During the Israeli offensive against Gaza in July the French state took the unprecedented step of banning demonstrations in solidarity with the people of Gaza. The NPA took the lead in maintaining the call for the demonstrations to go ahead. This has led to charges against a leading NPA member who will appear in court on 22 October. The following appeal for solidarity has received wide support. To sign the petition click here.

This summer, the Israeli state led a new murderous offensive against the Gaza Strip. The 50 day balance sheet of bombardments and land operations is illuminating : nearly 2,200 dead, 11,000 wounded, tens of thousands of buildings completely or partly destroyed, more than 500,000 (30% of the population) displaced, and so on. Revolted by these attacks, and by the position of the French authorities which, in the first days of the offensive, declared their support for the Israeli state before trying in vain to readjust their aim by timidly denouncing the violence of the bombardments, tens of thousands of people demonstrated, often, in many towns of France.

The Holland-Valls government, concerned not to annoy the Israeli government and anxiously noting the growth of the mobilization despite the summer period, then undertook to attack it frontally. It did not hesitate to make scandalous amalgams and to imply that solidarity with the Palestinians implied anti-semitism. Then, as that was not enough, the authorities decided to ban certain demonstrations, in particular in Paris.

We were many protesting against these bans, a serious blow, in the name of wrong reasoning, to elementary rights and fundamental freedoms. We were all the more revolted to learn that Alain Pojolat, member of the NPA, who was in contact, in the name of many organizations, with the Prefecture [police authority] for the Parisian demonstrations, has been summoned to court on October 22nd under pretext of having organized “illegal demonstrations”.

We demand that the charges against Alain Pojolat be dropped immediately : to demonstrate is a right and even, in certain circumstances, a duty, and it is scandalous that anyone can be condemned for having wanted to exercise this right.

We ask moreover that charges against those who took part in or organized the demonstrations this summer, or who are involved in the Israeli boycott campaign, are dropped, and demand the withdrawal of the Alliot-Marie circular which criminalizes the boycott.

Solidarity is a right, not an offence !

First 200 signatures

Ahmed Abbes, research director CNRS ; Gilbert Achcar, professor, University Paris-8 and University of London ; Giorgio Agamben, philosopher ; Tariq Ali, writer ; Jean-Claude Amara, Droits devant ; Salah Amokrane, Tactikollectif/Origines Contrôlées ; Widad Amra, professore of lettres, writere ; Paul Ariès, political commentator, rédacteur en chef du mensuel lesZ’indigné(e)s ; George Colette Arnauld, responsable of Femme, Culture Egalité ; Nathalie Arthaud, spokesperson of Lutte Ouvrière ; Clémentine Autain, spokesperson d’Ensemble ; Ana Azaria, president of Femmes Egalité ;

Alain Badiou, emeritus professor, Ecole normale supérieure ; Etienne Balibar, emeritus professor, University of Paris-Ouest ; Jérôme Bel, choreographer ; Huguette Bellemare, literature professor, writer ; Tarek Ben Hiba, president of the FTCR (Fédération des Tunisiens pour une citoyenneté des deux rives) ; Esther Benbassa, senator EELV ; Fethi Benslama, professor, University Paris-Diderot ; John Berger, writer ; Alain Bertin, Accused BDS, Alençon ; Olivier Besancenot, spokesperson of NPA (Nouveau parti anticapitaliste) ; Eric Beynel, co-délégué général of l’Union syndicale Solidaires ; Jacques Bidet, academic ; Martine Billard, national secretarye à l’international and au développement du réseau écosocialiste à l’international - PG (Parti of gauche) ; Alexandre Bilous, journalist ; Simone Bitton, film-maker ; Michel Bock, conseiller régional EELV (Europe Ecologie Les Verts) ; Irène Bonnaud, metteure en scène ; Nicolas Bouchaud, comédien, director ; Alima Boumedienne Thiery, lawyer, former parliamentarian ; José Bové, MEP ; Rony Brauman, médecin, teacher ; Nicole Brenez, programmer ; Michel Broué, mathematician ; Lionel Buriello, general secretary CGT Arcelor-Mittal Florange ; Judith Butler, professor, University of California Berkeley ;

