Or how to take money from taxpayers and use it to please Israel.
Given the fact that there has been about fifteen trials in France, and more to come, indicting women and men who call for a boycott of Israeli products, we think it may be useful to explain to those who have not had the « luck » to attend one of these trials, how this grotesque masquerade works.
Especially because very few people know that it is not the Israeli lobby in France who initiate proceedings against the militants of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign ( BDS ), but the French government, using taxpayers money.
RECIPE FOR THE MISUSE OF FRENCH LAW IN THE INTERESTS OF ISRAEL
I. INGREDIENTS
– Take a government and a minister for justice that can be easily influenced (for now choose France as it is the only State that yields to Israeli pressure to criminalize the boycott of Israel)
– Send a ministerial circular to every public prosecutor in France asking them to condemn those who call for a boycott of Israel, and only Israel. The call for a boycott of any other country is permitted.
II. WHIP THINGS UP
From then on, the recipe is simple: the French Zionist organisations only have to file a simple complaint (without a civil party petition ) and then ask the government to bring criminal proceedings.
This complaint does not even need to have a proper legal founding. It is then used to merely « alert » the State which takes over and initiate proper proceedings. The Zionist organisations just have to complain about “anti-Semitism” and “incitement to hatred”.
Sammy Ghozlan (National Bureau of Vigilance against Atisémitisme – BNVCA), member of the Israeli lobby in France, is usually the one who carries out this little job.
He has filed already over a hundred complaints, including one against Stéphane Hessel, who had also called for a boycott of Israel.
III. SERVE IT TO THEM ON A SILVER PLATTER
Then, at the request of the government, an accomodating prosecutor opens an investigation, ordering the police to summon people « for the purposes of the investigation », then he/she files a civil petition.
The Prosecutor also calls the managers of the supermarkets where the boycott actions took place, denouncing the presence of illegal products (because they come from illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories), to encourage them to press charges.
But the store managers, having endured no material loss or damage during these non-violent actions, and being themselves aware of selling products that, contrary to regulations, do not mention their exact origin, have always refused to file a complaint against the militants.
Some managers even pointed out to the police that the militants were « very polite ».
Despite that, on the day of the hearing, a bunch of Zionist organisations which are not even party to the civil petition, simply get « ajoined » to the government complaint.
They don’t have to spend one penny, because the State pays for everything: police, judges, clerks – lots of money, and remember that the State is you and me – and does all the work.
The BNVCA, « France-Israel », « Friends of Israel », « Friends of Stricken Israeli Cities » (no less !), « France-Israel Chamber of Commerce », « Lawyers Beyond Borders » of William Goldnadel (Netanyahu’s best friend), all arrive on the day of the hearing, with their hands in their pockets … and claim for damages and legal costs, amounting to more than € 10,000 per defendant for each of their organisations !
And since they do not have much to offer in return, it is up to the government to hope that the judges will be sufficiently docile, and declare the boycott of Israel (and only Israel) illegal.
IV. THINGS MAY GET STICKY
No Court in France has dared until now do such a thing, which is contrary to the constitution. But the Israeli lobby does not give up and incites the French government to appeal or even go to the supreme court each time it loses.
But on what basis do they sue ? Under what law?
Well, the government invokes the law of 21 July 1889 and it’s article 24, by which it condemns « any discrimination against a person or group of people BECAUSE of their belonging to or not belonging to a religion, race, ethnicity, nation . »
Plaintiff lawyer :
– Ah ha ! You ‘re picking on the « Israeli nation »! So you discriminate, you encourage hatred and violence …
Defence :
– But oranges, peppers, avocados and baby-wipes are not people nor groups of people ! And we do not call for the boycott of these products BECAUSE of their nationality, but because of the criminal policy of the State of Israel …
Plaintiff lawyer :
– Yes, but behind these products, there are producers and therefore people. Moreover what you are doing is stupid because it is the Palestinians who are the primary victims because you are taking their livelihood from them …
Defence :
– You say yourselves, bending over backwards transforming grapefruit into people, that these producers are not all Israelis, but also Palestinians, and perhaps Thai immigrant workers. So what has this got to do with anti-semitism or nationality ?
And what nation are you talking about, since no one knows where these products are from, though they often come from illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories …
Plaintiff lawyer :
– Your Honor, the term settlement is unfair, because the borders of Israel have not been definitively fixed. One should speak of « disputed terrtoires » or « discussed territories » …
Defence :
– This is not what international law says, nor even France for that matter !
Presiding judge :
– “Stop! We are not here to play politics !”
– Laughter from the public.
Presiding judge :
– Silence or I’ll clear the courtroom !
Presiding judge :
– « Well I note in any event that nothing anti-semitic was said and there was no damage nor violence …
Plaintiff lawyer :
– Your Honor, we are not saying that the defendants are anti-semitic, but you know that « Palestinianism » (sic) causes anti-semitic acts !
Public :
– Ooh !
Presiding judge :
– Silence !
Plaintiff lawyer :
– ( Change of subject ) : Your Honor, whatever their motivations, they can not deny that during the 12 and a half minutes that the action lasted in this supermarket, customers who wanted to buy Israeli products were prevented from doing so. It is therefore an impediment to economic activity !
