Imperialist governments continue to repress the international movement for Palestine, and France is no exception. Two members of Left Voice’s sister group, Révolution Permanente (RP), have received summons for questioning by the GLAT, an “anti-terrorism” judicial police unit. The police claim this is part of an investigation into comments allegedly made online since October 7 which “glorify terrorism.” One of the two activists who received a summons is Anasse Kazib, a rail worker of Moroccan descent who has for years been a public figure and spokesperson for RP.
Kazib published a statement on social media which, among other points, says:
This will not prevent us from continuing to express our support for the Palestinian people and all exploited and oppressed across the planet. More than ever, at a time when tendencies towards war are strengthening, we can only count on our struggles!
The statement is already being widely circulated, and prominent leaders of the Left in France have voiced solidarity with the activists and denounced the repression on Twitter.
In the United States, the movement for Palestine is facing its own uptick in repression, especially at universities, with student activists being expelled and kicked out of campus housing, such as at Columbia University, and professors being fired for pro-Palestine speech, like at the City University of New York. Universities are also passing strict anti-protest rules, like at the University of Michigan, in an attempt to further repress the movement. Along with developing a strategy to fight the repression in the United States, we must unite with activists struggling internationally, especially in the imperialist countries of Europe.
An article published by RP connects the attempt to silence Kazib and other pro-Palestine activists with the larger trends in France, where the state is increasing authoritarian attacks on the working class and social movements. They write:
This authoritarian hardening is part of a broader dynamic, attacking in recent years all sectors that oppose government policy. Whether it is the labor movement, hit by historic anti-union repression, the environmental movement, anti-racist organizations and working-class neighborhoods, or radical political organizations, repression is a system, relying on a judicial arsenal considerably strengthened since 2014.
This increase in repression against the vanguard comes as the imperialist countries are putting more pressure on Israel to end its genocidal offensive. Both Macron and Biden have recently called for an immediate ceasefire. Of course, neither of these leaders care about ending the violence, and the United States continues to send billions in weapons and fighter jets to aid the genocide. The instability that Israel’s offensive is causing for the imperialist countries, along with the movement which continues to mobilize people six months in, is what motivates the recent calls for a ceasefire by imperialist leaders.
As Kazib says in his statement:
While Macron pretends to deliver a few food parcels to Gaza, he is waging war here on those who denounce the genocide of the Palestinian people, relying on an authoritarian legal arsenal legitimized the in name of the “anti-terrorism fight.
The movement for Palestine must not allow itself to become pacified in response to these belated, tepid calls for a ceasefire. We certainly cannot stand for any repression against movement leaders who work to keep the movement in the streets and take up solidarity with Palestine in schools and workplaces. From the United States, we oppose all attacks on all activists who continue to demand a Free Palestine. We need a united front which uses the power of our unions, student organizations, and organizations of the Left to massify the movement against all repression. That includes opposition to the repression in France.
