Behind France's student riots: Communists, unions and a global propaganda network

When young adults stormed France's Bastille on Thursday, a little-known media outlet called BreakThrough News sent followers a "BREAKING" alert: "French students flood Bastille Square in Paris."

But that isn't the full story.

A Fox News Digital investigation has found that a transnational network of far-left communist and socialist organizations is seizing on France’s fiery student protests to advance a wider political and ideological agenda, using tactics deployed in the United States over the past decade to amplify unrest, deepen divisions and project an image of chaos.

Earlier in the week, BreakThrough News splashed another headline across the front of its website: "French students shut down schools in historic strike against austerity," mobilizing "with support from unions and progressive forces."

But those "progressive forces" aren't limited to students demanding education reform as part of their "Lycéenne Mobilisation," or high school student mobilization.

From France to the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Greece and India, adults with deep pockets are tapping France's school protests and turning a domestic education dispute into a platform for broader political and ideological confrontation. BreakThrough News is a pro-communist propaganda outlet based in New York City, funded by an American-born, Shanghai-based communist tech tycoon, Neville Roy Singham, who has financed a network of communist and far-left groups in the U.S. that have capitalized on grievances to stoke similar street unrest for almost a decade.

A Fox News Digital investigation traces how a movement that the media is mostly framing as students protesting deteriorating school conditions is actually part of an extensive infrastructure of unions, communist activists, far-left political parties and international media organizations that are organizing demonstrations, calling strikes, mobilizing supporters and broadcasting the unrest around the world with "BREAKING" alerts.

In a digital analysis of scores of news articles, social media posts and public statements, Fox News Digital has identified 50 organizations in the French student protest movement and its wider network of supporters and international amplifiers, revealing an activist ecosystem extending far beyond the students who launched the demonstrations.

Of the network of 50 groups, 15 are student or youth groups, including several communist youth movements and a Muslim student association.

The remaining 35 adult groups include a dozen labor unions; eight communist or socialist organizations; five groups spanning other issues from taxes to parental advocacy, environmental activism, economic justice, international media and diaspora organizing; five civil-rights or human-rights groups; four political parties, including La France Insoumise, or France Unbowed, and the French Communist Party; one Palestinian advocacy group that complete the "red-green" alliance of leftists with Muslims.

FRANCE’S TEEN RIOTS TAKE EXPLOSIVE NEW TURN AS GOVERNMENT POINTS FINGER AT HARD LEFT

The network stretches from French classrooms and labor federations to communist organizations in Greece and Britain and international socialist media outlets, such as BreakThrough News, demonstrating how a domestic education dispute has attracted organizations advancing broader political agendas involving capitalism, "austerity," policing, military spending and Israel.

"What we're seeing here is the same Red-Green ecosystem that disrupts infrastructure choke holds in our country such as the Brooklyn Bridge, college campuses and congressional hearings," Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. "And in the case of BreakThrough News, the same sugar daddy — Neville Roy Singham."

The case offers a revealing look at the ambitions of France's revolutionary left. Even in a country with powerful labor unions, an established Communist Party, a substantial parliamentary left and a long tradition of street protest, these organizations are demanding political and economic changes that go well beyond the existing left-wing establishment.

As one far-left environmental group, Les Soulèvements de la Terre, or "Earth Uprisings," declared in the midst of the riots, "Glory to the rebellious high school students."

The statement invoked a call for broader political subversion: "Pour un soulèvement antifasciste" – "For an antifascist uprising."

The network's amplification of France's protests illustrates how a local confrontation can be presented to international audiences as part of a broader struggle against Western governments and institutions.

"The communist Red and the Islamist Greens have nothing in common but a common enemy, the Judeo-Christian, capitalist, free West, led by the U.S.," Gonzalez said. "Their goal is to dismantle us."

The situation in France is potentially even more dangerous, according to Gonzalez, who cited the European nation's well-established and active communist parties and a history of government changing by street violence. He noted the fall of the Fourth Republic in 1958 after large protests over Algeria, and that the government nearly fell in 1968 over student protests.

"And of course, there was the blood-drenched violence of the 1789 French Revolution," Gonzalez added.

