On a sunny, hot day in Charleroi, Belgium, approximately a dozen members of the Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine, an affiliate organization of the Samidoun Network, organized a public action on Saturday, 10 June, calling for the release of Walid Daqqah, Georges Abdallah and the nearly 5,000 Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons. The Plate-Forme set up a large canopy tent in Place Verte, distributing flyers calling urgently for the release of Walid Daqqah and Georges Abdallah.
Walid Daqqah, writer and freedom fighter, has been imprisoned since 1986 by the Israeli occupation. Today, he suffers from myelofibrosis, a rare bone marrow cancer, and needs proper medical treatment which he can only get outside of prison, especially a bone marrow transplant. His health deteriorated considerably on several occasions, he suffered a stroke, pneumonia and he underwent surgery to remove a large part of one of his lungs. On Wednesday, 31 May, the occupation prison system’s “Early Release Committee” refused to rule on his release. His family called this decision “authorization for his execution.”
Georges Abdallah, Lebanese communist and struggler for Palestinian liberation, has been imprisoned in France since 1984 and eligible for release since 1999. He has already made eight requests for release which have all been rejected due to legal technicalities and political decisions. This Thursday, 8 June 2023, Georges Abdallah’s lawyer filed a new request for release before the Paris Sentencing Judge. This development requires us all to intensify our mobilization for his freedom, so that the man who has become the one of the longest-held political prisoners in Europe can finally be released and return to his country, Lebanon.
Banners and signs displayed on the stand visualized the organizers’ demand for the release of Georges Abdallah, Walid Daqqah and all Palestinian prisoners, many of whom have been imprisoned for more than 30 years, as well as a call for a boycott of Israel.
The action was joined by local Palestinians and supporters of Palestine. Many people stopped at the table and signed petition cards for the release of Georges Abdallah and took solidarity photos holding signs calling for the liberation of Georges Abdallah and Walid Daqqah. Léa Mathy, physiotherapist, who worked for nine years in Jerusalem and Jericho before the Oslo agreements, came from Brussels to join us. Passers-by also showed support and filmed the highly visible stand to post their videos on social media.
The Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine also presented the new book SUMUD, on the international scope of the Palestinian resistance, which has just come off the presses. It includes a contribution from Georges Abdallah, as well as those from many others involved in international support for Palestine, and is dedicated to the memory of Khader Adnan.
Participants also invited passers-by to join our next action which will take place on Saturday 17 June: to be informed in order to be able to act effectively against Belgian collaboration with Israeli arms companies. On this occasion, we have invited investigative journalist David Cronin. The info session will take place on Saturday June 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the MPA, route de Mons, 80, 6030 Marchienne-au-Pont, Belgium.
This action received strong support and indicated the potential to organize new sympathizers of the Palestinian cause in Charleroi.
The book will be available at our information session on Saturday June 17, as well as at our next stands and actions. You can also order the book from Antidote via the account number
IBAN: BE20 0004 2359 4956
BIC: BPOTBEB1XXX
price 13 euros (shipping price-3 euros-included)
with mention “SUMUD 3” and your postal address
Source: Plate-Forme Charleroi-Palestine
