Six detained after activists unfurl massive Palestinian flag on Eiffel Tower

• Iconic Protest: Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion unfurled a massive Palestinian flag from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower to mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba.
• Police Crackdown: French authorities detained six individuals, citing unauthorized entry into a protected zone and safety violations.
• Political Fallout: Rima Hassan slammed the arrests, pointing out double standards after the monument was previously illuminated with the Israeli flag without legal repercussions.

French police detained six activists on Friday after a large Palestinian flag was unfurled from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower.

The high-profile demonstration was staged to mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba -the "Great Catastrophe" referencing the 1948 displacement of Palestinians- and immediately ignited a fierce political debate across France.

According to reports from the local newspaper Le Parisien, the demonstration was carried out by members of the environmental global campaign group Extinction Rebellion.

The activists managed to bypass security to drape the flag over the landmark's iron structure, drawing crowds of onlookers before security intervened.

A Paris police official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that six individuals were taken into custody.

Authorities are holding them on suspicion of entering a protected cultural area without authorization and endangering the safety of others.

Local prosecutors are expected to receive a formal complaint regarding the breach, though officials have not yet specified whether the management company of the Eiffel Tower (SETE) or the city council will file it.

Allegations of double standards

The swift arrests drew immediate condemnation from pro-Palestinian politicians and human rights advocates, who accused French authorities of selective enforcement regarding political expression at national landmarks.

Rima Hassan, a prominent French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, took to social media to heavily criticize the police response.

Hassan highlighted what she characterized as a blatant double standard by local leadership, pointing back to October 2023 when Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo ordered the Eiffel Tower to be illuminated in the colors of the Israeli flag.

"No one was arrested, prosecuted, or accused of endangering safety when the monument was used for state-sanctioned political messaging," Hassan noted, arguing that peaceful civil disobedience should not be met with criminal detentions.

History of symbolic projections

The Eiffel Tower has increasingly become a battleground for symbolic and diplomatic messaging in recent years.

While French authorities heavily restrict unauthorized physical banners, the state itself has frequently utilized the monument's lighting system to reflect global events.

In a notable shift during the height of regional peace talks in September 2025, both the Palestinian and Israeli flags were projected simultaneously onto the monument.

That display was authorized directly by the government to signal support for President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic initiative tied to the formal recognition of a Palestinian state alongside security guarantees for 'Israel'.

Activists involved in Friday's demonstration stated that their goal was to force the public's attention back to the historical roots of the conflict, using one of the world's most visible platforms to protest ongoing military campaigns in the Middle East.

Security around the monument has since been reinforced following the breach.