France is paying tribute Wednesday to French victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, in a national ceremony led by President Emmanuel Macron four months after the massacre in Israel in which some 1,300 people were murdered, and around 250 abducted.
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In a solemn address in the courtyard of the majestic Invalides Memorial building in Paris, Macron described the October 7 attack as "barbarism... which is fed by antisemitism" and vowed not to give in to "rampant and uninhibited antisemitism".
Macron also reiterated France's commitment to fight "every day" for the "liberation" of the three French nationals still presumed hostages in Gaza. "Their empty chairs are here," he said, referring to the 42 vacant chairs at the ceremony.
Photographs of the victims were displayed in the Invalides’ monumental courtyard in central Paris. The Republican Guard’s orchestra played the “Kaddish” by French composer Maurice Ravel, written in 1914 based on a traditional Hebrew melody.
Families of victims also attended the ceremony, many coming from Israel on a special flight chartered by the French Republic.
Yashay Dan, a relative of French-Israeli hostage Ofer Kalderon, said he hopes the ceremony “can resonate all around the world, not only in France.”
“I think from this perspective that France is showing a great gesture by being with those that have suffered an enormous blow,” he told The Associated Press.
Ayla Yahalomi Luzon, sister of French-Israeli hostage Ohad Yahalomi, said: “We don’t need people to hope for us. I have hope. We need help. Ohad is a French citizen and I ask France to make all efforts to release him and everyone.”
Data from the Interior Ministry and the Jewish Community Protection Service watchdog showed that 1,676 antisemitic acts were reported in 2023, compared to 436 the previous year.