FRANCE ROCKED BY STUDENT RIOTS AS HUNDREDS ARRESTED, VIOLENCE SPREADS NATIONWIDE

Since late September, politicians from the far-left political party, La France insoumise, were seen working with students organizing blockades in Seine-Saint-Denis, a low-income suburb northeast of Paris. French-Moroccan journalist Nora Bussigny wrote that "many elected officials" from La France Insoumise "have indeed worked to co-opt the student protests, at the risk of seeing them spiral out of control: by fanning the flames, discrediting institutions like the police, and legitimizing the principle of political violence."

Soon after, a wide network of far-left groups put out the call for tens of thousands of secondary school students and supporters to march through Paris on Oct. 6, while demonstrations spread across France.

Student organizations in the network of 50 include the Union Syndicale Lycéenne, or High School Students' Union; Union Étudiante, or Student Union; Fédération des Associations Générales Étudiantes, or Federation of General Student Associations; and Union Nationale des Étudiants de France, or National Union of Students of France, helped mobilize students for the Oct. 6 demonstrations.

Other student organizations, including Solidaires Étudiantes, or Solidaires Students, have joined the broader campaign.

The organizational machinery supporting the mobilization extends beyond the teenagers who first took to the streets. National labor federations and professional education unions have called on adult workers to join the mobilization, bringing the institutional reach of organized labor into the student movement.

The Confédération nationale du travail, or National Confederation of Labour, declared: "The demands of high school students are also ours. They are right to revolt."

The adult-led labor organizations in the network of 50 include: the Confédération générale du travail, or General Confederation of Labour; Force Ouvrière, or Workers' Force; and Union nationale des syndicats autonomes, or National Union of Autonomous Trade Unions.

Several education-sector unions called for a strike and demonstration in support of the high school movement.

The organizations include the CFDT Public Education, Training and Research; CGT Éduc'action; the National Federation of Education, Culture and Vocational Training–Workers' Force; SUD Éducation; and Syndicat National des Enseignements de Second Degré, the National Union of Secondary Education, affiliated with the Unitary Trade Union Federation.

The support extends beyond teachers and students into a wider collection of organizations, including parents' associations, civil-rights groups, antiracist organizations and political movements.

Among them are the Fédération des Conseils de Parents d’Élèves, or Federation of Parents' Councils; Ligue des Droits de l’Homme, or Human Rights League; Mouvement Contre le Racisme et Pour L'amitié entre Les Peuples, or Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Between Peoples; and SOS Racisme, or SOS Racism.

TRUMP, WALTZ LINK FRANCE RIOTS TO MASS IMMIGRATION AS THOUSANDS ARE ARRESTED

In Paris on Tuesday, the big day of the protests, the ideological character of the mobilization was visible on the streets.

In Paris, activists waved red flags of the far-left Fédération Syndicale Étudiante, or Student Trade Union Federation. Some demonstrators wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves covering parts of their faces as they marched behind a bright red banner bearing the words "Contre Les Guerres Impérialistes," French for "Against Imperialist Wars."

The slogan is a recurring political message among anti-war, feminist and revolutionary-left organizations.

The message on the red banner continued, "Guerre De Clasee !" or "Class War!" over a bright yellow image of the hammer and sickle.

The banner identified the Young Communists, associated with the Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France, or Young Communists Movement of France, which works closely with the French Communist Party.

Activists carried flags bearing the communist hammer and sickle.

On Instagram, the organization announced the launch of "Democratic and Antifascist Vigilance Committees."

"High school students neglected, pro-Palestinian activists persecuted, unionists fired. State repression against our democratic rights has intensified in recent years," the group declared.

FRENCH SCHOOL RIOTS DEEPEN AS EXPERTS POINT TO FAR-LEFT ALLIANCE FUELING ‘BROADER CONFRONTATION’

At the protest, Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the French Communist Party, took photos with protesters and later posted a message on X: "Standing alongside high school students in Paris, together with Communist elected officials and activists."

Red flags with white stars and the message "Parti Communiste Français" flapped around him.

Online the French Communist Party has continued advancing other political campaigns, including a demand to stop supplying arms to Israel, under the slogan "Stop arming the Palestinian genocide!"

