France dissolves anti-Zionist and PFLP-linked Collectif Palestine Vaincra - Main points of the dissolution decree
On March 9, 2022, France’s Minister of Interior Gérald Darmanin announced the dissolution of Collectif Palestine Vaincra (CPV), an anti-Zionist group linked to the EU-designated Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group. According to Darmanin, the group “calls for hatred, violence and discrimination.” The following day, CPV’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts were deleted.
The governmental decree, signed by President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Jean Castex, and Darmanin, formally declares the dissolution of CPV. It referenced clauses 6 and 7 of Article L. 212-1 of the Internal Security Code, which permits dissolving groups that:
- Provoke discrimination, hatred or violence towards people because of their ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion, and/or are found to propagate ideas or theories which justify or encourage such discrimination, hatred or violence (clause 6).
- Engage in acts that provoke terrorism (clause7).
Additionally, the decree lists the many reasons why the French government decided to disband the group.
The primary reasons include CPV’s support of terrorism (support to terror groups and individuals involved or convicted for terror related offenses), which according to the French authorities, “goes hand in hand with a legitimization of the terrorist methods which it endeavors to justify or minimize on the grounds that it is a necessary form of resistance.” In addition, CPV uses virulent anti-Zionist rhetoric, emphasized in its charter’s support for “the Palestinian people’s struggle against Zionism, imperialism and Arab reactionary regimes for the liberation of all of Palestine, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.”
Additionally, one of the main allegations against CPV is that, through its publications, the French group “cultivates hatred and legitimizes the use of violence against Israel and Israelis” and “incites hatred against Jews.” Notably, CPV’s “acts and positions, whether they emanate from the leader of the CPV, from the main members of the group, as well as the comments generated by its publications, have never been the subject of any moderation or condemnation from the CPV.”
Notably, the decree features numerous CPV statements and/or comments from the public encouraged by such statements that blatantly exemplify the examples in the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, endorsed by the French government in 2019. These include defining the State of Israel as “a colonial and racist entity” and a “monstrosity created by the imperialist powers”; accusing Israel of “practicing apartheid”; commenting that “the Jewish settlers take themselves for the Gestapo”; referring to Jewish Israelis as “Zionist terrorists, Nazis unpunished”; and declaring, “What a shame… They are doing the same as the Nazis…”
Main Points of the Dissolution Decree
The following are the main points of the French government’s decree declaring the dissolution of Collectif Palestine Vaincra (emphasis added).
- “Considering in the first place that the CPV regularly calls for discrimination and hatred towards Israel and Israelis through boycott campaigns, in particular of Israeli products, in the public sphere, by means of flyers, and on social networks; that these boycott campaigns are used as opportunities to display one’s anti-Zionism and hatred of Israel through the use of vitriolic language; that Israel is thus treated as a ‘racist and colonial state’ or a ‘monstrosity created by imperialist powers’ and accused of practicing apartheid and stealing Palestinian land; that this rhetoric elicits comments inciting hatred and violence towards Israel and Israelis, comments which are not subject to any moderation by the CPV.”
- “Considering secondly that the CPV, through its publications, cultivates hatred and legitimizes the use of violence against Israel and Israelis; that these publications on its Facebook page give rise to comments calling for hatred and for the destruction of the people of Israel, without the group exercising any moderation of such rhetoric.”
- “Considering thirdly that the CPV incites hatred against Jews by refraining from moderating antisemitic comments on its Facebook page; that several publications between February 2020 and January 2022 provoked hateful comments, such as: ‘Jewish settlers think they are the Gestapo,’ ‘Zionist terrorists Nazis unpunished’.”
- “Considering fourthly that the CPV’s charter, published on its website, supports the armed resistance of the Palestinian people: ‘The Collectif Palestine Vaincra supports the Resistance, which is the only way for the Palestinian people to regain their historic and legitimate rights. We support it in all the forms it deems necessary and legitimate, including armed’; that likewise, the CPV supports organizations considered to be terrorists and individuals implicated in or convicted of acts related to terrorism and condones the violent methods employed by those who present themselves as ‘defenders of the Palestinian cause’; that the Collective publicly supports the release and return of Palestinian prisoners, leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)…while the PFLP is the origin of several attacks targeting civilians on Israeli soil and has been declared a terrorist organization by the European Union.”
- “Considering fifthly that the CPV regularly demonstrates its support for organizations recognized as terrorists by the European Union or their members, presenting the members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as martyrs (press releases of February 24, 2020 or February 26, 2020); that on December 11, 2021, the CPV published on its Facebook page two publications celebrating the 54th anniversary of the founding of the PFLP, including one illustrated with a photo of the French version of the ‘Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine – PFLP.’”
- “Considering sixthly that the support of the CPV for various terrorist organizations goes hand in hand with the legitimization of terrorist methods, which it endeavors to justify or minimize on the grounds that it is a necessary form of resistance; that the terms of the Collective’s charter stating, ‘We support it [the Palestinian resistance] in all the forms it deems necessary and legitimate, including armed’constitute an explicit call for the commission of acts of terrorism abroad.”
