Activists project Marwan Barghouti near Eiffel Tower

Activists project images of Marwan Barghouti near Eiffel Tower, demanding his release Activists used a projection display near the Eiffel Tower to call for the release of Palestinian detainees, including imprisoned leader Marwan Barghouti. Campaigners illuminated a projection close to the Eiffel Tower demanding freedom for Palestinian detainees and drawing attention to the imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti. [GETTY] A group of activists projected images and slogans related to jailed Palestinian political leader, Marwan Barghouti, near Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower on Saturday evening, in an effort to demand his release and shed light on the plight of other detainees held in appalling conditions in Israeli jails. The campaign, led by solidarity activists in France, addressed President Emmanuel Macron and spotlighted dozens of jailed Palestinian detainees, including Marwan Barghouti. While the campaign welcomed France's recognition of Palestinian statehood in September 2025, it stressed that "the occupation hasn't ended and peace has yet to be achieved." "Join the call for the release of "Palestine's Mandela"- Palestine's most popular leader. The hope for freedom and peace," a video of the campaign said in French. The latest demonstration forms part of the ongoing "Freedom for Marwan, Freedom for Palestine" campaign, which has gained support from international figures and political leaders, alongside growing public and official backing worldwide, including in France. Barghouti, 66, a senior leader in President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, is one of the most prominent figures in Palestinian politics. He has been serving five life sentences in Israeli prisons since 2002 after being convicted on charges related to the Second Intifada, which began in 2000. On Saturday, in an op-ed for the French newspaper Le Monde, former Israeli ambassador to France Elie Barnavi also called for the release of the prominent Palestinian figure, criticising his treatment under the authority of Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Barnavi cited reports that Barghouti has been starved, tortured, regularly beaten, and systematically denied medical care. "Beyond popular mobilization, the campaign for his release now beginning in France must lead to genuine diplomatic action," Barnavi wrote. "Time is short, as the man is simply at risk of dying." Torture and solitary confinement The New Arab reported earlier this week that Barghouti was wounded and left bleeding after an Israeli prison guard allegedly shot him in the leg at close range with a rubber bullet, according to his family. Earlier this month, Barghouti's office said Israeli authorities had further tightened the conditions of his solitary confinement. The Fatah Central Committee member has been held in isolation since November 2023 and has been repeatedly transferred between solitary confinement units at several prisons. The latest developments come as thousands of Palestinians continue to be held in Israeli prisons, amid what the campaign describes as widespread violations, including torture, administrative detention, and increasingly restrictive policies and legislation that it says form part of an ongoing system of apartheid. According to data from the Israel Prison Service and human rights organisations, including HaMoked, Israel is holding approximately 9,300 Palestinian security prisoners and detainees in its custody as of July 2026. The figures include 3,314 remand detainees awaiting trial, 3,244 administrative detainees held without charge or trial, and 1,320 people classified by Israel as "unlawful combatants". Related Articles