On Wednesday, after the peak protests, the Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste – L’Anticapitaliste, "The New Anticapitalist Party," rallied supporters, declaring there are "always more reasons to mobilize."

Other revolutionary-left groups, including Le Poing Levé, or The Raised Fist, and Révolution Permanente, or Permanent Revolution, have promoted solidarity between high school students and university activists.

FRANCE EXPLODES AGAIN AS STUDENTS RIOT OVER EDUCATION

In Saint-Denis, where the protests began, the Parti des Indigènes de la République, or Party of the Indigenous of the Republic, shared a photograph of young men standing outside Lycée Paul Éluard, a high school that has become a symbol of the unrest.

As red smoke billowed above them, the students stood in front of large gray letters spelling out the school's name, holding a Palestinian flag. The school was later featured in the New York Times under the headline, "The School Near Paris That Shows Why French Students Are Protesting."

In the network of 50 groups, Étudiants Musulmans de France, or Muslim Students of France, rallied followers to protest for the right of youth to "study with dignity." And members of Urgence Palestine, or "Palestine Emergency," marched proudly in the student protests with the Palestinian flag.

Elsewhere, French lawmaker Louis Boyard of the far-left party, La France Insoumise waved a Palestinian flag while standing at Paris-Est-Créteil University with students as they blocked their campus. In marches, their activists wave trademark purple flags that flutter with the group's acronym "FI" and a white φ symbol for the Greek word "phi."

POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A 'REVOLUTIONARY BASE' AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM

On Wednesday, BreakThrough News published an article portraying the demonstrations as a "historic strike against austerity."

It also published a dramatic Instagram video of Bally Bagayoko, the far-left mayor of Saint-Denis and a politician with La France insoumise, sliding in front of students during a confrontation with police.

BreakThrough News described the scene as Bagayoko protecting "a line of French students from police as they attack the protesters."

The anti-policing video received about 346,000 likes in one day.

Among the accounts that liked the video were Twitch influencer Hasan Piker, a self-described Marxist; BreakThrough News editor Zoe Alexandra; the Houston chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Pittsburgh chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace and other groups in the Singham network.

Earlier this year, Piker traveled to Cuba as part of a far-left "caravan" supporting the island nation's communist government. There, he took a photo with Jodie Evans, Singham's wife and co-founder of CodePink, which has received $1.33 million from Singham.

From Latin America, teleSUR, an international television network in the Singham network, frequently circulates material from left-wing media outlets, including BreakThrough News, and it shared footage of French students clashing with police.

The video featured a dramatic soundtrack and the headline: "TENSIONS ESCALATE...."

FRANCE’S VIOLENT STUDENT PROTESTS RAISE WARNING FOR AMERICA: ‘A CAUTIONARY TALE’

As French students stormed the streets, the Communist Youth of Greece publicly expressed solidarity with their movement. "Victory for the struggle of the school students in France!" the group said in a statement.

BreakThrough News quoted the Greek communist organization in its France coverage, describing the developments as "foreshadowing more student struggles to follow."

Another international connection runs through Indian Alliance Paris, a small France-based organization of students, researchers and professionals who describe themselves as committed to a "democratic and egalitarian" India.

In mid-January 2023, Indian Alliance Paris co-sponsored a teach-in in Manhattan, opposing the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The venue: the People's Forum Inc., a midtown Manhattan hub for communist organizing that Singham launched in 2017 with $22.44 million in funding. Over the past near decade, leaders of the People's Forum have coordinated hundreds of protests across America's streets.

The People's Forum co-sponsored the event with Democratic Socialists of America and other organizations in the Singham-funded activist ecosystem, including CodePink and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

In mid-May 2024, the People's Forum hosted a screening of a 1967 French film "La Chinoise," and described the film as a story about a small group of French students studying Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, "trying to find out their position in the world and how to change the world to a Maoistic community using terrorism."

Mao unleashed mass political persecution, violence, imprisonment and social upheaval in China.

Attendees were invited to purchase an $8 "solidarity ticket."

