On Sunday, 19 June, a delegation from the Collectif Palestine Vaincra came to Nailloux, France, to confront the “Israel Premier Tech” team at the Route d’Occitanie cycling race. During the stage, which took place between Les Angles and Auterive, the Collectif delegation carried a banner “Boycott Israel: Against Colonialism, Racism and Apartheid” and waved the Palestinian flag high. The Collectif is challenging the participation of this team, which proclaims itself the “ambassador of Israel,” that is to say, propagandists for a colonial and racist state practicing a policy of apartheid that has been widely denounced, including in UN reports and those of international human rights organizations.
🚴 A Nailloux pour l'étape de @RouteOccitanie, le Collectif Palestine Vaincra dénonce la présence de @IsraelPremTech ambassadeur auto-proclamé de l'apartheid israélien. Un cycliste de l'équipe nous a jeté sa gourde en voyant le drapeau de la 🇵🇸 ! #RDO2022 #BoycottIsrael pic.twitter.com/huCdnEKI7e
— Collectif Palestine Vaincra (@Collectif_PV) June 19, 2022
In Montreal, Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU) is preparing to confront the Israel Premier Tech team at the 2022 Grand Prix Cycliste of Montreal, and many organizations, including the Collectif Palestine Vaincra, Samidoun Region Parisienne and the Plate-Forme Charleroi-Palestine, are planning to challenge the team at the Tour de France in a few weeks.
Despite the high temperatures, the protesters received support from many onlookers who appreciated the challenge to Israel’s outrageous sportswashing operation in the cycling field. Police on the scene appeared disconcerted, speaking into their walkie-talkies: “We have a demonstration with a banner hostile to the State of Israel!” However, the demonstrators spread their banner without a hitch and made their message heard loud and clear, chanting “Boycott Israel!” loudly as the cyclists passed. This was clearly audible and visible — as one cyclist from the Israel Premier Tech team made clear when threw his water bottle at the protesters.
As the Tour de France begins in a few weeks, we will make sure that these “ambassadors of Israeli apartheid” will be greeted by anti-racist and anti-colonialist mobilization through the streets of France!
Source: Collectif Palestine Vaincra
