The demonstration organized every Saturday morning in front of the market halls of Niort in support of the Palestinians was marked by an incident on October 5, when the police wanted to check the identity of a young man who was filming them.
The following week, on October 12, 2024, an activist asked to take the microphone, at the end of the interventions, to welcome the reduction in police force compared to the previous week. While being surprised that the prefect of Deux-Sèvres mobilized police officers to ensure the security of this gathering, wondering if the police had nothing better to do than “ this mission of monitoring democratic expression”.
“In his own name”
A speech, applauded by the audience, which did not call for any public reaction from the organizers that day.
Monday, October 14, the representative of Collectif Palestine 79, Françoise Dubois, however wrote to the editorial staff of The New Republic to dissociate themselves from the activist who had spoken.
“The author of these comments is not a spokesperson for the Palestine 79 Collectiveshe explains. This is a demonstrator who, as the demonstration ended, asked to speak. It is in his own name that this demonstrator spoke and the Palestine 79 Collective completely dissociates itself from the comments he made. »
“Good application of commitments”
The prefect of Deux-Sèvres, Emmanuelle Dubée, also reacted on Tuesday October 15. In a press release, she announced “that last week she summoned the France Palestine association, following the incident which occurred in front of the Niort halls, when an individual taking part in the gathering provoked the national police officers”.
“The France Palestine association is committed, during this constructive exchange, to reminding participants of the gatherings for which it is responsible of all the instructions for good behavior”adds the prefect, who welcomes “the proper application of the commitments made by the governing bodies of the association and noted during the demonstration declared on Saturday morning”.
She therefore also considers that the comments of the demonstrator who spoke at the end of the demonstration on October 12 did not commit the collective.
