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Not yet reviewed by a lawyer. Sourced information, to be confirmed.

The Palestinian flag at protests

Key points

  • Protesting in support of the Palestinian population is legal.
  • A ban must be justified case by case, not just by the cause defended.
  • Banned demonstration: €135 fine, no police custody for that fine alone.
  • Placards and posts: glorifying terrorism is a heavily punished offence; write clearly what you stand for.

Demonstrating in support of the Palestinian population is legal. What you can be blamed for depends on the setting (banned demonstration or not) and on what your placards, slogans and posts say, not on the flag itself.

What the courts say

  • A demonstration cannot be banned solely because it supports the Palestinian population, nor solely on the basis of a minister's instruction: the prefect must show, case by case, a concrete risk to public order, under the judge's review.1

If the demonstration is banned

  • Check before you go: a ban order is published by the prefecture (official bulletin, website, social media).2
  • Taking part in a demonstration banned by order is a petty offence: a fixed fine of €135, up to €750 before a court. Demonstrating without prior notice, on the other hand, is still the exercise of a freedom.2
  • For a petty offence alone, you can be neither arrested nor held in police custody. You can contest the fine and argue the ban order was unlawful.2
  • Example: on 12 October 2023 in Paris, the police prefecture announced 3,000 fines of €135.3

Placards, slogans and posts

To make and carry a sign, banner or flag, see Signs, banners, flags and leaflets.

  • Glorifying terrorism (presenting a terrorist act or its perpetrators favourably) is an offence punishable by 5 years in prison and a €75,000 fine, 7 years and €100,000 when done online.4
  • Prosecutions have risen sharply: 452 judgments and 305 convictions for glorifying terrorism between October 2023 and November 2024.3
  • Write clearly what you stand for (ceasefire, human rights, international law) and avoid any slogan or symbol that could be read as support for a terrorist act: that is what prosecutions rest on, not the flag.
  • What you post online can be used against you, even months later.

On town halls and public buildings

The rules differ for an institution: in the name of the neutrality of public services, an administrative judge can order a town hall to take a flag down, as in Montataire on 22 September 2025, with a daily penalty.5 This does not apply to demonstrators.

If something goes wrong

In one of these situations? demonstrating for Palestine

Sources

Each note links to the source of the information. Most sources are in French. Laws change: check the date of the source and, if in doubt, ask a lawyer.

  1. Conseil d'État — Order no. 488860 of 18 October 2023 (demonstrations supporting the Palestinian population) · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  2. LDH — Legal note: taking part in a banned demonstration (November 2023, in French) · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩↩↩

  3. Politis — France recognises the State of Palestine but keeps repressing its supporters · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩↩

  4. Club des juristes — Glorifying terrorism: one offence too many? · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  5. Amiens administrative court — Palestinian flag, Montataire town hall (22 September 2025) · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

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