(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL #239 - Egyptian activists in Paris: Repression without eviction (fr, pt)

One example among many of repression against migrants led by former Interior Minister 
became Prime Minister. Egyptian opponents refugee-es in Paris are subject to obligations 
to leave the territory, as they risk their lives in Egypt. ---- On January 28, eight 
activists and Egyptian activists close associations "on January 25 in France" and "Paris 
January 25" are controlled-es, es then held for sixteen hours at the police station in 
Paris. Five will go on retention and emerge with obligations to leave French territory 
(OQTF). They came to show five minutes without authorization but peacefully in front of 
the Egyptian military office in Paris. They denounced the bloody military repression 
against the Egyptian resistance, torture, killings and arbitrary imprisonment, which we do 
not hear much about in France. Strangely, the police, who had not acted at the rally and 
had hitherto only escort the metro, has at last decided to stop in order Prefecture 
moment. There was no proof that the military office contacted the prefect, but we doubt as ...

This is a fine example of the policy that brought up our claim of the Interior Matignon! 
If until now the movement in favor of the Egyptian revolution were not repressed, this 
arrest is a turning point: the state is not only ignores the murderous repression of the 
Egyptian government, but in fact now the relay s attacker directly to opponents on its 
territory. Without arriving at criminalizing the movement, it intimidates and poses the 
threat of expulsion.

Beautiful target for demagogues

Yet there is no need to dig a lot to understand the risks of eviction. Egypt now has 
22,000 prisoners and political prisoners, and we know that some may just disappear. 
Arbitrary sentences are connected, some young people doing the same sentence by three 
successive governments (we even saw an opponent to be condemned 18 times in a row, another 
Ahmed Douma, imprisoned despite a serious illness and death threats) . The Administrative 
Court of Paris, which is provided by lawyers activists, has acknowledged that it was 
unthinkable to return to Egypt opponents of the regime, given the risks they were running. 
But foreign and revolutionary, it's a good target for demagogues with long teeth.

A support committee was formed in March, demanding the repeal of OQTF, support comrades 
"haragas" and learn about the evolution of the situation in Egypt. So far, he is 
struggling to develop. A meeting was held at the labor exchange in Paris on March 28, but 
it has had little impact. Recovery of speech for electoral purposes, including the Left 
Party has more than discouraged many supporters ... Let's support more than ever Egyptian 
comrades to continue to make the slogan heard in France and Egypt revolution: bread, 
freedom, social justice!

Clem (AL Paris North East)