more than 700 visitors to the Amnesty International book fair

See my news
Follow La Dépêche Louviers

Since 2001, the Book Fair organized by the local branch of Amnesty International is an unmissable event in Val-de-Reuil (Eure). This year again, the event showed good attendance for the 28th edition which took place on Saturday November 16 and Sunday November 17 at the Marc Bloch high school. In all, 735 visitors strolled through the corridors of the Rolivalois establishment and 972 signatures were collected to support the ten humanitarian battles highlighted.

Exceptional mobilization

Catherine Dumoulinpresident of the Amnesty international branch of Louviers-Val-de-Reuil, showed her satisfaction at the end of the day which allows each year the local section to raise funds to finance its actions.. “The year last time, we had 620 visitors. We did more this year. It’s a great success! The books offered for sale attracted a varied audience, but the primary objective of this fair remains unchanged: to defend fundamental freedoms throughout the world.

Visitors not only bought books, they also got involved.

We had to reprint leaflets for the second day, such was the demand.

Committed volunteers

Like every year, Amnesty International activists were able to count on the support of numerous volunteers. » There were 37 of us to manage the numerous works and ensure the smooth running of the event. As of tomorrow, the premises must be returned to the high school students,” says Catherine Dumoulin.

Eve, volunteer in charge of a stand, confirms the enthusiasm: » The 11 petitions totaled 972 signatures. The most popular concerned the ceasefire in Gaza, much requested by visitors, followed by that in favor of Manahel, a young activist imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.

The impact of petitions

Other causes have also found resonance, notably the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran, which continues to mobilize around women's rights. Catherine Dumoulin also highlights a recent victory:

Thanks to these actions, 90,000 signatures were given to the President of the Republic, and the European Union recently granted refugee status to any Afghan woman meeting the criteria.

Catherine Dumoulin recalls that these actions are not limited to human rights abroad: “In France, we are sounding the alarm about the dangers of mass surveillance, exacerbated during the last Olympic Games with intensive use of facial recognition,” underlines Catherine Dumoulin.

The event finally made it possible to recruit a new member, bringing the number of active volunteers in the local branch to nine.

Petitions put forward in 2024: Israel/Gaza: ceasefire; Mass surveillance in France: stop the slippage; Freedom for Maryia (Belarus); Freedom for Manahel (Saudi Arabia); “Woman, Life, Liberty”: end of impunity in Iran; Support for Pride Marches in Türkiye; Justice for the youth of Guinea; Protection of Wet'Suwet'en lands (Canada); Justice for Joel Paredes (Argentina); Freedom for Dang Dinh Bach (Vietnam); Justice for Kyung Seok Park (South Korea)More information on the internet: www.amnesty.fr.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.