French police have arrested six individuals suspected of flying a Palestinian flag from the Eiffel Tower without authorisation, according to a police source.
The climate activist group Extinction Rebellion France claimed responsibility for hanging the large flag from the tower’s first floor on Friday afternoon.
A representative of the group said the action was intended as a “message of support” for Palestinians, while accusing Israel of carrying out “massacres” in Gaza and committing environmental destruction, including the uprooting of olive trees on Palestinian land.
The protest coincided with Nakba Day, which marks the displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948.
French authorities have previously used the Eiffel Tower for symbolic displays linked to the Middle East conflict. In September, projections of the Israeli and Palestinian flags, alongside peace symbols such as a dove and olive branch, appeared on the monument ahead of France’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
In October 2023, following the deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel, the tower was illuminated with the Israeli flag in solidarity with victims of the violence.
According to official Israeli figures compiled by AFP, Hamas’s October 2023 attack killed 1,221 people, mostly civilians. Gaza health authorities say subsequent Israeli military operations have killed more than 72,700 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians.
Despite a ceasefire agreed in October, violence has continued in Gaza, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the truce.