On Tuesday, Indian Alliance Paris promoted the French student agitation while drawing parallels with student demonstrations in India. It posted a message on X, sending a heart emoji "to Gen Z: In France. In India. Bravo for today."

The result is a self-reinforcing cycle: far-left activist networks amplify protests around the world, then package the unrest as evidence of a growing global uprising.

On Thursday, after the French students had headed home after their siege on Bastille, BreakThrough News posted a collage on Instagram of short video clips from the U.S., Spain, India, France, Brazil, Belgium, Chile and Germany with youth waving communist flags, clashing with police and flooding the streets.

It posted a headline in bold capital letters over the videos: "YOUTH RISE UP AROUND THE WORLD."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/7Zks3PF

2 foreign nationals breach UK base housing key US, NATO intel hub amid $556M expansion

Two Latvian nationals legally living in the United Kingdom were arrested under Section 4 of Britain's National Security Act of 2023 on Thursday after breaching a perimeter fence at RAF Molesworth, a sensitive British military base housing critical U.S. and NATO intelligence operations, Reuters reported.

The arrests triggered a major counterterrorism investigation into the security breach at the strategic installation, which serves as a central intelligence hub supporting American military commanders across Europe and Africa.

The base is also undergoing a $556.5 million expansion centered on the Joint Intelligence Analysis Complex (JIAC), a facility designed to consolidate 20 intelligence facilities and accommodate more than 1,000 personnel, according to reports.

The suspects, ages 32 and 36, were discovered inside the base around 2 a.m. Thursday following an extensive security sweep.

Ministry of Defense Police officers conducting routine patrols first raised the alarm around 10 p.m. Wednesday after finding an abandoned vehicle near the perimeter.

IRAN UNDER SCRUTINY AFTER PLOT FOILED NEAR UK BASE USED BY US MILITARY

Bomb disposal specialists cleared the vehicle before armed officers discovered a fence breach and located the men inside.

Initially detained on suspicion of trespass and criminal damage, both men were rearrested under the National Security Act for entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom. They remain in custody as counterterrorism detectives execute search warrants at two residential properties in nearby Peterborough.

Managed by the U.S. Air Force's 423rd Air Base Group, RAF Molesworth is a nonflying installation dedicated to joint intelligence and command operations.

It houses intelligence elements for U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command and the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre.

During World War II, the airfield was used by the U.S. 15th Bombardment Squadron. In 1973, the airfield was officially deactivated before transitioning into its current role as an intelligence center.

Construction on the JIAC broke ground April 12, 2024, with onsite work beginning that spring. The facility is scheduled for completion in summer 2028.

FOILED TERROR PLOT AT BOMBER BASE SIGNALS WIDER THREAT TO US MILITARY INSTALLATIONS: EXPERT

A 2024 Defense Department release described the base development as part of the department's overall European Infrastructure Consolidation efforts.

"It will combine 20 facilities and over 1,000 DIA personnel into one location. Among others, it will host members of the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre, Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation System, U.S. Africa Command, U.S. European Command and U.S. Air Force elements in a cross-agency, multi-mission collaboration."

At the time, Defense Intelligence Agency Deputy Director Suzanne White said the facility would enable "the U.S. and allies’ shared mission of ‘outpacing our strategic competitors and addressing threats together wherever they may arise.’"

The Defense Department designed the project with a two-stage procurement strategy, allowing stakeholder agencies to provide feedback and streamline scheduling requirements.

Following the intrusion, U.S. European Command praised the swift British response.

US PULLS ALL BOMBERS FROM KEY UK BASE AFTER SUSPECTED IRAN-LINKED TERROR PLOT

"While we assess the global security posture, U.S. forces remain at the highest state of readiness," the command said in a statement.

"We would also express our gratitude to the UK for the close partnership with U.S. forces on matters of security."

British counterterrorism officials cautioned against drawing premature conclusions about possible espionage or terrorist motives.

"We're very aware of the recent heightened interest and concern around military sites," Counterterrorism Policing London commander Helen Flanagan said.

Flanagan added that investigators have not established a connection between the Molesworth breach and recent security concerns at RAF Fairford, another British base used by U.S. strategic bombers.

