Oct. 7, 2022
On 24 October 2022, Georges Abdallah, the Lebanese Arab communist struggler with the Palestinian resistance, will enter his 39th year in French prison. He has been imprisoned since 1984 and eligible for release since 1999, yet remains held behind French bars because he will not relinquish his political convictions and commitment to the liberation of Palestine and the peoples of the world.
Today, he is one of the longest-held political prisoners in Europe, recognized by the Palestinian prisoners’ movement as part of its ranks. In 2007, the DST, the French secret service, said: “As an emblematic personality of the anti-Zionist struggle, the release of Georges Abdallah would undoubtedly constitute an event in Lebanon. He will likely be celebrated as a hero on his return to his country, and also by different movements engaged in the revolutionary struggle.” While they used this observation to justify his continued imprisonment, it is for exactly this reason that we must struggle for his liberation. Supporting the campaign to free Georges Abdallah is part and parcel of supporting the Palestinian people and their resistance to colonialism!
Samidoun is joining with over 60 organizations to call for a month of international mobilization to demand Georges Abdallah’s immediate release. The month of action will reach its peak on Saturday, 22 October at 2 p.m. with a major demonstration in Lannemezan, France, marching from the train station to the prison where Georges Abdallah is being held. Last year, more than 1,000 people were present for a large demonstration in support of Georges Abdallah and the Palestinian resistance. This year again, we will make clear that Palestine and its prisoners are not alone!
Following the major march in Lannemezan, join us one week later in Brussels, where the March for Return and Liberation on 29 October, marching at 2 pm from Lumumba Square to the European Parliament, will include the liberation of Georges Abdallah as a major demand.
Take action!
We urge all supporters of Palestine to join activities in your city or organize initiatives to highlight the case of Georges Abdallah and demand his liberation. Here are some examples:
- Print, distribute and post these posters (image above and downloadable here) calling for the liberation of Georges Abdallah in your community.
- Organize a screening of the film, Fedayin, the Struggle of Georges Abdallah in your community. The film is fully subtitled and available in English, French, Arabic, Italian, Spanish, and German. To organize a screening, please contact vacarmesfilms@gmail.com
- Protest or deliver a letter demanding Georges Abdallah’s release at the French consulate or embassy in your city.
- Include Georges Abdallah’s liberation – and the liberation of Palestinian prisoners – in demonstrations, actions and vigils for Palestine and the boycott of Israel in your city.
- Participate in the mobilization on social networks using the hashtags #MacronLibérezAbdallah and #FreeGeorgesAbdallah. Use the Facebook profile decor to draw attention to the case.
- Write Georges Abdallah and send him solidarity messages (individually or as a collective action of your group). Send letters to:
Monsieur Georges Ibrahim ABDALLAH
2388/A221 CP de Lannemezan
204 rue des Saligues
BP 70166
65307 LANNEMEZAN
France
- Buy the “Freedom for Georges Abdallah!” t-shirt from the Collectif Palestine Vaincra.
- Order the flag “Freedom for Georges Abdallah!” Freedom for Palestine!” from the Collectif Palestine Vaincra.
Contact us at samidoun@samidoun.net for more information or to let us know about your action or send us a message on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Who Is Georges Ibrahim Abdallah?
A Lebanese Arab struggler for Palestine, Georges Abdallah has been imprisoned in French prisons since 1984, convicted on charges of participation in armed actions by the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction, working to fight off colonialist and Zionist invasions in Lebanon.
From his youth, Georges Abdallah was an activist, working first with the Syrian Social Nationalist party and then with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). With the PFLP, he resisted and was injured by Israeli forces invading Lebanon in 1978. A committed Communist and internationalist, he views the Arab struggle for liberation from Zionism and imperialism as part and parcel of the international workers’ struggle for liberation from capitalism.
The Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction (LARF) was formed to fight off and resist U.S., Israeli and other imperialist attacks on Lebanon. Georges Abdallah was accused of participating in attacks on U.S. and Israeli military officials in France.
He has been eligible for release since 1999 yet continues to be denied parole, despite having parole requests approved several times by French judges. The Lebanese government has officially asked for his release, and he is asking to be deported to Lebanon. Yet the French state has intervened at the highest levels, alongside the U.S and Israeli regimes, to deny Georges Abdallah’s parole requests.
In fact, in 1985, the French government agreed to a prisoner exchange – to release Abdallah in exchange for a captured French diplomat. Instead, the diplomat was released – and Abdallah remained in prison. His own original lawyer was in fact a spy working for the French state and reporting on him to the highest levels of French intelligence; all of which was used against him in court.
People throughout France and around the world have campaigned for his freedom for decades. His brothers and loved ones in Lebanon lead the International Campaign to Free Georges Ibrahim Abdallah. He is considered to be part of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
His case represents also the coherence of U.S., Israeli and European colonialist interests in the imprisonment of Palestinian and Arab strugglers for liberation and the attack on the Palestinian people.
- Order stickers and flyers at a low price (or to pick up for free during our initiatives)
- Offer posters and/or flyers of the mobilization month to merchants in your neighborhood by asking us for a few
- Participate in the mobilization on social networks using the hashtag #FreeGeorgesAbdallah
- Register for the free-price bus to participate in the demonstration on Saturday October 22 from the station to the Lannemezan prison
For any request, send us an email to collectivepalestinevaincra@gmail.com or a message on our various social networks ( Facebook , Twitter or Instagram ).
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