Palestinian youth in Gaza and French anti-imperialist activists have joined together in a campaign demanding freedom for Georges Abdallah, a Lebanese Arab struggler for Palestine imprisoned in French prison for 32 years.
The Palestinian Progressive Youth Union and Coup Pour Coup 31, an anti-imperialist collective in France, are joining together for an action to rename Charles De Gaulle Street in Gaza City to Georges Ibrahim Abdallah Street, in honor of the imprisoned struggler and to protest his continued imprisonment by the French state.
This event took place on Saturday, October 24 at 11:00 am in Gaza, beginning with a march from Beirut Street in Gaza City, in order to place a sign symbolically identifying the street as Georges Ibrahim Abdallah Street.
This event is taking place simultaneously with the national march in France to Lannemezan prison, demanding Abdallah’s freedom. It also comes after an event in Toulouse, France in solidarity with this action in Gaza, symbolically renaming Charles De Gaulle Square in honor of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/501912179969468/
This action took place following a symbolic renaming of Charles De Gaulle Square in Toulouse on 17 October. Photos:
The PPYU and Coup Pour Coup issued a joint statement on the occasion:
For over thirty years, France has imprisoned the struggling Arab comrade Georges Abdallah, despite continuous calls by political forces and activists for freedom demanding his release. France has refused to release him, in cooperation with U.S. imperialist and Zionist demands.
Coup Pour Coup 31, an anti-imperialist collective, and the Palestinian Progressive Youth Union affirm that Georges Abdallah is an activist fighting for the values of freedom, justice and humanity, against the crimes committed by imperialism and Zionism. Georges Abdallah is part of the history of the Palestinian struggle against Zionist occupation; this is why his continued imprisonment exposes the true face of imperialism and French pseudo-democracy.
In support of the imprisoned struggler Georges Abdallah and in response to the international week of solidarity with the prisoners organized by the International Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and the Campaign to Free Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, October 17-24, it was decided to rename “Charles de Gaulle Street” in Gaza to “Georges Abdallah Street.”
This is a symbolic action, with the primary objective of shedding light on the case of Georges Abdallah and attracting the attention of the French public to this issue. Georges Abdallah is a symbol of Arab and internationalist struggle, and it is only just to place his name on streets and places in Palestine, especially in Gaza. This action comes in unity with the demonstration in Lannemezan, France.
In this context, we, the Union of Progressive Palestinian Youth and Coup Pour Coup 31, affirm the following:
1. Renaming Georges Abdallah Street is a symbolic act that aims to send a strong message from the Gaza Strip to France for the immediate release of Georges Abdallah.
2. This action affirms the unity of the struggle of the Palestinian people and those fighting for freedom around the world against imperialism, including in France.
3. Coup Pour Coup 31 takes this opportunity to salute the Palestinian people and express its continued support for the just struggle for liberation and an end to Zionism. The Progressive Palestinian Youth Union in turn thanks Coup Pour Coup 31 for their efforts to support the Palestinian people and their just cause, especially the prisoners and in particular Georges Abdallah, and to stand firm despite pressure by the French government.
4. Coordination between Coup Pour Coup 31 and all Palestinian progressive and revolutionary forces, and with Arab and internationalist organizations will continue and will not cease.
5. We will continue our struggle and coordination side by side with the Palestinian, Arab and international revolutionary and progressive forces to fight imperialism and Zionism and continually pressure the French government until Georges Abdallah is released.
6. We must organize the broadest possible campaign of support and popular pressure on the French government to immediately release Georges Abdallah.
Palestinian Progressive Youth Union – Gaza Strip
Coup Pour Coup 31 – Toulouse, France
