The Boycott Apartheid Israel Collective, EuroPalestine, AFPS, UJFP and Samidoun Région Parisienne were present along the route to show the support of the inhabitants of Île-de-France for the Palestinian people and their resistance.

As they gathered to demonstrate, about fifteen police officers prevented the supporters of justice in Palestine from reaching their planned site on the sidelines of the Tour. They were stopped and confined, subjected to identity checks, pressured to leave… for more than 2 hours, they were kept away from other spectators.

All of this repression is an admission of weakness on the part of the supporters of the Israeli occupation! A dozen Palestinian flags and bunches of balloons are enough to make them panic. At the same time, many people did not hesitate to show their support, coming to talk with us, shouting supportive slogans for Palestine or greeting the demonstrators even as they were being corralled by cops.

On the same day, two other groups managed to position themselves on the course and raise the Palestinian colors high. The first in Puteaux by the AFPS and their supporters, and a second in front of La Sorbonne.

The day before, messages of solidarity with the Palestinian people and for the boycott of Israel were seen in Nanterre on the route of the Tour. The slogans remained visible for several days.

Throughout the route of the Tour de France, many waved the Palestinian flag high and also held up the many portraits of the prisoners of the Palestinian cause currently imprisoned in Israeli occupation prisons — or in France —  such as Ahmad Sa’adat, Salah Hamouri, Georges Abdallah , Raed Rayan and Khalil Awawdeh. Everywhere, the supporters of Palestine, the Palestinian people and their resistance, mobilized to oppose the sportswashing of the Zionist state.

We salute all the organizations, collectives and individuals who have made all these acts of solidarity flourish all over France. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!

This team was founded and is funded by Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams. The objectives of this Israeli team are above all political, as he said himself in an interview in the newspaper Le Monde: “The members of the team are ambassadors of the country of Israel, which is the base of the crew. We use sport to create ties and promote the country’s image.”

Demonstrators explained exactly this to passers-by and residents of the neighborhood, distributing flyers in support of a boycott of the team and “Israeli” sports. We cannot allow sport to be used to whitewash Israeli colonialism and its war crimes!

Activists set up flags and banners not far from the main square of Courcelles, where they were met with great support from spectators and local residents. One woman even came to help the demonstrators hang up the banners and flags. On several occasions, car drivers, seeing the Palestinian flags, honked their horns as they passed.

The various sections of PJPO (Paix juste au Proche Orient) Coordination also demonstrated against “Israel Premier Tech” in the Tour de Wallonie, in Roeulx, Ecaussines, Ittre and Céroux-Mousty.

Below is the video of their action in Ittre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4YnT1gglfs

The PJPO near Écaussinnes also mobilized with flags and banners:

We will be there again in the spring! 

The “Israel Premier Tech” team is also planned to be present in other cycling races in Belgium. Let’s organize ourselves everywhere in Belgium to be present in March and April at the Flèche wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Flèche brabançonne, Ghent-Wevelgem, the Grand Prix de l’Escaut, the Tour de Flandre and Bruges -De Panne.

Source : Charleroi-Palestine

https://twitter.com/Collectif_PV/status/1549397447809679364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1549397447809679364%7Ctwgr%5E1321e8258c2f8c097046181a12bbde05a70ca905%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsamidoun.net%2F2022%2F07%2Fmobilization-at-the-tour-de-france-in-foix-confronts-israel-premier-tech-team-with-boycott-call%2F

Amid the scorching heatwave, participants distributed flyers to many onlookers who came to watch the cyclists race. Many people were outraged to learn about this Israeli sportswashing campaign, and several even joined in, holding Palestinian flags and chanting slogans in support of the Palestinian people.

The demonstrators unfurled a massive “Israel out of the Tour de France” banner with high visibility for several hours. Police stationed in the area attempted to intimidate the demonstrators and the deputy prefect of Ariège even intervened in person in an attempt to pressure the participants into putting away the banner. The demonstrators reminded him of the recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights in June 2020, once again upholding the legality of the boycott of Israel in France, noting that it is a legal tool in the battle against racism. Furthermore, they spoke out against the hypocrisy of professional cycling excluding Russian teams from competition while finding nothing wrong with the inclusion of a team explicitly promoting Israeli apartheid. In the end, the action continued without disruption and the banner remained in place.

https://twitter.com/Collectif_PV/status/1549637378368831489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1549637378368831489%7Ctwgr%5E1321e8258c2f8c097046181a12bbde05a70ca905%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsamidoun.net%2F2022%2F07%2Fmobilization-at-the-tour-de-france-in-foix-confronts-israel-premier-tech-team-with-boycott-call%2F

As the peloton passed, the demonstrators chanted “Boycott Israel” loudly, emphasizing their commitment to the international campaign againt colonialism and racism and in support of the Palestinian resistance, fighting for the Palestinian people’s rights and liberation. These actions will continue to multiply until the conclusion of the Tour de France this Sunday in Paris, with people everywhere denouncing Israel for what it is: a settler colonial project that has oppressed and dispossessed the Palestinian people for over 70 years.

