Thousands of protesters have marched through Paris for the annual May Day parade. They called for workers rights, and many said they were also demonstrating for peace in the Middle East.

Paris

Thousands of individuals participated in the annual May Day parade in Paris, demanding improvements in workers' rights and better pay conditions. The march, led by French trade unions, was largely peaceful despite minor scuffles between some protestors and the French police. This year's event was not only about labor rights; it also became a platform for voicing concerns over the ongoing war in Gaza, with many demonstrators emphasizing their desire for peace in the Middle East.

Among the crowd were dozens of people advocating for an end to the conflict in Gaza, a situation described by one protestor as a "genocide" that has persisted for 75 years. The emphasis was also on mobilizing public opinion against Israel's participation in the upcoming Olympic Games. Protestors called for a widespread boycott and a ban on Israel from the event, highlighting the involvement of young people and university students in these demonstrations.

University students have been notably active in expressing solidarity with the Palestinian cause. The week prior to the May Day parade saw student-led sit-ins at some of Paris's most renowned universities. These protests were met with police interventions, which some students criticized as overly aggressive. The actions drew condemnation from France's Prime Minister, who criticized what he perceived as a minority imposing its ideology on the majority, particularly at educational institutions. Despite the focus on Paris, the protests against Israel's actions in Gaza resonate with wider international sentiments, similar to those expressed by students in the United States, indicating a global concern over the conflict.



Paris marks Workers' Day with march demanding better pay

There were scuffles between French police and some protestors at Paris' May Day rally, but overall it was calm. French trade unions led a march through the city calling for better conditions for workers. Among the demonstrators were dozens of people who had also come to call for an end to the war in Gaza. This has been going on for 75 years. It's unjust that there is a genocide and we just hope the war will end. We have to do everything for a boycott for the Olympics this summer. We want the maximum number of people to call for a ban of Israel from the Olympic Games. There are a lot of young people here, a lot of university students. What we've seen in recent days is they've really been the ones that have led these protests in solidarity with Palestinian people. Last week, students staged sit-ins in some of Paris' most prestigious universities before being evacuated by police in scenes that some students described as heavy-handed. Meanwhile, France's Prime Minister condemned the protests. I went to Sciences Po and talked to the administrators to denounce the actions of an agitating and dangerous minority that wants to impose its transatlantic ideology on the majority of students and disrupt the school. The scale of the university protests in France has been far smaller than those in the United States, but there's little doubt that when it comes to Israel's war in Gaza, these students feel just as strongly as their counterparts across the Atlantic. Natasha Butler, Al Jazeera, Paris.

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