Paris, Nov 19 (EFE).- Two symbolic buildings in Paris, the Institute of the Arab World and the Museum of Art and History of Judaism, were joined together on Sunday by a silent march that called for peace in the Middle East.
Several thousand people wearing white clothes and scarves marched, mostly along the banks of the Seine, in response to the call of some 600 artists and personalities of French culture, including many of Jewish or Muslim origin.
A manifesto under the collective name “Another Voice,” led by actress Lubna Azabal, called for “a silent, solidary, humanist and peaceful march” to demand the “immediate cessation” of the “fratricidal war” between Israelis and Palestinians.
The march was led by a white banner, behind which were figures such as actresses Isabelle Adjani and Emmanuelle Béart, as well as Azabal and former minister of culture and director of the Institute of the Arab World, Jack Lang.
“We want peace, we are equally pained by the Israeli and Palestinian victims,” said actress and writer Isabelle Carré during the event, stressing that “we do not want to choose sides.”
“The idea is to express another voice, not to choose sides,” agreed another organizer, actress Julie Gayet, to RTL radio before the march began, insisting that they were looking for “a march of unity and encounter.”
The Minister of Culture, Rima Abul Malak, also took part, telling BFMTV the importance of the march’s message in favor of dialogue and urging “not to import the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into our home.”
France is a country deeply affected by the current conflict in the Middle East, as it is home to the third largest Jewish community in the world (after Israel and the United States) and the largest Muslim community in Europe. EFE
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