The Union of Palestinian Communities and Organizations in Europe strongly condemns the decision of the French authorities to target the Palestinian activist Rami Shaath, in a dangerous step that reflects the escalation of repressive policies aimed at silencing the Palestinian voice and criminalizing anyone who exposes the violations of the occupation and defends the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. This comes after he received a notification from the Nanterre Security Directorate stating the French authorities’ intention to deport Shaath from the country, considering him a person who poses a threat to French public security.
The union affirms that the persecution and restrictions imposed on Shaath, under the guise of administrative law, come after the failure to utilize criminal law to bring charges against him, revealing a worrying trend towards using administrative tools as a means of political repression, circumventing judicial safeguards and fundamental freedoms, and turning administrative procedures into a substitute for fair legal accountability.
This targeting comes within a broader context of escalating restrictions on the solidarity movement with Palestine in France and several other European countries. These restrictions include surveillance, administrative pressure, incitement, and attempts to curtail public space, targeting Palestinian, Arab, and immigrant communities and limiting their participation in political and civic activism. This constitutes a direct violation of freedom of expression, assembly, and legitimate political action.
The Union of Palestinian Communities and Organizations in Europe warns of the dangers of this trajectory, which not only targets individuals but also extends to suppressing the Palestinian narrative and the Palestinian people’s right to express their cause. Furthermore, this approach opens the door to the expanded use of exceptional administrative measures against human rights defenders, which contradicts democratic principles.
The Union affirms its full solidarity with Rami Shaath and his family, and its categorical rejection of all forms of repression, intimidation, and family separation, stressing that these policies will not succeed in silencing free voices or breaking the will of those who stand in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Palestine remains a cause of right, justice, and freedom, and policies of repression and exclusion will not succeed in silencing its voice or disrupting its legitimate struggle.
