French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute Wednesday to the 42 French Jewish citizens of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel in a national ceremony held in the courtyard of the Hotel des Invalides in Paris.
It was attended by the victims' families, many of whom were brought to France on a special flight, as well as ministers, MPs, and diplomats.
Honor guards held photographs of each victim. The Republican Guard’s orchestra played “Kaddish” by French composer Maurice Ravel, the Funeral Parade by Chopin, and the national anthem.
Macron slammed in his speech the “biggest antisemitic massacre of our century” describing it as “barbarism... which is fed by antisemitism and propagates it.”
“Nothing can justify or excuse terrorism,” he stressed.
Macron said France would work “every day” for the release of the remaining French hostages. “Their empty chairs are there,” he said at the ceremony. Four other French hostages have been released.
Some have criticized the fact that the Paris ceremony did not include a tribute to French citizens who have died in Israel's military campaign.
An Elysee official said there would be another tribute but that they had not wanted to "mix two types of victims".
"It is obvious that we owe the same emotion and dignity to the French victims of the bombing of Gaza," the official said.
“All lives have equal worth,” Macron stressed. This isn’t the first time he has used this phrase, but it needs to be applied.
"France will remain unified in those moments of suffering for Israelis and Palestinians, to work to answer everyone's aspirations to peace and security in the Middle East," the president said.
"We are more than 68 million people. We are a nation, and we will never forget them.”
