and in other cities in France pictures of the hostages. People who see our posters can go on the internet pages, read about them and identify with them. We hope that this could make a difference, at least here, vis-à-vis the French public opinion.’’