The leading French pro-Palestine activist, Elias d’Imzalène, has been arrested and is facing prosecution for expressing support for an “intifada” during a pro-Palestine rally in Paris.
D’Imzalène was reported to the public prosecutor following remarks made at the rally in Paris on September 8 that angered pro-Zionist media and officials, and which led to his arrest.
Intifada simply means “uprising” in Arabic and can be used to denote non-violent activism or armed resistance depending on the context. But pro-Israel commentators have demonised the word to denote “terrorism” in all cases.
Footage of d’Imzalène at the anti-genocide march shows him saying: “Are we ready to lead an intifada in Paris? In the suburbs, in our areas. We are going to show that the road to liberation comes from us and starts from Paris and will pass by Marseille… Soon Jerusalem will be liberated and we will be able to pray in Masjid Al Aqsa. Jerusalem will then become the capital of all the revolutionaries… Genocide has its enablers – they are called ‘Biden,’ they are called ‘Macron,’ who stole the elections right? We recognise thieves who live in the presidential palace… are we ready to get get rid of them?”
The clip was shared online and reshared by prominent figures in French media and reported to the Interior Ministry. Before long the Paris Prosecutor’s Office announced an investigation for incitement to “hatred,” “violence,” and “crimes against the fundamental interests of the nation.”
This led to a police interview at 10 a.m. on September 24th, where d’Imzalène was summoned for questioning. The interview led to his arrest and his subsequent placement into custody. He was only released earlier today.
Elias d’Imzalène is a leading figure of the group Perspective Musulmane and a prominent member of the Urgence Palestine collective. He has been a leader in organising the anti-genocide marches and is the owner of Islam et Info.
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Commenting on his arrest, advocacy group CAGE, which has has released a report into French Islamophobia, said: “This is in a country that encourages so-called satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to publish the most vile, abusive and defamatory anti Muslim content on the planet, at the same time the political establishment applies a double standard to any dissent against the genocide supported by the French state.
“This case is the latest example of the French state’s ongoing efforts to silence dissenting Muslim voices by any means necessary. The state’s actions form part of a broader psychological campaign aimed at silencing, subjugating, and controlling the entire Muslim community. Elias, like Abdourahmane Ridouane and Imam Ismail, is being persecuted for publicly opposing genocide and Islamophobia.”
Rayan Freschi, a researcher for CAGE International, added: “We fully support Elias d’Imzalène. Despite an ongoing political crisis in France, the state continues its targeting of Muslim community organisations and leaders unabated.
“We are witnessing how condemning the genocide in Gaza and exposing its enablers is becoming criminalised. Statements of solidarity are being deliberately misconstrued to justify politicised prosecutions under the guise of incitement or undermining national security.”