"We are keeping an open mind at this stage and inquiries are very much ongoing," she said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pentagon and the CIA for comment.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/C02zNfV

Woman, 87, dies after being carried from home of 70 years on stretcher during eviction in Spain

The death of an 87-year-old woman who was evicted from her longtime home has intensified a political crisis in Spain, where nationwide protests over soaring housing costs have helped force an early election.

María del Carmen Abascal, known as "Maricarmen," died Wednesday after being hospitalized following her eviction from a Madrid apartment where she had lived for seven decades, according to The Associated Press.

Her death came just days after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap election for Nov. 29 after his government's failure to pass emergency housing measures through Parliament.

The controversy has put renewed pressure on Sánchez's Socialist Party as Spain grapples with widespread frustration over rising rents and housing affordability.

SPANISH OPPOSITION LEADER CALLS PRIME MINISTER A ‘TRAITOR’ OVER CEUTA MIGRANT CRISIS

At the center of the uproar was Abascal's Sept. 23 eviction, which drew national attention after images showed the elderly woman, who used a wheelchair, being carried from her apartment on a stretcher.

Police had cordoned off the street and removed demonstrators who attempted to stop the eviction.

The images sparked demonstrations in Madrid and other Spanish cities, turning Abascal into a symbol of the country's housing crisis.

The real estate company responsible for her eviction had sought to lease the apartment at a substantially higher price, according to the AP.

ANGRY LOCALS BLOCK FAMOUS BEACH AS MASS TOURISM PROTESTS ESCALATE AT VACATION HOT SPOT

Facing mounting public pressure, the company eventually agreed to allow Abascal to return to her home. She died before she could move back.

Her cause of death has not been disclosed.

After news of her death, demonstrators gathered outside Spain's Parliament and in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square, where some observed a minute of silence.

Protesters also chanted, "Maricarmen lives, the fight goes on!"

TENS OF THOUSANDS FLOOD STREETS TO PROTEST SPAIN BORDER CRISIS

Sánchez offered condolences in a statement on X.

"All my love to Maricarmen's family and loved ones," he wrote. "A hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today. Rest in peace."

Conservative opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo also expressed condolences and urged political leaders not to use the woman's death for political gain.

"No campaign, no party, no use for political advantage," he wrote. "When faced with the death of a person, we must only show respect."

Abascal's eviction and death have become a rallying point for housing activists demanding changes to Spain's rental policies as the country prepares for its November election.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/Dz1YGMu

Iranian protester hanged hours after marrying his imprisoned fiancée over jail phone line

An Iranian anti-regime protester was hanged at dawn Oct. 5 inside Isfahan Central Prison, just hours after marrying his imprisoned fiancée over a jail phone line, The Times reported Thursday.

Alireza Sepahi, 25, was executed alongside co-defendant Alireza Raisi after being sentenced to death in the anti-government demonstrations at Isfahan’s Alikhani Square Jan. 8., according to Human Rights Iran.

Sepahi and his bride, student activist Mahshad Keshani, 22, knew and loved each other before being arrested during anti-regime demonstrations, the report said.

IRAN HANGS 2 PROTESTERS IN PUBLIC, CROWD CRIES 'DISHONORABLE' AS SECURITY FIRES TEAR GAS

Keshani, who is serving a five-year sentence, pushed for an informal wedding Sunday as fears mounted that Sepahi’s execution was imminent after a final family summons.

The couple exchanged vows over the phone from inside Isfahan prison, joined by their fathers.

Human rights lawyer Amirsalar Davoudi facilitated the ceremony by reading the vows for the fathers to bless.

Keshani’s family gave a copy of the Quran, a saffron rock candy and a single red rose as a traditional dowry.

"It was Mahshad’s idea," Davoudi told The Times. "Even now, I wonder how one young woman can possess such courage."

IRAN TO EXECUTE FIRST FEMALE PROTESTER TIED TO ANTI-REGIME UNREST

Davoudi recalled warning Keshani about the permanent nature of the decision. 

"I told her, ‘My dear, you understand that this cannot simply be undone?’" Davoudi said. 

"She said, ‘Mr Davoudi, I love Alireza.’"

