Paris, May 28, 2025: Activists from Oxfam, Amnesty International, and Greenpeace France poured red dye into the Fontaine des Innocents, a prominent fountain in central Paris, on Wednesday to highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Demonstrators held placards demanding an immediate ceasefire with messages such as "Cease fire" and "Gaza: stop the bloodbath." The action was meant to condemn what the activists described as the "bloodbath" endured by Palestinians in Gaza and to criticize the perceived slow response of the French government and international community to the emergency.
"This operation aims to denounce France's slow response to an absolute humanitarian emergency facing the people of Gaza today," read a joint statement from the participating groups. Former French minister and Oxfam France executive director Cécile Duflot emphasized that "France cannot limit itself to mere verbal condemnations." Clemence Lagouardat, coordinator of Oxfam's humanitarian response in Gaza, highlighted the dire situation on the ground, saying, "The people in Gaza need everything, it's a matter of survival."
The conflict escalated following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, which resulted in 1,218 deaths according to AFP data, mostly civilians. Subsequently, Israeli forces launched a military campaign resulting in at least 53,977 deaths in Gaza, primarily civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, figures supported by the United Nations.
Israel's ongoing offensive, aimed at dismantling Hamas, has drawn international criticism amid a blockade since early March that has led to severe shortages of food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Jean-François Julliard, head of Greenpeace France, condemned the political inaction, stating, "There is a genocide going on and political inaction is becoming a kind of complicity in this genocide." The activists called on French President Emmanuel Macron to take decisive action and urged international actors to push for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, implement an arms embargo on Israel, and reconsider European Union cooperation agreements with Israel.
The situation has intensified diplomatic tensions, with President Macron condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's obstruction of aid to Palestinians as "unacceptable" and "shameful," while Netanyahu accused Macron of siding with a "murderous Islamist terrorist organisation."
