More than 500 figures of French culture sign an article in Télérama to call for peace in the Middle East and for unity within French society, fragmented by the conflict.
The world of culture speaks out on the war between Israel and Hamas. More than 500 personalities are calling on the French to take part in “a silent march” on October 19 in Paris. A demonstration which aims to be “humanist and peaceful”, whose objective is twofold: to demand peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people, but also to oppose the division in French society around this conflict which has raged since October 7 .
Jacques Audiard, Aure Atika, Jalil Lespert, Sabrina Ouazani, Ibrahim Maalouf, Pierre Arditi, Nathalie Baye, Nicolas Mathieu… whether they are actors, musicians, filmmakers or even authors, artists from all horizons and origins signed a column published this Monday in Telerama at the initiative of the collective “Une autre voix”, which calls for rediscovering “the voice of union”.
“Today our streets are divided. An immense wave of hatred is taking hold there little by little and every day, anti-Semitic acts and violence of all kinds arise in our lives,” we can read.
An “urgent” voice to be heard
“The words ‘choice’ and ‘clan’ are imposed on us: ‘Choose your clan!'”, laments the column, also signed by Tomer Sisley, Juliette Binoche, Laure Calamy, Claude Lelouch, Leïla Slimani, Marion Cotillard and Kad Merad . “But when death strikes, we neither cry nor rejoice depending on our place of birth (…) To this injunction to choose a side to hate, it is urgent to make another voice heard: that of ‘union’.”
“The voice of union is the multiple, polyphonic, living voice, it is proof of the powerful bond that exists in France between Jewish, Muslim, Christian, atheist and agnostic citizens (…). “
Symbolic journey
“This strong and united voice does not need to speak because silence, our faces and our bodies side by side are the most beautiful response to the vociferations of all extremes”, explains the forum again, before concluding by describing its project:
“We are organizing a silent, united, humanist and peaceful march which will open with a single long white banner. No political demands, no slogans. White flags, white handkerchiefs are welcome…”
The meeting will take place at 2 p.m., and the procession will follow a symbolic route: “We will leave from the Institute of the Arab World towards the Museum of Art and History of Judaism to go towards Arts and Crafts.”
As the weekly specifies, the collective “Une Autre Voix” was created in October on the initiative of Belgian actress Lubna Azabal, recently seen in The Blue of the caftan by Maryam Touzani. With the aim of reacting to the echo of the Middle Eastern conflict in France.
Thousands of deaths
Terrorists from Hamas, an Islamist organization that has controlled Gaza since 2007, managed to enter Israeli soil on October 7. At least 1,200 people, including 40 French, were killed in the massacre perpetrated that morning, and some 240 people have been held hostage since.
In retaliation, the Jewish state increases its strikes on Gaza. They killed 11,180 people, mostly civilians, including 4,609 children, according to the Hamas health ministry, as reported by AFP this Monday.
And for a month, Middle Eastern tensions have spread to Western societies. France, where swastikas were sprayed and Nazi sympathies chanted in the metro, was not spared. 1,159 anti-Semitic acts have been recorded in France since October 7.