When Davoudi presented the proposal to Sepahi, the young man broke down in tears. 

"Alireza was crying, and something deeply painful and beautiful happened. Even the prison officers began to cry," Davoudi said.

The ceremony held no formal authority to halt the execution. Sepahi had previously survived a scheduled hanging in July after suffering a heart attack on his way to the gallows. Authorities then rescheduled the execution after he regained consciousness.

On Monday morning, hours after the vows were spoken, Sepahi was hanged.

IRAN'S REGIME CAME FOR TEENAGE TWINS. THEIR FATE OFFERS A GLIMPSE OF TEHRAN'S WIDENING DEATH CAMPAIGN

He is among seven defendants executed in the Alikhani Square case, in which 12 men were accused in the deaths of four security personnel.

After the hanging, Sepahi’s family was reportedly prevented by authorities from burying their son in his hometown.

Davoudi condemned the Iranian regime's actions. 

"I do not know how to come to terms with this," Davoudi said.

"The regime is taking revenge on innocent young people for the humiliation it has suffered internationally."

Human rights groups report Keshani remains in custody, facing additional security charges.

This came as Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), urged U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to take immediate international action to halt executions and the killing of protesters in Iran, citing thousands of executions and decades of impunity for human rights abuses. 

In a letter ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty on Oct. 10, Rajavi called for international accountability, independent investigations and diplomatic and economic pressure on Tehran to end the executions.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/XRDwYK7

Teen wearing helmet camera kills worker at Polish school amid fears of copycat attacks

A 15-year-old boy wielding a knife and wearing a helmet-mounted camera attacked a Polish primary school he used to attend, allegedly killing one employee and wounding two others in the country's second school stabbing in two days.

Authorities are investigating whether the attacks are connected to an online challenge encouraging teenagers to kill as many people as possible.

Police said a 37-year-old woman who worked as a caretaker died in the Thursday morning attack at the school in Leszczydol-Nowiny, northeast of Warsaw.

The school's head teacher, Krzysztof Ochmanski, was injured while subduing the teenager, officials said. Ochmanski told a radio station he heard a scream and ran into a hallway.

MOTHER ACCUSED OF TRYING TO KILL DAUGHTERS IN FREEWAY CRASH AND KNIFE ATTACK AS SOLDIERS STEP IN

"He wounded me with the blade of a rather long knife — he had three knives on him — and hit me with the handle," Ochmanski told the public broadcaster Polskie Radio RDC. "By then, I had managed to restrain him."

The day before the latest attack, a 19-year-old allegedly wounded 10 people, including himself, at a school in Ostroleka, which is in northeastern Poland.

Also this week, police arrested a 17-year-old in Sierpc in north-central Poland after authorities suspected he was planning a similar attack, Reuters reported.

AMERICAN YOUTH RADICALIZED ONLINE, BUSTED IN SUSPECTED TERROR PLOTS AFTER HATING COUNTRY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

"We fear a grim copycat phenomenon," Prime Minister Donald Tusk told an emergency meeting, according to Reuters. "We are facing an extraordinary situation. ... For the first time, we are dealing with a killer who wore a helmet-mounted camera, intending to film the knife attack."

Tusk ordered police to visit schools every day to discourage further violence.

Nikola, the 18-year-old sister of a boy at the school that was attacked Thursday, told Reuters there were rumors about the social media challenge that the police are now investigating.

"I mean, I didn't know if it was even real — I still don't know if it's true, actually — because it sounds so unreal, so terrifying, just like something out of a movie: some kind of challenge to kill as many people as possible," she said.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/IwoB8AQ

'The world is standing with you': Christian leaders from 122 countries unite in Jerusalem for Oct 7

Christian community leaders and influencers from around the world gathered in Jerusalem Wednesday for an international memorial marking Oct. 7 as part of the Friends of Zion Ambassador Summit.

The event also included Jewish leaders, released hostages, bereaved families, wounded Israelis, ambassadors and diplomatic representatives to commemorate the anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

"Oct. 7 is the worst day in Israel’s history, a day of hopelessness," Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem, told Fox News Digital.

