Six activists were arrested by French police on May 16, 2026, for hanging a Palestinian flag without permission on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower the previous day [1]. The flag was displayed on May 15 to mark the 78th anniversary of Nakba Day, which commemorates the displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel [1, 2].
The protest was led by Extinction Rebellion France, whose representatives said the flag was flown as a "message of support" for Palestinians. They accused Israel of carrying out "massacres" in Gaza and "ecocide crimes," including uprooting olive trees on Palestinian land [1]. The activists described the situation in Gaza as genocide and linked their protest to broader ecological and human rights abuses [1, 2].
Similar symbolic actions have occurred in recent years, including projections of Israeli and Palestinian flags onto the Eiffel Tower in 2023. The tower was also lit with the Israeli flag after the Hamas attacks in October 2023, which resulted in 1,221 Israeli deaths and over 72,700 Palestinian casualties in Gaza due to subsequent Israeli military operations [1].
No public statement has been made on the charges the six arrested face. The demonstration sparked debate over the limits of political protests in Paris’s most iconic landmark. The arrests came a day after the flag was displayed as the authorities maintained strict rules on unauthorized displays at the landmark [1].
