Pro-Palestine group celebrate victory over ‘suspension’ of dissolution order

Collectif Palestine Vaincra (CPV), a pro-Palestine solidarity group, is able to resume its activities after the French Council of State decided to suspend a dissolution order against the organisation. 

In March, CPV was dissolved by a governmental decree signed by French President Emmanuel Macron. France’s Minister of Interior Gérald Darmanin accused the group, which supports the boycott of Israel, of calling for “hatred, violence and discrimination”. 

On Friday, the Council of State decided to “respond favourably” to a request from the organisation to “suspend” the decree, the CPV said to The New Arab. 

The organisation still faces a “complete cancellation” decree, which it has also challenged. This order is unlikely to be carried out until next year.  

“This is a great victory even if it is only a first step,” said the organisation to this newspaper. 

Victory for Palestine: French State Council suspends dissolution of Collectif Palestine Vaincra!#الدم_ینتصر pic.twitter.com/lHlqhxYhal

— Sara Rey (@SaraReyi) April 29, 2022

“This decision is a real slap in the face against the power and beats the propaganda of the extreme right Zionist,” they said.  

The French Court considered that the decree was “neither necessary nor appropriate and disproportionately infringes on freedom of expression and freedom of association". This conclusion was drawn given that CPV "neither provokes nor contributes to discrimination, to hatred or violence, that its positions on Israel and Zionism are not anti-Semitic, that it has always condemned anti-Semitism, that the campaign of boycotting Israeli products is a legitimate way of expressing protesting opinions”. 

CPV said they saw the ruling as a sign of more general support for the Palestinian people, who face systematic oppression and persecution at the hands of Israeli forces. 

The organisation thanked the “Committee Against the Dissolution of the Collectif Palestine Vaincra” which included more than 30 organisations worldwide. They now plan to resume “information work and fieldwork”, saying the “fight continues”. 

France has advocated for a "two state solution" and said it has "strong historical, cultural and human ties with Israel". 

The CPV, which describes itself as a “Collective”, was formed three years ago and coordinates awareness and education campaigns in solidarity with Palestine. It has promoted the boycott of Israel, challenging the twinning of Toulouse with Tel Aviv.