- “Considering that all these acts and positions, whether they emanate from the leader of the CPV, from the main members of the group, as well as the comments generated by its publications, have never been the subject of any moderation or condemnation from the CPV.”
Background on Collectif Palestine Vaincra
CPV is a member of the terror-designated Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun), which according to Israel’s Ministry of Defense “acts on the PFLP’s behalf abroad” and “plays a leading and significant role in the PFLP’s anti-Israel propaganda efforts, fundraising, and recruiting activists. These activities complement the armed and violent terrorist struggle that the PFLP engages in against Israel.” Israel’s Samidoun terror designation order also lists CPV’s website, Twitter handle, and Facebook account. Additionally, CPV lists the PFLP terror group as a partner on its website.
- In 2019, following the establishment of CPV, the PFLP praised the creation of the French group and “reaffirmed that it is in coordination, meeting and direct contact with the comrades of the Collectif Palestine Vaincra” (emphasis added).
- In 2021, CPV raised €6,000 for a Gaza Child Indoctrination Camp facilitated with the cooperation of the PFLP. (For more details, see NGO Monitor’s report “Gaza Child Indoctrination Camp Funded by French PFLP-linked Group.”)
- CPV lists as honorary members the terrorists Leila Khaled, who took part in skyjackings of civilian flights in 1969, and George Ibrahinm Abdallah, sentenced in France to life in prison in 1987 for the killing of two US and Israeli officials.
- In 2020, Paypal closed the account of CPV “because of its ties to the US and EU sanctioned terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).”
NGO Monitor’s calls for the dissolution of CPV
Due to the strong links between CPV and the PFLP, and because of the risk of terror financing, NGO Monitor called on the French government in (March 2021 and in September 2021) to disband CPV.
Following are selected examples of CPV statements acknowledging the impact of NGO Monitor’s research:
“French National Assembly deputy calls for the dissolution of Collectif Palestine Vaincra” (March 24, 2021)
“On Tuesday, 23 March, Patrice Perrot, a French National Assembly deputy representing La République En Marche! (LREM), the party of [French President] Emmanuel Macron, addressed a parliamentary question to Gérald Darmanin, French Minister of the Interior, calling for the government to dissolve Collectif Palestine Vaincra.
The fundamentally slanderous and false text is based on the recent designation of the Samidoun Network, of which the Collective is a member organization, as a “terrorist” organization by Israel, in order to demand a ban on our Collective. The request is a cut-and-paste of a press release from the far-right Israeli organization NGO Monitor, which aims to suppress the Palestine solidarity movement around the world.”
“Intervention of the Palestine Vaincra Collective Webinar ‘Defending Palestine, fighting repression’” (April 10, 2021)
“Since the designation of the Samidoun network as a “terrorist” organization by the Israeli war criminals, the attacks have redoubled in several countries, including France. The extreme right-wing NGO Monitor is leading a campaign with the French authorities to ask for our dissolution, obviously using a deeply false argument. Moreover, a parliamentarian of the presidential majority has made an official request to the Ministry of the Interior to dissolve us.”
“Interview with Collectif Palestine Vaincra: Resisting French Zionist attacks on Palestine solidarity” (December 4, 2021)
“Calls to Prohibit Collectif Palestine Vaincra”
“This led to parts of the Zionist lobby in France proposing a ban of the Collectif Palestine Vaincra. In March of this year, politician Patrice Perrot asked the Home Secretary to ban and dissolve the Collectif Palestine Vaincra. Patrice Perrot is a member of the National Assembly representing the La Republique en Marche! Party, led by French president Emmanuel Macron.”
This politician is close to the extremely Zionist and right-wing organization NGO Monitor, which aims to suppress the Palestine solidarity movement around the world.
The demand to ban the very active French group came in the wake of the Israeli government officially branding a number of Palestinian NGOs as “terrorist organizations.”
“The very strong pro-Zionist lobby is trying to use its connections to French politicians to introduce interventions against us using the judicial system and the laws. The goal is to silence forces that support the Palestinian people,” Tom Martin says.
“Toulouse city hall and the supporters of Israeli apartheid aim to silence the Collectif Palestine Vaincra” (December 17, 2021)
“For several months, officials of B’nai B’rith and NGO Monitor (organizations close to the Israeli far right) have been waging a campaign on social networks in an attempt to intimidate the Collectif Palestine Vaincra.”
“Collectif Palestine Vaincra 2021 retrospective: a year of solidarity with the Palestinian resistance” (January 1, 2022)
“On Tuesday, March 23, an LREM deputy addressed a parliamentary question to the Minister of the Interior to demand the dissolution of the Collectif Palestine Vaincra following a smear campaign by NGO Monitor, an organization close to the Israeli extreme right whose objective is to silence and suppress solidarity with the Palestinian people. This new threat was widely denounced, particularly by the National Collective for a Just and Lasting Peace between Palestinians and Israelis, which brings together most of the unions, political parties and support organizations for Palestine in France.”