Activists turn Paris fountain red to denounce Gaza ‘bloodbath’

French activists dyed a Paris fountain red Wednesday to symbolise what they said was the ongoing bloodbath of Palestinians in Gaza.

Activists from Oxfam and Amnesty International poured dye into the Fontaine des Innocents in the heart of the French capital, while others held placards saying “Cease fire” and “Gaza: stop the bloodbath”.

“This operation aims to denounce France’s slow response to an absolute humanitarian emergency facing the people of Gaza today,” the activists, which included the French branch of Greenpeace, said in a joint statement.

“France cannot limit itself to mere verbal condemnations,” said former minister Cecile Duflot, executive director of Oxfam France.

Clemence Lagouardat, who helped coordinate Oxfam’s humanitarian response in Gaza, denounced the Israeli blockade of the besieged territory.

“The people in Gaza need everything, it’s a matter of survival,” she told AFP.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 54,000 people, mostly civilians, with thousands more believed to be buried beneath the rubble. The war has left much of the territory in ruins.

A renewed Israeli military campaign has drawn international condemnation as aid trickles in following a blockade since early March that has sparked severe food and medical shortages. Dozens have died from starvation.

“There is a genocide going on and political inaction is becoming a kind of complicity in this genocide,” said Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Greenpeace France.

“We call on (President) Emmanuel Macron to act with courage, clarity and determination to put an end to this bloodshed.”

The activists urged states “with influence over Israel” to press for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, an arms embargo on Israel, the revision of a cooperation agreement between the EU and Israel and other measures.

Macron has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “unacceptable” and “shameful” behaviour in blocking aid to the Palestinians in Gaza.