Laughter aside, on 19 September 2013, the court of Alencon (West of France) sentenced 7 men and women for « obstructing the normal exercise of an economic activity ».
1) even though this activity was not at all « normal » since the products being sold were illegal
2) even though this same court dismissed a complaint filed by these activists it had failed to determine the origin of the products in question !!!
3) even though the manager of the store refused to file a complaint and declared there was no obstruction
Fortunately, most judges still have some independence and refuse to misuse a law, destined to prevent racial discrimination, and turn it into a protective shield for a State whose specialty is apartheid and discrimination.
And to date, two public prosecutors have refused to obey their superiors and did not demand any convictions.
That is why, to date, the vast majority of the forty militants who have been charged, have been acquitted… and unlike what the Israeli lobby says and write BOYCOTTING ISRAEL is still NOT ILLEGAL !
– TIME FOR OUTRAGE !
What happens is : when we win at first instance, as in most cases, the government appeals, at the request of the Israeli lobby ! And when we win again in the Court of Appeal, the bulimic lobby demands an appeal before the supreme court known as the Court of Cassation, which involves having to call upon specialised lawyers entitled to plead before this jurisdiction (and there are not very many of them).
But did you know that even when defendants win their trial, they can not claim a penny of compensation from anyone, because in the great French democracy, when it is the State that is pressing charges, you can not claim reimbursement for anything, not even the fees you payed for your defence?
So taxpayers cover the costs of these trials and activists must fork out significant legal fees in Bordeaux, Paris, Pontoise, Mulhouse, Bobigny, Perpignan, Alençon, Colmar …
Is it not time to tell Madame Chistiane Taubira, former activist for Peoples right to self-determination, and current Minister for Justice, that we have had enough of being taken for fools and if the State does not really know what to do with our taxpayers money, we can make some suggestions concerning health, education or pensions?
And we should remind her that women and men of conscience use the only non-violent means at their disposal to punish the Israeli occupation, because our government refuses to do so?
If indeed France respected its commitments to UN resolutions and the Geneva Conventions, but also the treaties against torture and for the protection of children’s rights, we would not need to go into stores to carry out our boycott actions.
If our government were to prosecute Israeli leaders –as it is obliged under international law– who are responsible for the daily kidnapping, detention and torture of Palestinian children, instead of rolling out the red carpet for them when they come to France, we would be able to deal with other issues.
If France were to stop cooperating in the construction of drones that drop bombs on the people of Gaza and stop encouraging the blockade of Gaza, and took sanctions against the persistent violations of international law and human rights by Israel, the situation would be much better for every one.
France, which has very close relations with the Israeli occupier in many areas, obviously has the means to put pressure on it. Starting with the implementation of European directives clearly stated in July 2013 and requiring that any contract with Israel must specify in writing that neither Gaza nor the West Bank or East Jerusalem are part of Israel.
It’s not very complicated to comply with European directives, especially when Europe is omnipresent in everything that is said and done.
As for the BDS campaign, it is doing very well thank you. It continues to grow worldwide, including in France. And all these witch trials will change nothing, on the contrary.
They only popularize the boycott, which is a means of peaceful resistance, which has won acclaim thanks to Ghandi in India, the battle for civil rights by black Americans in the United States and the defeat of apartheid in South Africa.
We urge you to join this campaign which aims to put an end to the funding of the Israeli occupation !
Carefully look at product labels before buying. Do not accept incomplete or misleading labeling (latest example spotted in a supermarket : « Avacados Kenya / Israel »). Ask for an explanation from the store manager.
Remind them that they have a legal obligation to display the exact origin of all fruit & veg and dried fruit they sell, in bold characters as large as the price.
And this applies equally to the supermarket, your local grocer and vendors of fruit and vegetables in street markets.
Please show your solidarity with the French BDS activists taken to Courts :
NEXT BDS TRIALS:
– In Colmar (East of France) Court of Appeal on 26 October 2013 :
12 women and men wan their trial in Mulhouse in the first place but the government appealed !
– in Paris, the Court of Appeal will have to judge Olivia, Maha, Mohamed and Ulrich on 30 October 2013 after a first court said they had done nothing illegal. Again, our « socialist » government has made an appeal to please Israel.
Avocados labelled « Kenya/Israel »
And here are some other examples of fraudulent labelling aimed at hiding Israel in French supermarkets:
Oranges (Jaffa) from Mexico
herbs from Brittany « made in israël » (« Que Choisir magazine »)
Medjoul Dattes, French origin !
avocados (Carmel) from Mexico
Pomelos (Carmel) from Mexico
Avocados labelled « Peru » above and « Mehadrin – Chili origin » below
And despite our complaints, no sanctions have been taken until now against this fraud
YOU CAN WRITE TO PROTEST AGAINST THESE CONSTANT TRIALS TO YOUR FRENCH EMBASSY OR TO OUR FRENCH MINISTRY OF JUSTICE (English is fine):
Mme Christiane TAUBIRA
MINISTERE DE LA JUSTICE
13, place Vendôme
75042 Paris Cedex 01
Téléphone : +33 1 44 77 60 60
To send a message : http://www.justice.gouv.fr/contact.html
CAPJPO-EuroPalestine
