France orders deportation of Palestinian activist Mariam Abu Daqqa

Veteran Palestinian rights activist Mariam Abu Daqqa is under house arrest in France's southern city of Marseille, having been served a deportation order by the French interior ministry.

Abu Daqqa, a member of the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and a longtime advocate for increased women's rights in Gaza, was taking part in a speaking tour of France when she was served the order on Monday.

French media reports quoted the interior ministry's order as saying that the 72-year-old's presence in the country was "likely to stir up tensions, hatred and violence between communities and create serious disturbances to public order".

The ministry also said that Abu Daqqa's membership of the PFLP, "an organisation on the European Union's list subject to restrictive measures in the fight against terrorism", was a reason for the order.

Abu Daqqa was held under house arrest at a hotel in Marseille, with restrictions placed on her movement during certain parts of the day.

"I don’t understand what I’m being accused of," Abu Daqqa told the left-wing French news outlet L'Humanite.

"I have just lost 29 members of my family in the Israeli bombings of Gaza. My house was destroyed. But the speech I make does not attack anyone. I came to denounce the occupation of Palestine and its consequences on the daily lives of Palestinians."

Abu Daqqa has long been a prominent member of the PFLP. She was given a visa for her tour of France by the French consulate in Jerusalem in August.

Her deportation could potentially see her sent back to the Gaza Strip, currently under relentless and indiscriminate bombardment by Israel.

France has accelerated a clampdown on the expression of pro-Palestinian solidarity since Hamas and Israel went to war on 7 October, including by banning pro-Palestine demonstrations.