19 Arrested in Kenya While Protesting Against French Imperialism
Featured image: Demonstrators march on May 12 in Nairobi against the summit organized by French imperialism. Source: X account of Booker Ngesa Omole.
Kenyan police brutally repressed a protest in Nairobi on May 12 against the Summit organized by French imperialism, the so-called Africa Forward Summit, which has been presided over by French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto. Different forces organized a counter-summit, the Pan-Africanism Summit Against Imperialism (PASAI) for the 11th and the 12th of May.
Five Kenyan students were arrested on May 11 for protesting against the ‘Africa-Forward summit’ at the University of Nairobi.
On May 12, 14 people, five international delegates and nine Kenyan activists, were arrested during the march in Nairobi. The crackdown took place after police provoked the demonstrators and attempted to prevent the march.
Of all of these arrested, 14 have been released, the five students arrested on May 11 and the nine Kenyan protesters arrested on May 12. The five international delegates arrested are: Guy Bremond – France; Dimitrios Patelis – Greece; Joti Brar – Britain; Lee Sanghun and Song Danbee – South Korea.
Today the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kenya Marxist, Booker Omole, and other comrades tried to negotiate the immediate release of international delegates, and the police attempted to kidnap them and fired two bullets of live ammunition to disperse a protest that was taking place in front of the police station.
There have been several statements and actions protesting this repression. The Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party Marxist Kenya issued a statement and condemned the repression.
As we reported, several organizations in France condemn the detention of the French activist Guylhem and demand his release. They also call for a demonstration.
Protests erupted in Seoul, South Korea, where demonstrators rallied outside the Kenyan Embassy demanding the release of all the political prisoners. The protesters were surrounded and attacked by police.
Different forces, among them the PASAI called for a demonstration today in front of the Kenya High Commission of London, the embassy of the country in England.
