French activists overcome ban on Palestine protests
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SOCIALIST ACTION AUGUST 2014 5 Millions around the world are speak ing out against Israel’s brutal assault on the Gaza Strip. In London one march reported 100,000 participants. For de cades, the Palestinian struggle has been a source of inspiration for liberation struggles.
On July 18, the French government banned Palestinian solidarity protests because they were deemed a “threat to public order.” For years, the French gov ernment has marginalized immigrant communities from Arab countries. The result of the government’s repression has included uprisings by Arab and Muslim youth.
On July 24, governmental authorities lifted the ban and granted permission for a mass protest march to be held in Paris. The protest was organized by the National Collective for a Just and Last ing Peace between Israelis and Pales tinians.
Below is a brief interview that Social ist Action reporter Chris Hutchinson obtained several days earlier with a member of the New Anti-Capitalist Par ty (NPA) named Stan. The NPA includes members of the Fourth International, with which Socialist Action is in frater nal solidarity.
SOCIALIST ACTION: Can you briefly describe the Palestinian solidarity movement in France? How many people have been out protesting in the streets?
STAN: Since the beginning of the air raids on Gaza, there have been many protests in Paris and all over the coun try, gathering tens of thousands of people. The protests were called by the National Collective for a Just and Last ing Peace between Israelis and Pales tinians, which groups together political parties of the left, unions, community organizations, and pro-Palestinian ac tivists. But most of the protesters do not belong to any organization and are just working people and immigrants ex pressing their anger against the Israeli aggression and also against the blatant support that our “socialist” president [François Hollande] is offering to the criminal policies of Israel.
SA: In the U.S., we have seen that Pal estinian solidarity marches bring out many from the Muslim and Arab com munities. What has been the reaction from the Arab and Muslim communities in France? Why have the marches been banned?
STAN: A vast majority of the protest ers come indeed from immigrant com munities. The government is trying to use this in order to portray the move ment as a simple fight between Muslim and Jewish communities, which should not be imported to France but remain in the Middle East.
On Sunday [July 13], at the end of a 30,000-strong protest in Paris, a far-right Jewish group, the League for Jew ish Defense, attacked the protest before fleeing into a synagogue and being es corted out later under strong police protection. Some protesters chased them, but even the rabbi himself testi fied on TV that no worshippers were injured and that there was no fighting within or in front of the synagogue.
The media pundits and politicians used this to say that the protests were anti-Semitic in nature and were trou bling public order—and hence should be banned in Paris and in a few other cities.
Most of the traditional left tried to fight the ban, but none of them called to protest the ban in the street except the NPA (New Anti-Capitalist Party) and pro-Palestinian solidarity groups. The turnout was huge, several thousand people at least in Paris. The slogans were clear: “Israel murderer, [French President] Hollande accessory!”
SA: What were the circumstances in which the government responded with violence?
STAN: Last Saturday [July 19], maybe 5000 people or more were gathered at a cross street, and we [NPA] were the only organization with a sound system loaded unto a car and banners, so we tried to organize the protest. This was already a statement of the will of the protesters not to be silenced by the gov ernment.
Of course, the protest was quickly surrounded by heavily armed cops. We were trying to figure out a way to continue the protest—maybe cutting through the side streets—but suddenly tear gas canisters started raining down. An older comrade told me she had not seen so many since the 1970s! It was mayhem, some people had fits; also because it is the Ramadan and some people could not drink and it was ex tremely hot, everybody was crying and spitting, kids, old people.
Fortunately, we had a few dozen com rades on a strong security detail, main taining a line with clenched arms and trying to resist the panic and organize a retreat properly. Many people thanked us during and after the protest, saying (continued on page 7, in “The Marxist analysis of women’s oppression”)