In fact, on Wednesday, 20 July, on the route of the Tour de France to Labarthe-de-Neste, activists and supporters of the Collectif 65 for the Libeation of Georges Abdallah joined with the Collectif Palestine Vaincra to mobilize against the Israel Premier Tech team once again.

From July 1 to 24, 2022, the 109th edition of the Tour de France will launch from Copenhagen, Denmark, and then proceed through several cities in Belgium and France. For the third consecutive year, the biggest cycling competition in the world is welcoming the Israel Premier Tech team, formerly known as Israel Start-Up Nation, to the starting line.

Founded by Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams, this team aims to promote Israeli apartheid. Indeed, “the members of the team are ambassadors of the country of Israel, which is the basis of the team. We use sport to create links and promote the image of the country,” as the team openly underlines in a quote to a French newspaper.

The presence of this team with openly political ambitions is all the more scandalous when we see that the International Cycling Union is currently sanctioning several Russian and Belarusian teams because of the policies of their respective States, but becomes incapable of doing so when it comes to denouncing Israeli policy. This demonstrates once again that what is in question is not the legitimacy of the sports boycott but the targets it is addressing.

As Israel continues its policy of colonialism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing, we call for the intensification of the boycott of Israel as an anti-colonialist and anti-racist tool in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance which fights for the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea. In this context, we call for a boycott of the team Israel Premier Tech and for increased actions and organizing during this competition. The flag of Palestine must fly everywhere in order to make it clear that we do not accept the presence of a team representing the executioners of the Palestinian people.

Boycott Israel – Free Palestine Israel out of the Tour de France!

Initial signatories:

• AFD International (FR)
• AFPS 14-6 (FR)
• AFPS 63 (FR)
• AFPS Albertville (FR)
• AFPS Nîmes (FR)
• AFPS Paris-Sud (FR)
• Africa 4 Palestine (ZA)
• Al Awda – The Palestine Right of Return Coalition (US)
• Al Yudur – Mouvement de la jeunesse palestinienne (ES)
• Alkarama – Mouvement des femmes palestiniennes (ES)
• Amis de la Palestine contre l’impérialisme et le sionisme (TR)
• Association Belgo-palestinienne – régional de Liège (BE)
• Association Démocratique des Tunisiens en France – ADTF (FR)
• BACBI – Belgian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (BE)
• BDS Boston (US)
• BDS Vancouver – Coast Salish (CA)
• Bruxelles Panthères (BE)
• Campagne de boycott des supporters d’Israël au Liban (LB)
• Campagne tunisienne contre la normalisation avec l’entité sioniste (TN)
• Campagne Unitaire pour la Libération de Georges Abdallah (FR)
• Canada Palestine Association (CA)
• Canadian BDS Coalition (CA)
• CAPJPO-Europalestine (FR)
• Car t’y es libre – Istres (FR)
• Centro Culturale Handala Ali (IT)
• Collectif 65 pour la libération de Georges Abdallah (FR)
• Collectif 69 de soutien au peuple palestinien (FR)
• Collectif Boycott Apartheid Israël – Paris Banlieue (FR)
• Collectif de soutien à la résistance palestinienne 59 (FR)
• Collectif Palestine Vaincra (FR)
• Comité BDS ULB (BE)
• Comité tunisien pour la libération de Georges Abdallah (TN)
• Comité Verviers Palestine (BE)
• Communauté palestinienne en Belgique et au Luxembourg (BE – LU)
• Couserans-Palestine (FR)
• De-Colonizer (BE)
• EFVE (Entr’Aide et Fraternité / Action Vivre Ensemble) Hainaut (BE)
• Eritrea Tour for Friendship (BE)
• Forum Démocratique palestinien en Europe (EU)
• Free Palestine Maastricht (NL)
• Front Mahasiswa Nasional (ID)
• FUIQP – Paris Banlieue (FR)
• Giovani e Palestina (IT)
• Giovani Palestinesi d’Italia (IT)
• IJAN – International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (INT)
• Indonesian Palestine Alliance (ID)
• International Solidarity Movement – ISM-France (FR)
• Jeunes pour la Palestine – Nantes (FR)
• Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste (CA)
• Liga Argentina por los Derechos Humanos (AR)
• Marseille Gaza Palestine (FR)
• Masar Badil (INT)
• Mouvement Citoyen Palestine (BE)
• New Weapons Research Group (IT)
• Orléans Loiret Palestine (FR)
• PAJU – Palestiniens et Juifs unis (CA)
• Plateforme Charleroi-Palestine (BE)
• Samidoun Région Parisienne (FR)
• SLAI Cobas Marghera (IT)
• Société bahreïnite contre la normalisation avec l’ennemi sioniste (BH)
• Unione Democratica Arabo-Palestinese (IT)
• Union Juive Française pour la Paix (FR)
• Victory to the Intifada (GB)
• Voci nel Silenzio Palermo (IT)
• Within our lifetime – United for Palestine (US)

To add your organizational signature to this call, please email collectifpalestinevaincra@gmail.com.