ON OCT 7, CHRISTIANS MUST REMEMBER AND STAND WITH ISRAEL

"People talk a lot about the more than 1,200 people killed that day, but not enough about the more than 70,000 who lost their homes and loved ones. You have a nation going through unspeakable pain, not only because of Oct. 7, but also because of the feeling that they are alone and that the world has turned against them," Evans added.

"What I’m sharing on Oct. 7 is this: ‘You’re wrong. The world is standing with you,’" he continued. "You see the faces, languages and songs of people from around the world united to comfort you and stand with you. It’s not political. It’s for the Jewish people: You are not alone. We’re with you. We love you."

CHRISTIAN ZIONISTS TAKE ON ANTI-ISRAEL ‘PROPAGANDA’ FROM BIBLICAL HEARTLAND

Hosted by actor and influencer Nathaniel Buzolic and reporter Erin Molan, Wednesday’s event in the Israeli capital was broadcast live on dozens of television networks around the world.

"When other minority or groups suffer, there tends to be some sort of acknowledgment of that suffering, but when it comes to Jewish suffering, particularly at the hands of radical Islamists, there is not only silence but also denial and an attempt to downgrade the atrocities we witnessed, and we really have witnessed atrocities not just on Oct. 7 but in the continuation of that," Buzolic told Fox News Digital.

Buzolic said supporting Israel is a moral imperative given what he described as efforts to destroy the country. He argued that the hostility toward Israel is rooted in a radical Islamist ideology that rejects peace and coexistence not only with the Jewish state, but also with Western societies more broadly.

Released hostages Agam Berger, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Bar Kupershtein and Evyatar David attended the event, along with Bar’s grandfather, Holocaust survivor Michael Kupershtein. Sylvan Adams, president of the World Jewish Congress Israel and a full partner in the event, also participated.

ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE REACHES DEADLIEST LEVEL SINCE 1994, NEW GLOBAL REPORT FINDS

Earlier in the day, participants visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust remembrance center.

The Friends of Zion Ambassador Summit is being held for the second consecutive year and brings together over 1,000 participants from 122 countries.

"The alliance is very strong. The vast majority of Zionists in the world are not Jewish; they are Bible-believing Christians," Evans told Fox News Digital. "The Christian Zionists worldwide don’t necessarily agree on the politics, but they agree on the people. They are uniting with the people of Israel."

The delegation includes many young people as part of an effort to reach a generation that Evans said had been "poisoned" by countries such as Qatar at universities, as well as by artificial intelligence.

The summit, held in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, opened Tuesday with an event on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. Evans said the site, which is associated with Jesus and his ascension, holds particular significance for participants and serves as a symbol of their faith.

Israel’s Special Envoy to the Christian World George Deek said he was proud of the sustained support Israel has received from Jewish and Christian communities abroad since Oct. 7, 2023.

LOST CITY WHERE JESUS PERFORMED MIRACLES HAS FINALLY BEEN IDENTIFIED, EXPERT SAYS

"The arrival of Christian leaders carries a powerful message that Israel does not stand alone. They have come to bear witness, meet people whose lives were shattered on Oct. 7 and carry their stories back to communities around the world," Deek told Fox News Digital.

Deek said the bond between Israel and the Christian world has been built on "truth, courage and sheer determination" to confront antisemitism and other forms of hatred wherever they arise.

"This visit is a testament to the strength of the bond between Israel and Christian communities despite attempts by various groups, including paid actors and anti-Israel organizations, to drive a wedge between them," he added.

Deek said the special relationship between Christians and Jews rests on three foundations: a shared biblical heritage; a commitment to ensuring Jews can live free from antisemitism and fear and the right of Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere to live without intimidation.

"The future of the Jews in Israel and the future of Christians are connected because we have a shared history. We share the same historical land, the same values, kings and prophets, and we have to stand together, especially when it comes to this warfare against the soul of Christians, trying to drive them away from Israel," Deek told Fox News Digital.

Influencer Oli London first visited Israel six weeks after the Oct. 7 attack, traveling to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where residents were killed and kidnapped and homes were burned during the massacre.

