Holocaust memorial defaced with “Free Gaza.” Photo: i24 / Social Media

i24 News – A Holocaust memorial in Lyon was defaced with an inscription of the words “Free Gaza” appearing to have been scratched into it, city officials told AFP on Saturday, adding to already existing concerns over growing antisemitic crimes in France.

A photo city officials shared with AFP showed the inscription apparently scratched with a sharp object into the black marble of a plaque on the monument.

“The vandalism of the Holocaust Memorial in Lyon is an intolerable act. I condemn it and express my full solidarity with memory associations, survivors and their descendants. The perpetrators will be sought and prosecuted. Lyon stands firm against hatred, antisemitism and racism,” the city’s mayor, Gregory Doucet, wrote in a statement sent to AFP.

The monument was opened in January 2025 in honor of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

“The fact that this inscription was made on a Holocaust memorial clearly constitutes an antisemitic act,” a city hall official told AFP. The official also said the municipality had the vandalism quickly removed.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar took to X after the incident, calling out France’s growing rate of antisemitic incidents and its negative reaction to the US Ambassador’s “unacceptable” letter last week about the issue.

“Desecration of a Holocaust memorial in Lyon, France. But when the US Ambassador to France, Charles Kushner expressed his concern about the rising antisemitism there – he was rebuked for interfering in ‘internal affairs,’” he wrote in his post.

Minister of Immigration and Absorption, Ofir Sofer, also said in response to the vandalism, “The French government, which is considering awarding a prize for terrorism in the form of a Palestinian state and is offended by the American ambassador’s interference in its internal affairs, must first and foremost fight antisemitism directed against its Jewish citizens. Antisemitism that has not been seen for decades.”

Cast member Julia Roberts poses during a photocall for the movie “After the Hunt” out of competition, at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, Venice, Italy, August 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi

i24 News – Thousands of demonstrators gathered on Saturday at the Venice Film Festival, shifting attention from the red carpet to the war in Gaza.

The protest gained momentum after Venice4Palestine a coalition of Italian and international filmmakers, published an open letter urging festival organizers to denounce the devastation caused by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Marchers filled the Lido, where major premieres were underway with stars including Julia Roberts, George Clooney, and Emma Stone in attendance.

“Today, at the Venice Lido, one of the world’s most important film events is being used to distract people from what we believe is far more urgent,” said Emilia D’Aniano, a local student leading the march with a sign in hand.

Among those joining the demonstration was Italian actor Roberto Zibetti, attending the festival as part of three film productions, including the political drama La Grazia, which premiered the same evening.

The protest underscores the growing politicization of global cultural stages amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila speaks to Swedish activist Greta Thunberg during a press conference before the departure of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian expedition to Gaza, at the port of Barcelona, Spain August 31, 2025. REUTERS/Eva Manez

Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg joined a flotilla of boats loaded with aid for Gaza as they set sail from Barcelona on Sunday, aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade and deliver food and other humanitarian supplies to the shattered enclave.

Thousands of supporters gathered at Barcelona’s port to see off the boats, many of them waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine” and “It’s not a war, it’s a genocide.”

“This is a mission to challenge the extremely violent, business-as-usual international system that is failing to uphold international law,” Thunberg told the crowd before the departure of the flotilla of dozens of boats, set to be joined by more along the way.

The Swedish campaigner tried unsuccessfully to break Israel’s longstanding naval blockade of Gaza by sailing to the territory in June with other activists. Israeli forces seized their small aid ship and they were deported from Israel.

Israel has argued that the blockade imposed in 2007 is necessary to stop weapons being smuggled to the Hamas terrorist group and has described other attempts to break it – including Thunberg’s in June – as a propaganda stunt in support of Hamas.

Organizers of the flotilla blamed global leaders for failing to put pressure on Israel to allow aid to pass after a global hunger monitor said part of Gaza was suffering from famine.

The flotilla will be joined by more boats setting off from Greece, Italy and Tunisia, said Yasemin Acar, a member of the steering committee.

In the northwestern Italian port of Genoa, some 250 metric tons of food for Gaza has been collected from local groups and residents, organizers said.

Some of the aid was loaded on board boats setting off from Genoa on Sunday, while the rest will be sent to the Sicilian port of Catania, from where more vessels are due to leave for Gaza on Sept. 4.

The blockade has remained in place through conflicts including the current war, which began when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.