Thousands protest as Trump attends reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (2025)

Thousands protesters gathered in Paris to protest the presence of American President-elect Donald Trump ahead of the grand reopening ceremony for the Notre Dame Cathedral

Thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Paris on Saturday ahead of Donald Trump's arrival, speaking out against his presence in the city ahead of the grand reopening ceremony for the newly renovated Notre Dame Cathedral.

Small groups of American expats gathered near the iconic French landmark to protest his presence in the city as thousands of other demonstrators flooded the streets later in the day in support of Palestine as they simultaneously denounced the American president-elect's presence.

Organized under the banner "Paris Against Trump," the small group outside the cathedral criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for inviting Trump to the city.

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Ehlyr O'Rourke, 34, a spokesperson for the association, told The Associated Press that the group finds Trump's presence "a bit shameful and sad," specifically because he "has gone against everything the Church stands for."

"We don't understand why a criminal, a sex offender, a felon, can actually be invited here," O'Rourke bemoaned. Later in the day, thousands marched through Paris denouncing Trump's visit as they expressed support for Palestine amid the ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip by Israel.

The much larger protest featured Palestinian flags, keffiyehs and chants calling for Palestinian resistance as well as the impeachment of Macron as they simultaneously criticized Trump's alleged complicity in every conflict playing out in the Middle East.

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"We are protesting every week to support Palestine, but what’s special today is the arrival of Donald Trump," Nadia Messai, one of the protesters in the crowd, told The Associated Press. "Trump has been supporting Israel, much like the United States has since the beginning of the creation of this rogue state that is occupying Palestine illegally."

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas militants invaded Israel, killing around 1,200 Israelis who attended an outdoor music festival or who sheltered in their homes in kibbutzim near the Gaza border. Israel, in retaliation, has endlessly bombarded the Gaza Strip, killing over 45,400 Palestinians, according to statistics from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry released on Dec. 6 this year.

O'Rourke's group opted to keep their demonstration small, however, so as not to disrupt the pomp and circumstance of the main event. Philippe Jost, Notre Dame cathedral renovation chief, previously said the reopening is an opportunity for unity as so many divisions remain in the world.

"We hope it will be a great moment of unity for the French people, for guests from all over the world and for spectators from all over the world," he said. "Notre Dame de Paris unites. There are so many divisive factors. An event like this must unite, must help concord and peace to grow throughout the world."

The ceremony was originally slated to take place on the forecourt of the iconic building, but unusually fierce December winds whipping across the central Paris island, which is flanked by the River Seine, forced all the events inside save for the initial procession.

Choirs lifted their voices inside the luminous nave, singing psalms, and the cathedral's mighty organ, which had been silent for nearly five years, could be heard thundering to life in what was described as a triumphant interplay of melodies.

Around 1,500 dignitaries, which included Trump, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, Britain's Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attended the event, underscoring the cathedral's enduring role as both a spiritual and cultural beacon. Tech mogul Elon Musk, who was recently appointed by Trump to co-lead his new Department of Government Efficiency, was also oddly at the ceremony.

Outside the cathedral, its 13-ton bell, Emmanuel, rang out, and the congregation inside was hostly quiet as it did — the only sound piercing the windy Parisian night. That was the beginning of the ceremony.

Then, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich paraded to the grand front door of the building, knocked three times on it with his ceremonial crosier, or bishop's cross, and declared in French, "Brothers and sisters, let us enter now into Notre Dame. It is she who accompanies us on our path to peace."

Macron gave a speech later in the ceremony, discussing the cultural significance of the cathedral and the work that led to its restoration and eventual reopening. He also praised the firefighters who answered the call when he landmark began to burn back in 2019. Those firefighters paraded into the nave to rapturous applause, an ovation that lasted for several minutes.

Everyone inside the cathedral appeared solemn as the religious ceremony took place, with the archbishop leading prayers, songs and inviting speakers up when it was their time to address the gathered crowd.