A Tel Aviv-themed day at a Paris urban beach began calmly despite an increase in security after pro-Palestinian groups called for protests.
Hundreds of police officers are patrolling “Tel Aviv sur Seine” today, a man-made beach along the banks of the River Seine known as Paris Plage.
This year the city authorities decided to dedicate one “plage” day to the Israeli coastal city with themed music, food and games.
But pro-Palestinian groups have called for protests against the event and for the setting up of a “Gaza beach” elsewhere in the city. A petition urging Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo to call off the event had gathered more than 24,000 signatures online.
However, in an opinion piece for French newspaper Le Monde on Tuesday, Ms Hidalgo said she supported the event and invited Parisians to “come in droves”.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls also tweeted his support for the event.