City Mayor Anne Hidalgo opposes the move initiated by the Ecologists.

After months of debate, the Paris City Council last Thursday adopted a motion introduced by the Ecologists to pay tribute to Palestinian civilian victims in Gaza.

The decision calls for the symbolic extinction of the Eiffel Tower and the granting of honorary citizenship to Gazans, a measure already granted in February 2024 to hostages held by Hamas.

According to Fatoumata Koné, president of the Ecologist group in the City Council , this vote, supported by part of the Socialists, ‘’puts an end to a long battle between Mayor Anne Hidalgo and the Ecologist group representatives.’’

“The work of conviction has borne fruit”, enthused Ms. Koné, underlining the importance of this deliberation to honor “the Palestinian and Israeli civilians killed” since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which sparked off the war in Gaza.

The Ecologists, who tabled this resolution for the seventh time, said they hope that the extinction of the Eifell Tower ‘’will symbolize a strong gesture towards the decimated civilian populations” in Gaza.

In February, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in the colors of Ukraine in support of its people, who have been under attack from Russia for the past three years. On April 21, it went out to pay tribute to Pope Francis, as it did in October 2023 to honor the memory of the 1,206 people murdered by Hamas terrorists in Israel.

Will the city comply with the non-binding decision despite the opposition of Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo ?  Asked by daily Le Parisien, the mayor’s entourage was unable to respond.

During the debate, Deputy Mayor Arnaud Ngatcha, in charge of Europe and international relations, recalled “the neutrality that prevents us from any form of official recognition”.