Nicole Cage, professor, writer, poet ; Claude Calame, historian and anthropologist, EHESS ; Paul Carali, media designer ; Carmen Castillo, film-maker ; Philippe Caubère, actor, author and director ; Nahla Chahal, academic ; Hugo Chesnard, film director ; Samuel Churin, actor ; Anne Clerval, geographer, University Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée ; Compagnie Jolie Môme ; Eric Coquerel, national secretary for political coordination - PG (Parti of gauche) ; Philippe Corcuff, lecturer , IEP of Lyon ; Marie Cosnay, writere and teacher ; Christine Coulon, Accused BDS Alençon ; Annick Coupé, trade-unionist Union syndicale Solidaires ; Pierre Cours-Salies, sociologist ; François Cusset, writer, professor, University Paris-Ouest ;

Sonia Dayan-Herzbrun, honorary professor University Paris Diderot-Paris 7 ; Christine Delphy, research director émérite, CNRS ; Sandra Demarcq, membre of the direction du NPA (Nouveau parti anticapitaliste) ; Christophe Delecourt, trade-unionist CGT ; Gérard Delteil, writer ; Catherine Diverrès, chorégraphe ; Eli Domota, general secretary UGTG (Union générale des travailleurs of Guadeloupe) and spokesperson of LKP (Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon) ; Elsa Dorlin, professore, University Paris 8 Saint-Denis ; Cédric Durand, economist, University Paris 13 ;

Laurent Esquerre, Alternative libertaire ; Jean Baptiste Eyraud, housing activist ;

Eric Fassin, sociologist, University Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis ; Loic Faujour, dessinateur ; Silvia Federici, Hofstra University (USA) ; Geneviève Fraisse, research director CNRS ; Nicolas Frize, composer ;

Jacques Gaillot, bishop of Parthénia ; Isabelle Garo, philosophy teacher ; Franck Gaudichaud, lecturer, University of Grenoble ; Sylvain George, film-maker ; Jérôme Gleizes, councillor City of Paris EELV (Europe Ecologie Les Verts) ; Jean-Luc Godard, film-maker ; Cécile Gondard-Lalanne, général co-delegate syndicale Solidaires ; Dominique Grange, chanteuse ; Alain Gresh, journalist ; Alain Guiraudie, film-maker ;

Kaddour Hadadi, HK and the Saltimbank ; Abdellali Hajjat, sociologist, University Paris-Ouest Nanterre ; Gisèle Halimi, lawyer at the Court of Paris, former French ambassador to Unesco ; Salah Hamouri, Franco-Palestinian activists, former prisoner in Israel ; Eric Hazan, publisher (La fabrique) ; Imhotep (groupe IAM), musician ; Rada Ivekovic, philosopher ; Hugues Jallon, publisher ; Chantal Jaquet, professor University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne ; Sylvie Javaloyès, trade-unionist ;

Pierre Khalfa, co-president of the Fondation Copernic ; Danièle Kergoat, honorary research director au CNRS ; Razmig Keucheyan, lecturer , University Paris 4 Sorbonne ; Nicolas Klotz, film-maker ; Stathis Kouvelakis, academic, membre of the leadership of Syriza ; Alain Krivine, fomer MEP ; Arlette Laguiller, Lutte Ouvrière ; Annie Lahmer, regionale co-secretary EELV (Europe Ecologie Les Verts) ; Véronique Lamy, PCOF (Parti communiste des ouvriers of France) ; André Langaney, genetician ; Pierre Laurent, PCF (Parti communiste français) ; Olivier Le Cour Grandmaison, academic ; Jean-Claude Lefort, former MP PCF (Parti communiste français) ; Patrick Le Hyaric, PCF (Parti communiste français) ; Renée Le Mignot, co-president du MRAP (Mouvement contre le racisme and pour l’amitié entre les peuples) ; Claude Leostic, president of the Platform des French NGOs for Palestine ; Didier Lestrade, journalist, writer ; Jean-Marc Lévy-Leblond, professor émérite, University of Nice ; Stéphane Lhomme, directeur of l’Observatoire du nucléaire ; Ken Loach, film director ; Frédéric Lordon, researcher at CNRS ; Michael Lowy, retired researcher at CNRS ;

