« Israel assassin, BNP complicit “: around fifty people demonstrated on Saturday morning on the Grand-Place in Lille against the war in Gaza, and against the French bank BNP Paribas, accused of participating in the financing of the Israeli state in conflict with Palestinian Hamas, which the bank denies.
The demonstration was held in front of a BNP Paribas agency, at the call of the France-Palestine Solidarity Association (AFPS) which was joined by the local Attac committees. The AFPS accuses “ several French banks » to support the Israeli offensive « by raising funds from these banks to the Israeli state, not directly to the state but to Israeli banks or investment companies in the settlements and also to the Israeli army ».
At the end of October, activists from the Action Justice Climat association had already carried out a series of actions against BNP Paribas’ Parisian branches to urge the bank to “ put an end to its activities related to the State of Israel », According to a press release from the NGO.
According to Action Justice Climat, the leading French bank has “ committed to the tune of 2 billion dollars in a bond issue of the State of Israel “. The actual issuance took place in March 2024, according to data from the financial agency Bloomberg.
“Defamatory” remarks
« We neither financed nor invested » in this operation, BNP Paribas then reacted, specifying that it had participated as an intermediary, alongside three other international banks. “ It is defamatory to assert that BNP Paribas is in any way financing this conflict “, continued the bank, announcing that it had “ immediately filed a complaint » following these “ acts of vandalism ».
In Lille, activists unfurled a large Palestinian flag, and placed numerous pairs of shoes, to remember the victims, particularly children, who died in Gaza in the war led by Israel in response to the unprecedented deadly attack launched by the Hamas on October 7, 2023. AFPS activists wanted to question the management of the bank agency but they found the door closed.
