About 75,000 people, according to the French Ministry of the Interior, participated in demonstrations in various cities in France on Sunday against the new immigration law.
Le Figaro newspaper reported that the number of demonstrators, according to Metropolitan Police estimates, reached 16,000 participants in Paris. While the General Federation of Labor and the Trade Union Confederation estimated the number of demonstrators at about 150,000 demonstrators throughout France, including 25,000 in the capital alone.
The coalition of organizations and political forces that organized the protest movement considered this law a “victory for the extreme right-wing ideology.” And those who contributed to its formulation were “hate promoters who dreamed of imposing their vision on France.”
The draft law initially relied on imposing harsh penalties on “foreign violators.”
The amended version, which was voted on by the National Assembly and the Senate, included measures such as tightening access to social aid and immigration quotas, among others.
The European Union presents a 10-point plan for peace between Israelis and Palestinians
European Union foreign ministers are holding separate talks with their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts to discuss prospects for permanent peace and present a 10-point plan for peace between the two parties.
The 27 European Union ministers will meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, before meeting separately with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.
Katz and Al-Maliki will also deliver separate speeches before the European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels today, which will also be attended by their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and the Secretary-General of the Arab League.
During the meeting, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will present a ten-point plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The plan calls for holding a "preparatory conference for peace" organized by the European Union, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the League of Arab States, with the United States and the United Nations invited to the conference.
The conference will go ahead even if the Israelis or Palestinians refuse to participate.
But the document indicates that both sides will be consulted at every step of the talks as delegates seek to develop a peace plan.
The internal document seen by Reuters explains that one of the main goals of the peace plan must be the establishment of an independent Palestinian state “living side by side with Israel in peace and security.”
In a letter to member states, Borrell wrote that his roadmap would “address in detail, with practical proposals, the agreed-upon principle that only a sustainable and long-term political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will bring peace and stability to the two peoples and the region.”
Borrell's plan calls for full normalization between Israel and the Arab countries, and will create "an initial framework for Israeli-Palestinian peace within one year. There will be strong security guarantees for both states, and the agreement will be conditional on full mutual diplomatic recognition and integration between Israel and the Palestinians in the region."
Given the division, the 27 EU member states are unlikely to support Borrell's road map.
A senior EU official said there were no expectations of any breakthroughs, adding: “The idea is to have a full discussion with all participants, Israelis, Palestinians and Arabs, to exchange views and try to better understand where everyone is.”
Mayor of Kiev: Ukraine is moving in the wrong direction and has become an authoritarian state
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that Ukraine is moving in the wrong direction, adding that it is becoming an increasingly authoritarian state.
In an interview with the Canadian newspaper "The Globe and Mail", Klitschko indicated that critics of Vladimir Zelensky are under pressure. He said: "I cannot call the path we are traveling on, and which we see now, 'democratic', because it reeks of enslavement and tyranny."
According to him, this is “the desire of some people” for “everything to be centralized.”
“Mayors and heads of structures are elected by citizens, and then replaced by people appointed from above,” Klitschko complained.
In addition, Klitschko noted that he shared his concerns in his conversations with Western ambassadors in Kiev, and responded affirmatively when asked if some of those diplomats shared his concerns.
The Mayor of Kiev has previously criticized Zelensky on more than one occasion.
In an interview with the Swiss portal "20 Minutes", Klitschko said earlier that he was not surprised by the decline in Zelensky's popularity and he believes that he - Zelensky - is paying the price for his mistakes, and accused him of sliding into tyranny.
According to Klitschko, as a result of Zelensky's actions, there are practically no independent institutions of power left in Ukraine, the country is moving towards autocracy, where everything depends on the mood of one person.