Christian Mahieux, trade-unionist Union syndicale Solidaires ; Henri Maler, retired teacher ; Jean-Paul Manganaro, honorary professor, Lille 3 ; Dominique Manotti, novelist ; Marie-José Malis, director ; Chantal Mallet, accused BDS activist Alençon ; Noël Mamère, député ; Joëlle Marelli, directrice of programme au Collège international of philosophie ; Catherine Marnas, director ; Myriam Martin, spokesperson d’Ensemble ; Myriam Marzouki, metteure en scène ; Jean-Charles Massera, writer, artiste ; Lilian Mathieu, sociologist, CNRS ; Xavier Mathieu, trade-unionist, ex spokesperson des Conti ; Caroline Mecary, ex co-president of the Fondation Copernic ; Mohamed Mechmache, AC LE FEU ; Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Parti of gauche ; Quentin Meillassoux, lecturer (Paris-1, Panthéon-Sorbonne) ; Daniel Mermet, journalist ; Arnaud Meunier, director ; Avi Mograbi, film-maker ; Mokless (Scred Connexion), author and interprète ; Marie José Mondzain, research director émérite au CNRS ; Jo Montier, Inculpé BDS Alençon ; Gérard Mordillat, writer, film-maker ; Carlos Moreira, general secretary of the fédération nationale des industries chimiques CGT ; Alain Mosconi, délégué syndical SNCM STC ; Chantal Mouffe, professore, University of Westminster, London ; Mric, dessinateur ;

Olivier Neveux, professor, University Lyon 2 ;

Gilbert Pago, academic ; Ugo Palheta, lecturer , Lille-3 ; Jean-Michel Palin, special needs teacher, theatre man ; Sylvain Pattieu, lecturer in history (Paris 8), writer ; Willy Pelletier, sociologist ; Charles Pennequin, poet ; Elisabeth Perceval, film-maker ; Gilles Perrault, writer ; Serge Pey, poet ; Roland Pfefferkorn, professor of sociology, University of Strasbourg ; Christian Pierrel, PCOF (Parti communiste des ouvriers of France) ; Philippe Pierre Charles, leader of Groupe Révolution Socialiste ; Philippe Pignarre, publisher, president of the Louise-Michel Society ; Laurent Pinatel, national spokesperson of the Confédération Paysanne ; Didier Porte, humorist and commentator ; Christine Poupin, spokesperson of NPA (Nouveau parti anticapitaliste) ; Philippe Poutou, spokesperson of NPA (Nouveau parti anticapitaliste) ;

Serge Quadruppani, writer, translator ; Nathalie Quintane, writer, teacher ; Jacques Rancière, professor émérite à l’University of Paris 8 ; Maurice Rajsfus, writer and president of l’Observatoire des libertés publiques ; Patrick Raynal, romancier ; Emmanuel Renault, professor, University Paris Ouest ; Catherine Ribeiro, artiste, author, composer ; Michèle Riot-Sarcey, historian ; Teresa Rodriguez, MEP Podemos ; André Rosevègue, co-President of l’UJFP (Union juive française pour la paix) ; Kristin Ross, professor, New York University ; Mohamed Rouabhi, author, director ; François Ruffin, journalist ;

Robert Sae, responsable du CNCP (Conseil national des comités populaires) ; Saidou, ZEP ; Julien Salingue, researcher in political science ; Catherine Samary, economist, retired frm the University Paris Dauphine ; Shlomo Sand, historian israélien ; Joan W. Scott, honorary professor , Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton NJ) ; Thomas Sommer-Houdeville, « Flottille pour Gaza » ; Catherine Sinet, journalist ; Siné, cartoonist ; Evelyne Sire-Marin, magistrate and activist ; Pierre Stambul, co-president of l’UJFP (Union juive française pour la paix) ; Bernard Stiegler, philosopher ; Michel Surya, writer, director of the review “Lignes”, publisher ; Taoufiq Tahani, president of l’AFPS (Association France Palestine Solidarité) ;

Jacqueline Tally, secretariat general of the CDMT (Centrale démocratique martiniquaise des travailleurs) ; Tardi, cartoonist ; Stavros Tombazos, professor of political sciences (University of Chypre) ; Enzo Traverso, historian, Cornell University (New York) ; Jacques Testart, directeur honoraire of recherches à l’Inserm ; Dominique Tricaud, avocat ; Marcel Trillat, réalisateur ;

Roseline Vaccheta, ancienne députée européenne ; Nicolas Vieillescazes, publisher, Les Prairies ordinaires ; Dror Warschawski, chercheur au CNRS ; Michel Warschawski, militant anti-guerre israélien ; Ellen Meiksins Wood, writer ;

Yannis Youlountas, writer, film-maker ; Youssoupha, rapper ; Sophie Zafari, trade-unionist teacher ; Laurent Zappi, teachers’ union trade-unionist ; Zebda, musicians ; Malika Zediri, activist in association for the unemployed.