R E L E A S E
The European Coordination of Committees for Palestine, on behalf of its 45 European member organizations (listed below), fully supports the French activists charged in Alençon for their participation in civic BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) actions.
The BDS actions are growing in all countries of the world as a citizen response to the Israeli policy that daily violates international law, deprives the Palestinians of their land, their homes and their resources, continuing its policy of colonization of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza blockade, blocking any prospect of peace based on law.
We are shocked to see the French government continuing to call the French courts to resort to completely groundless arguments, accusing civic activists for discrimination. Using such an accusation against activists who are struggling for the application of international law, is a French peculiarity that we feel particularly unworthy. Calls to boycott only participate in the freedom of expression which, since it is an opinion and not a crime, is an absolute and inviolable foundation of all democratic states; freedom of expression is also a foundation of the European Union as proclaimed by the European Court of human Rights, which moreover protects activists even if their views are “disturbing”.
Beyond these citizen initiatives that we support, we urge States to impose sanctions against the State of Israel as long as it refuses to enforce international law and UN resolutions.
List of ECCP member organisations
Society for Austro-Arab Relations – SAAR
Women in Black – Vien
Association Belgo-Palestinienne (ABP)
Union des Progressistes Juifs de Belgique (UPJB)
Centre National de Coopération au Développement (CNCD)
Initiative for a Just Peace in the Middle East
Danish Palestinian Friendship Association
Finnish-Arab Friendship Society
Association France Palestine Solidarite (AFPS)
Campagne civile internationale pour la protection du peuple palestinien – (CCIPPP)
Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
Union Juive Française pour la Paix (UJFP)
Deutscher Koordinationskreis Palastina Israel (KOPI)
BDS Berlin
Deutsch-Palästinensische Gesellschaft
Greek Committee for International Democratic Solidarity – EEDDA
Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Friends of the Palestinian Red Crescent
FIOM-CGIL
Comite Pour Une Paix Juste Au Proche –Orient (CPJPO)
Kampania solidarnosci z Palestyna
Netherlands Palestina Komittee
Scottish PSC
ACSUR
Grupo de Ong Por Palestina – Group of NGO`s for Palestine
Federacion de asociaciones de defensa y promocion de derechos humanos
Red Solidaria Contra la Ocupacion de Palestina
The Palestine Solidarity Association of Sweden (PGS)
Judar för Israelisk Palestinsk Fred – JIPF
European Jews for Just Peace – EJJP
Collectif Urgence Palestine
Arab Group Tamkeen
Palestine Solidarity Campaign ( PSC)