French authorities have arrested six people suspected of hanging a Palestinian flag from the Eiffel Tower without permission, a police source said.
The large flag was unfurled from the tower’s first floor on Friday afternoon. Environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion France later claimed responsibility, describing the action as a “message of support” for Palestinians.
A spokesperson for the group accused Israel of committing “massacres” in Gaza and alleged “ecocide crimes”, including the destruction of olive trees on Palestinian land. The protest coincided with Nakba Day, which marks the displacement of Palestinians during the establishment of Israel in 1948.
The Eiffel Tower has previously served as a symbolic backdrop for demonstrations linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In September, projections of the Israeli and Palestinian flags, along with peace symbols such as a dove and olive branch, were displayed on the monument ahead of France’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
In October 2023, after Hamas launched attacks on Israel, the tower was lit in the colours of the Israeli flag. According to official Israeli figures compiled by AFP, the Hamas attack killed 1,221 people, the majority of them civilians.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 72,700 people, most of them civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Although a ceasefire was reached in October, fighting has continued, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the truce.
