Events and actions convened around the world on 15-22 October in an international week of action to demand freedom for Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, the imprisoned Lebanese struggler for Palestine held in French jails for 32 years. Centered in a large demonstration in Lannemezan, France outside the prison where Abdallah is held marking the 32nd anniversary of his arrest, events took place in multiple international cities and locations as well as in many places throughout France.
A brief report on the international actions follows:
13 October, Greece: Postering in Thessaloniki – The Network in Solidarity with Palestinian Resistance postered around the city of Thessaloniki with slogans and messages in support of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.
More details: http://palestineresist.gr/network/actions/526-abdalla-diktiosi-thessaloniki.html
14 October, New York City: Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network protested outside the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations, demanding freedom for Georges Abdallah.
More details: https://samidoun.net/2016/10/new-york-city-protest-launches-week-of-action-for-freedom-of-georges-ibrahim-abdallah/
14 October, Magdeburg, Germany: The Network to Free all Political Prisoners and Rote Hilfe of Magdeburg organized a presentation and discussion about the case of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.
More info: http://rotehilfemd.blogsport.de/
15 October, Paris: The Unified Campaign to Free Georges Ibrahim Abdallah distributed information at the Barbes market and then participated in a stand with Palestine at the place de la Republique in central Paris.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/lecrirouge2014/posts/1417748754919406
15 October, Marseille: The Committtee to Free Georges Abdallah, PACA and FUIQP organized a concert in Marseille in support of Georges Abdallah, with proceeds going to support the Marseille bus to the mass demonstration in Lannemezan.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/FreeGeorgesAbdallah/posts/668047863370141
16 October, Paris: The Unified Campaign to Free Georges Abdallah distributed information in the Saint-Ouen market and participated in a mass emergency solidarity event supporting all accused activists in the social movements.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/elmomechkar/posts/1462988690384882
16 October, Toulouse: Activists of the anti-imperialist collective Coup Pour Coup 31 hit the streets with posters and materials urging wide participation in the protest to free Georges Abdallah.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/CoupPourCoup31/posts/1326540537358764
17 October, Paris: The Unified campaign to Free Georges Abdallah participated in the commemoration at Saint-Michel Bridge of the slaughter of hundreds of protesting Algerians by French police on 17 October 1961, connecting it to the struggle of Georges Abdallah.
More info: 17 October, Grenay: The municipality of Grenay, working with the Communist Party and the Liberez-Les collective, displayed a banner in solidarity with Georges Ibrahim Abdallah. Abdallah is an honorary citizen of Grenay.
More info: https://samidoun.net/2016/10/17-october-grenay-display-of-banner-for-georges-ibrahim-abdallah/
18 October, Paris: The Unified Campaign to Free Georges Abdallah participated in a protest outside the central office of the prison administration in Paris.
19 October, Toulouse: Anti-imperialist collective organized an evening in solidarity with Georges Ibrahim Abdallah and the Palestinian cause, including information, video clips, cultural performances and collective letter-writing to Georges Abdallah.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/CoupPourCoup31/posts/1331204873558997
19 October, Amiens – Campaigners for Georges Ibrahim Abdallah participated in the protest in support of Goodyear workers facing persecution in Amiens for detaining their bosses during a union struggle.
More info: 19 October, Thessaloniki: Mohammed Khatib, Europe coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, spoke at the Dromos Center in Thessaloniki about the struggle of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah and the Palestinian prisoners’ movement.
More info: 19 October, Paris: The Unified Campaign to Free Georges Ibrahim Abdallah distributed information at Saint-Denis University about the struggle of Georges Abdallah.
19 October, Brussels: Graffiti tags appeared in prominent locations in Brussels, Belgium in solidarity with the campaign to free Georges Abdallah.
More info: http://secoursrouge.org/Solidarite-internationale-avec-Georges-Abdallah
20 October, Paris: The Unified Campaign to Free Georges Ibrahim Abdallah distributed leaflets and materials in Belleville as part of the Week of Action.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/elmomechkar/posts/1467523616598056
20 October, Milan: Fronte Palestina gathered at the Universita Statale with speakers and music to urge the liberation of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/SamidounPrisonerSolidarity/posts/1351996321500517
20 October, New York City: Joe Catron of Samidoun spoke in New York about the campaign to free Georges Ibrahim Abdallah and the US role in his imprisonment.
21 October, Paris: Protesters gathered at the Place de la Republique before departing on the two buses to Lannemezan from Paris for the national rally.
