Alex: Presumed guilty! Suspended from his job before his trial for supporting Palestine!

We hereby share an unofficial translation of a joint statement that we have received.

On Wednesday, March 5, we knew with consternation about the arrest of a pro-Palestinian activist from Lyon. He was arrested on Tuesday, March 4, by the judicial police as soon as he got off the plane in Paris, as if he would be a big criminal. He then spent 48 hours in detention before appearing in court. Having requested a postponement of his hearing, he will be tried on May 15, and until that date, his democratic right to protest has been revoked. This arrest follows a speech made during the national demonstration on February 8, 2025, demanding the release of Europe’s oldest political prisoner: Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, who has been imprisoned for over 40 years, even though he has been eligible for release since 1999. The Paris prefecture and even the prefect of Paris himself announced that they would not tolerate any statements that, “in their eyes, constitute the offense of glorifying terrorism”.

As if that weren’t enough, we have just known about Alex’s suspension from his job in the public service for a duration of four months. This is happening even though he has not yet been heard by the court and therefore he has not been judged. This is a blatant violation of the presumption of innocence and an attempt to suppress any form of dissent. Let us remember that Alex is in this situation for having strongly expressed his political beliefs, so this is far from being any criminal acts. The State has therefore communicated this information to the academic authorities, who made the political decision to suspend the activist. The State is openly violating the foundation of its justice system, of which the presumption of innocence is a pillar. We have been witnessing from years ago to the return of the return of letters de cachet and the wishes of the King [Translator’s note: letters de cachet was a letter by the kings in the French Absolute Monarchy, when they gave orders to imprison someone]. Justice is no longer there to uphold the law but to legitimize the absolute power of the executive. This is a true negation of the spirit of the Enlightenment and of the entire revolutionary legacy that the Republic claims to uphold.

But what “terrorism” are we talking about? To assert that a colonized people has the right to defend itself against an occupying power, and to do so by any means necessary, can it be considered “terrorist”? From this perspective, it is International Law that endorses this: as stated in Resolution 37/43 of the United Nations General Assembly in 1982, the Palestinian people possess an “inalienable right,” like all peoples “subject to foreign and colonial domination,” to “self-determination” and to use “all means at their disposal, including armed struggle,” to achieve it. Human Rights are inalienable, and the struggle of the Palestinian people to remain on their land is just, legal, and legitimate! Without taking a position on the speech of the Lyon activist, we denounce this serious attack on basic democratic rights and condemn the instrumentalization and excessive repression that has been put in place. Let us remember that not so long ago, the “terrorists” were the Resistance combatants who struggled against Nazi occupation and the fascist Vichy regime that legally persecuted, deported, and executed them. Are we witnessing a shift from “the Republic” to “the French State”?

We are not fooled: the sole objective of this new arrest and the repression being implemented is to silence any voice of dissent or revolt against the unbearable situation faced by the Palestinian population! Alex is not alone; there are countless examples. 1,000 trade unionists were under legal procedures during the Pension Battle, and more than 800 pro-Palestinian activists have experienced the same fate.

We reaffirm that we will never stop expressing loudly and clearly our unwavering support for the Palestinian people and our determined demand for the release of Georges Abdallah until he is liberated! Likewise, we will fiercely defend our inalienable right to freedom of expression and assembly.

We call to defend democratic freedoms and to do not allow this authoritarian drift to become the norm.

Alex must be readmitted in his job, and the presumption of innocence must be respected!

Solidarity with Alex, presumed guilty!

To be against the genocide of the Palestinians is not a crime!