"I felt it was so important to come back to honor the memory of the victims, advocate for those still suffering from trauma, raise awareness of their suffering and take part in mass prayers," London told Fox News Digital.

SIGN UP FOR ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED NEWSLETTER

"I think it’s also important to show Christians the holy sites in Israel. I’m visiting the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Olives, the Garden Tomb and other biblical sites to encourage Christians to return because Israel has had a difficult time over the past few years," he continued.

London also praised the resilience of the Jewish people and addressed rising antisemitism around the world since Oct. 7.

"Sadly, many people are either staying silent or jumping on the bandwagon of the anti-Israel trend, fueling hatred and bringing out antisemitic views in many people. Jewish people need support and need to know they are loved and supported by so many Christians," he said.

On Thursday, members of the delegation will visit the Nova music festival site, where one of the central massacres of Oct. 7 took place, and meet with released hostages Romi Gonen, Elkana Bohbot and Noa Argamani, who were abducted from the festival. On Friday, the delegation will visit the ancient site of Shiloh in Samaria for a special tour and prayer event.

Hooman Khalili, who is participating in the summit, was born in Iran and has been an outspoken supporter of Israel. He said he has visited the country 17 times over 21 months to create "Woman, Life, Freedom" murals.

"I was invited and saw it as an opportunity to share with American pastors the work I have been doing to show the world how Israel and the Jewish people support women and the people of Iran," he told Fox News Digital.

"This is one of those opportunities to come and pray for the land and the State of Israel, connect with other Christians and people who share my beliefs and values."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/LKROwFm

French PM rejects police brutality claims after teens severely injured in protests: 'Accidents happen'

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu defended the police response to student protests after one teenager lost a hand in an incident involving a police grenade and another lost sight in one eye after being struck by a projectile.

In parliament on Tuesday, Lecornu pushed back on accusations of police brutality or state repression, adding that the term "police brutality" implies that officers had been instructed to use force, according to Politico.

"What triggers police action is the occurrence of urban violence," Lecornu said.

"Can accidents happen? The answer is yes," he added.

FRANCE EXPLODES AGAIN AS STUDENTS RIOT OVER EDUCATION

Lecornu and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez have both argued that the police response was sparked by urban violence, arson and vandalism, while maintaining that officers have acted within their authority. Nuñez also called the police response proportionate in "almost all cases."

The prime minister also accused opposition party France Unbowed of exploiting the student protests to sow chaos and score political points ahead of next year’s presidential election.

President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting with senior ministers to address the nationwide student protests and their potential political fallout.

The French government is facing mounting pressure after more than 6,500 people were arrested and hundreds were injured as students demand better funding and learning conditions in schools. Most of those arrested were minors, according to the Associated Press.

Lecornu said 215 students and 85 school staff members had been injured since the protests began, while his office said 715 police officers had also been injured.

"I hope we can provide a political response to a very real anxiety among high school students," Lecornu acknowledged.

As Lecornu delivered his remarks on Tuesday, demonstrators from several French unions and teachers’ groups gathered with high school and university students. Members of France’s left-wing parties were also at the protest, according to Politico.

The Interior Ministry estimated that 266,000 people took part in demonstrations nationwide Tuesday, including 56,000 in Paris.

The Paris demonstration was largely peaceful, although smaller groups later clashed with riot police, according to the Associated Press.

The protesters' movement began at high schools in the Paris region in mid-September before spreading nationwide.

TEEN'S HAND BLOWN OFF BY POLICE GRENADE DURING FRENCH STUDENT PROTESTS: REPORT

On Monday, a 15-year-old boy in northern France lost a hand after a police grenade exploded during the protests, Politico reported. A prosecutor said he could not "say for certain whether the student picked up the grenade or whether it was thrown at him."

In the city of Tours, a 16-year-old lost sight in one eye after being hit by a projectile, according to the outlet. The prosecutor said the projectile may have been fired from a sub-lethal riot-control weapon used by police.

Boris Vallaud, leader of the center-left Socialist group in parliament, said the group's lawmakers would introduce legislation restricting the use of sub-lethal riot-control weapons at student demonstrations, warning that they can cause irreversible injuries, the outlet reported.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/elA8CoY