France: repression against a FSE’s student unionist
We hereby share an unofficial translation of an article published by La Cause du Peuple on a recent repressive case against a Fédération Syndicale Étudiante (FSE)’s activist.
Repression on a student unionist: class solidarity against the reaction’s attacks:
On March 25, a 19-year-old student, a member of the Fédération Syndicale Étudiante (FSE) at the University of Rennes 2, was detained for nearly seven hours. This repression was disproportionate in relation to the accusations against him: a “provocative” story against the UNI, a fascist group known for its Nazi salutes and racist rhetoric. In reality, the authorities are seeking to silence young people who are mobilizing. In order to face the legal costs that the student must pay, a class solidarity campaign has been organized to support him through a fundraising effort.
There was nothing that informed the young man about such an arrest: no summons to the police station, no letter, no information of a possible legal proceeding against him. “They came directly to my house, handcuffed me, and put me in a car,” he explained. The FSE states that these “harsh” methods clearly reflect a desire to intimidate him for his activism and to hinder him from continuing.
The student explains that he published a “provocative story” against the UNI, a fascist group operating in universities: “These people already had several legal proceedings for making Nazi salutes and racist speeches.” Subsequently, several accounts of these Nazis began to follow him and comment on his Instagram posts. Two weeks after the story, UNI members started talking about an alleged “death threat.” The union member from Rennes explains, that UNI members supposedly “filed a legal proceedingin the law school, which in turn submitted it to the Republic’s prosecutor’s office”, based on information obtained from his lawyer.
According to the comrade, this reaction stands in context to a mobilization in front of the law school, where UNI members carried out Nazi salutes in front of the protesters. Repelled by the antifascists, the Nazis filed a legal proceeding. The union member explains: “They used my account in this trial, which has nothing to do with me, to argue that the antifascists, including myself, were death threatening them.”
The goal of the authorities: weaken the ongoing mobilization for the university budget
A month after publishing the story, the police arrested the comrade at his parents’ home. “I was a victim of a system that is becoming reactionary in the context of the student mobilization to save university budgets, particularly at Rennes 2.” For the authorities, it was about using any possible pretext to weaken the ongoing student mobilization. During this mobilization, the students of Rennes demonstrated unwavering combativeness and determination, challenging the increasing police repression.
To support the repressed comrade due to his union and anti-fascist commitment, the FSE has launched a fundraising campaign. He told us: “The message I want to transmit is the need of unity against the reactionarization of the society. I received a lot of support from comrades, even from abroad the FSE. This fundraising campaign is a symbol of this unity”. The fundraising campaign ended at the beginning of August, after collecting more than 1,000 euros to support the comrade, demonstrating once more the efficacy of class solidity in front of the attacks and intimidation by reactionary groups.