21 October, Bordeaux: The Liberons Georges Collective held a film screening of “Stop the Wall: 709 Kilometers of Wall” in support of the campaign to free Georges Abdallah and as part of organizing for the following day’s bus.
21 October, Hamburg: Organizers gathered outdoors for a protest and film screening highlighting the struggle of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/SamidounPrisonerSolidarity/posts/1353067328060083
21 October, New York City: Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network protested outside the French consulate to the United States before marching to the Lebanese Consulate, demanding freedom for Georges Abdallah. The event also marked one year of Samidoun’s weekly actions for Palestinian prisoners in New York.
More info: 21 October, Istanbul: Samidoun organized a protest outside the French consulate on Istiklal street in central Istanbul, demanding freedom for Georges Abdallah. They faced police pressure as they distributed Turkish language materials about the case.
21 October, Athens: A number of groups and organizations came for a large demonstration in Athens, Greece across from the French embassy, urging freedom for Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.
More info: 21 October, Bern: Activists in Switzerland flung colored paint at the Bern administration building in solidarity with striking prisoners in the United States rejecting prison slave labor and as part of the international week of solidarity with Georges Abdallah.
More info: https://linksunten.indymedia.org/de/node/194381
21 and 22 October, Vienna: Activists protested outside the French embassy in Vienna, Austria for freedom for Georges Abdallah on the afternoon of 21 October and at noon on Saturday, 22 October.
More info: https://samidoun.net/2016/10/21-22-october-vienna-freedom-for-comrade-georges-ibrahim-abdallah/
22 October, Lyon: Activists protested in the city where Georges Abdallah was arrested thirty-two years prior to demand his release.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=923966264376529&id=116919255081238
22 October, Beirut: Activists of many organizations came out to protest at the Lebanese ministry of foreign affairs to demand real pressure and action from the Lebanese government to demand France free Georges Abdallah.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/uldy.ujdl/posts/1149648788405152
22 October, Berlin: The Committees for a Democratic Palestine and other organizations protested on Saturday outside the French embassy to Germany, demanding freedom for Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/PalaestinaSolidaritaet/posts/1779450888980093
22 October, Tunis: The Tunisian Committee to Free Georges Abdallah marched down Habib Bourguiba to the French embassy to Tunisia, demanding freedom for Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.728210933999912.1073741889.107500629404282&type=3
22 October, Chicago: Participants in the International League of People’s Struggles – USA conference in Chicago declared their solidarity with the campaign to Free Georges Abdallah.
More info: 22 October, Padua: Fronte Palestina organized an event in Padua in solidarity with Georges Abdallah, including speeches, film and a Skype connection with activists in Lannemezan for the French national protest.
More info: 22 October, Lannemezan: Over 400 people gathered to march outside Lannemezan prison, where Georges Ibrahim Abdallah is held. Buses joined the event from Paris, Saint-Denis, Toulouse, Marseille, Bordeaux and Pau, among others, while a large number of leftist, Palestine solidarity and prisoner solidarity groups joined the protest in a collective demand for Georges Abdallah’s freedom. Participants pounded with rocks on the fences of the prison, making noise to be audible inside the prison walls, and demanded Abdallah’s immediate release.
22 October, Madrid/Brussels: Member of European Parliament Marina Albiol Guzmán of Izquierda Unida (United Left) in Spain expresses her solidarity with the international campaign to free Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.
22 October, Ireland: éirígí members at the grave of the great socialist republican and Irish Language activist Óglach Máirtín Uí Cadhain, demanded freedom for Georges Abdallah, the imprisoned veteran Lebanese Communist, currently serving a life sentence in France for his revolutionary activities.
More info: 24 October, Gaza: Palestinians protested in Gaza City to demand freedom for Georges Ibrahim Abdallah. At the protest outside the International Committee of the Red Cross, participants demanded freedom for Abdallah and all Palestinian prisoners and burned the photos of Benjamin Netanyahu, Barack Obama and Francois Hollande. The protest was organized by the Prisoners’ Commission of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/SamidounPrisonerSolidarity/posts/1354122431287906
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday, 25 October, Ramallah, Palestine.
5:00 pm, Lecture on Georges Abdallah: Lebanese national, Palestinian cause
Friday, 28 October, Paris, France.
8:00 pm, Evening for Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
Friday, 28 October, Rome, Italy.
8:00 pm, Film screening, dinner and discussion on Georges Abdallah
