Solidarity with French BDS activists

 

Palestine solidarity activists in France are being prosecuted for boycotting Israel.

 

The French government has asked all French judges to condemn boycott actions against Israel and, encouraged by this, French zionist associations are suing for boycott activists to be charged with "incitement to racial hatred".

 

The next court case involves a member of the French Senate (Alima Boumediene-Thiery) on Thursday 14 of October.

 

This is clearly an attempt to stop the successful Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, called by Palestinian civil society against Israel’s breaches of international and human rights law. This attack aims to silence activists and stifle what has become a very effective form of solidarity with the Palestinians people.

 

As pointed out by Sheriff Scott in the case of the SPSC 5 in April, to prevent such boycott activity and criticism of Israel is a clear infringement of freedom of expression.

 

Given that Israel deserves to be criticised and Palestinians deserve continued solidarity, it is important that the French government’s show trials fail in the same way that the Scottish one did.

Defend freedom of expression and the ability to provide effective solidarity with the Palestinians. Come to the French Consulate on Thursday at 12noon.

 

 

Activist taken to court are:

 

Alima Boumediene-Thiery (member of the French Senate) trial is due to take place in Pontoise (North of Paris) on Thursday October 14.  She is accused (like all the other French BDS activists prosecuted) of "incitement to racial hatred" and "discrimination against the Israeli nation" for having participated in a BDS action in the Paris region a year ago and for supporting the BDS campaign. Article in French and photo of Alima on: http://www.europalestine.com/spip.php?article5410.


 

Also 5 BDS activists (members of 5 different organizations) are being taken to court by 5 pro-Israeli organisations for having distributed a leaflet calling to the boycott of Israeli products and for wearing the green t-shirts that state ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Boycott Israel’. A recent trial date was postponed by the suing organisations because they "were not ready".


 

Another BDS activist, Sakina Arnaud has already been found guilty of "racial hatred" and "discrimination" for having put a "Boycott Apartheid Israel” sticker on an Israeli product . She was also wearing the same green t-shirt. She is appealing the verdict.

 

Notes from our French friends:

 

(1) Organize protests in your respective countries (for example in front of the French Embassay) to protest against these intolerable measures of repression aimed at those throughout the country who rise up to say NO to the strangulation of a people, NO to the denial of freedom, NO to war crimes, NO to the siege of Gaza.

 

(2) Send messages and pictures of support for those taken to court.


 

(3) Write to the state prosecutor:  Monsieur le Procureur de la République près du Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris : Palais de Justice 14, quai des Orfèvres. 75001 Paris, 

 

French activists are organising protest actions in the build up to October 14, to culminate with a huge solidarity protest in front of the court on the day itself.

They say:
“Not only will this repression not silence us, it will instead generate an increased mobilisation, to bring shame on a government attempting to gag those who do not share its distorted conception of human rights and international law. If we are united, we can make our political leaders regret having chosen the camp of the occupier!”

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The zionist lobbyist, Sammy Ghozlan and the equivalent of the ADL in France is the plaintiff and is supported by our government that has asked all French judges to condemn the BDS activist. We have exposed this man boasting that he has filed more than 80 complaints as a racist, a fanatic who writes insanities on Israeli settler websites not only against Palestinians but also against Richard Goldstone ("scum" and bastard" according to him) and even against Obama (compared to Pharaon who "transformed the Jewish people into slaves") because he asked for Israelis to freeze the settlements. For those who can read French you will find interesting and incredible texts he wrote on our website: http://www.europalestine.com/spip.php?article5404

Alima Boumediene-Thiery (member of parliament) can loose the right to be
reelected in Parliament and the trial is a test. Many people would be happy to get rid of her because she is very active on many various "disturbing" fronts, such as immigrants, islamophobia, the situation in the prisons, and all kind of discriminations and repressive laws. She is also the one who succeeded, when she was a member of the EuroPean Parliament in 2002, in having a vote in favor of the suspension of the commercial agreement between Europe and Israel (giving enormous taxes privileges to Israel) that our governments ignored though it was voted by a majority of the European MPs. She went for missions in Gaza and the Westbank on several occasions and made alarming reports.

We've just had new statements from our government (Interior minister Brice Hortefeux, the one who is expelling all migrants and "Gipsies") saying just before the trial that boycotting Israel is a "crime".

This video, which can also be viewed on www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWFlRDfcxYQ
indicates, at the end of the video, that it was a collective action organised by the BDS France Campaign, having been endorsed by several organisations:  Génération Palestine, CCIPPP, NPA, IJAN, the Palestine Committee of Montreuil, CAPJPO-Europalestine, the Villeneuve Collective, and Respaix.

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But the mobilization in France and abroad has been really great. We thank you all, and in particular our Scottish comrades for their support and
excellent actions and videos. You know that the 5 activists in Mulhouse are accused of wearing the green t-shirts with "Free Palestine" (Palestine Vivra) on the front and "Boycott Israel" (and of having distributed a leaflet calling for the boycott of Israeli goods). So it is very important that as many people as possible show, by wearing the same t-shirts, that far from scaring us by threating to prohibit it in France, it makes it even more popular in the whole world (The same one is already visible in GB, Holland, Geneva, Belgium, Italy... and even Australia.)

There were many actions in France on Saturday in solidarity with the
trials. This morning, activist have stood in front of the tribunal of their own town with the same t-shirts and  placards saying  "I boycott too. Sue me!"

Maybe some of you have viewed the videos of our BDS Tour and actions in July
(16 cities) on our website. We are preparing a best off of these actions that will be English subtitled. Hope I can send you the link at the end of this month.
http://www.europalestine.com

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The European Coordinating Committee on Palestine (ECCP), meeting on Saturday 9th October discussed and passed  this motion unanimously:

This meeting of ECCP

• notes the wave of trials in France of activists, including Senator Boumediene-Thiery, who support the Palestinian appeal for boycott
• considers these trials an attack on free speech and an attempt to de-legitimise solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle
• rejects the accusations of racism against those who oppose Israel's racist policies as absurd
• sees an attack of this sort on BDS activists anywhere to be an attack on Palestine solidarity activists everywhere
• calls for the broadest active support for all who face these politically motivated charges
• calls on elected Members of Legislatures to oppose the attack on Senator Boumediene-Thiery