PHOTOS Emmanuelle Béart shaking hands tightly with her husband, Julie Gay, and dark face…: the stars at the silent march in Paris

In dignity and silence, many personalities walked. Behind a large white banner and without any slogan, several thousand people including actresses Emmanuelle Béart and Julie Gayet in the front row with Isabelle Adjani, particularly moved by those absent from her community, marched in silence on Sunday November 19, 2023 in Paris for the peace in the Middle East and against hatred. At their side were the director Yamina Benguigui, the actresses Valérie Bonneton, Nadia Farès, Macha Méril, Liliane Rovère, Florence Thomassin and Ariane Ascaride, the singer Yael Naïm, the journalist Laure Adler and the one who led the movement, Lubna Azabal , seen recently in The Blue of the caftan, and at the origin of this initiative. Charles Berling, Maxime Le Forestier, Bertrand Delanoë and Jack Lang were also seen.

At the head of the procession, Emmanuelle Béart was supported by her husband Frédéric Chaudier and we could see her with her husband’s hand on her shoulder. The 60-year-old star aroused admiration a few weeks ago by publicly revealing that she had been a victim of incest during the broadcast of her shocking documentary on the subject. She continues to display her commitment as a citizen with this march this Sunday. Not far from her, the actress and producer Julie Gayet also stood out. So smiling during the Brive book fair, the wife of François Hollande – the latter had participated in the march against anti-Semitism a few days earlier – was particularly serious.

The two actresses were at the head of the procession of 3,600 people according to the police headquarters which set off under the sun from the square of the Institute of the Arab World to symbolically reach the Museum of Art and History of Judaism.

Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak mingled with the mostly elderly protesters, some wearing white armbands, to “to be alongside those who engage (…) in this civil society movement without banners, without slogans, in silence, in dignity“.”It’s not a march of silence, it’s a march in silence“, declared the minister to AFP.

This demonstration was triggered by a “powerful text“, she recalled, in reference to a platform signed by nearly 600 artists, which calls to “carry the voice of unity” and not to take a position in the conflict. “People are there to appease. They don’t necessarily think the same thing. I fully support this demonstration of unity“, declared Jack Lang, the president of Ima, at the head of the procession.

Those absent from this peace march noticed

Isabelle Adjani had expressed his disappointment to TF1 information upon seeing that many peer artists and signatories of the collective forum were absent. Lubna Azabal, who also denounces “injunctions to choose one’s side“, admitted to having struggled to attract young faces in music and cinema who “are afraid of losing their subscribers on social networks and “be labeled including within the framework of such a unifying initiative“.

The Israeli military estimates that some 240 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip during Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7. This left around 1,200 dead, mainly civilians, according to the Israeli authorities.

In retaliation, Israel relentlessly bombs the Gaza Strip and has been carrying out a ground operation since October 27 with the aim of “wiping out” the Islamist movement in power in the Palestinian territory. These Israeli strikes on Gaza left more than 12,300 dead, including 5,000 children and 3,300 women, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health. On Saturday, pro-Palestinian mobilizations to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza brought together thousands of demonstrators across France.