Paris rally confronts French government’s ban on the Collectif Palestine Vaincra and the Comité Action Palestine

Organizations and activists gathered at the call of the Unitary Campaign for the Liberation of Georges Abdallah for a rally in Paris on Friday, 18 March at the Ménilmontant metro station. They expressed their support for the Collectif Palestine Vaincra and the Comité Action Palestine, two Palestine solidarity groups recently ordered dissolved, or banned, by the French government.

Various organizations, including the Unitary Campaign for the Liberation of Georges Abdallah, Palestine Action Committee, Popular Front of Turkey, DIP, OCML VP, PCRF/UJC, NPA, Rete dei Comunisti, and Chile and Algeria support committees, took to the microphone to express their outrage at the government’s actions and show solidarity with the targeted organizations. Many speakers particularly linked the Palestinian people’s struggle with various struggles inside France and outside confronting imperialism and colonialism and expressing solidarity with political prisoners around the world, from Palestine to Chile to Turkey. Speakers also urged the immediate release of Georges Abdallah, the Lebanese Arab Communist struggler for Palestine imprisoned in France for over 37 years despite being eligible for release since 1999.

Samidoun Région Parisienne participated in the action and displayed banners in solidarity with the Collectif Palestine Vaincra.

Following the demonstration, people were appalled to learn that the French government’s drive to dissolve and ban leftist, antifascist and anti-Zionist organizations is continuing. The Antifascist Group of Lyon and Surroundings was informed on 17 March that a procedure to dissolve their work had begun, after originally being threatened with dissolution in December 2021. Once again, this clearly indicates the French government’s desire to repress and silence progressive forces confronting their reactionary and anti-social policies.

In order to confront these attacks and offenses carried out against our social movements, we must strengthen our ties and reaffirm once more that solidarity is our weapon to achieve victory!