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| • For the abolition of nuclear weapons |
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| • Celebrating Denise's 80 years |
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| • Black Thursday |
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| • Freedom for the union workers of Noumea |
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| For the abolition of nuclear weapons |
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Anti-nuclear activists are present each month in front of the Ministry of Defense building in Paris. During an hour, they stand in silence, wearing black clothes and white masks on their faces. It is impressive! Each person is holding a large sign on which can be read: « For the abolition of nuclear weapons. » |
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| On their invitation, I joined them at the subway station close to the Ministry of Defense. They stood in a row, motionless and silent with these masks evoking death. |
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| From the 3rd to the 6th of August, they stayed on hunger strike, near Paris, in front of the base for the Nuclear Force Command. Then, they went to the Wall of Peace, at Champ de Mars, to commemorate the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and to ask that the world be liberated from nuclear weapons. |
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| Each month, they echo the demand of the mayor of Hiroshima to sign a Convention of total elimination of nuclear weapons before 2020. |
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| I stood with them, in silence. I admired their courage and their determination. A police car was parked nearby. We were under surveillance. |
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| It is the hour where people leave the Ministry of Defense. They pass in front of us with indifference as if we did not exist. They have eyes but they do not see. Except for a young woman who stopped and asked with a smile : « Do you have documentation ? As I work at the Ministry of Defense, it concerns me. » |
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| The children are always amazing. They have eyes to see and are immediately interested by this strange sight. But the parents swept them away unceremoniously. There was nothing to see here. |
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| Celebrating Denise's 80 years |
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| It is celebration time at the Association for people with no official documents. For the last 20 years, Denise has been working full time and with all her heart at the service of the foreigners with no official documents, especially women, abandoned by their husband and left alone with their children, with no resources and no housing. |
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When she retired, Denise became a volunteer for the Association. She is a militant who is bold. In the offices of the Prefecture or the Ministry, she is fearsome. She takes part in all the demonstrations in the streets to demand the regularization of those who have no official documents and she is not afraid to sleep even on the floor when we squat a building. |
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| Sometimes I look at Denise welcoming foreigners with no official documents at her office of the Association. She listens with kindliness, speaks a few words and even succeeds in making these young people smile although they experience the hassle. Her secret? Her love for them. |
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| It is celebration at the Association. After the struggle, (del)the celebration. The great hall has been decorated. There are candles and gifts, music and songs. The couscous was served on the large table. Tonight, Denise is a queen beaming with happiness. The room is packed. |
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| I climbed to a chair to thank her and I started with these words: « If Denise could open her heart to us; we would see that it is filled with the faces of the people with no official documents. You have given her so much happiness!... » |
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| Denise is a practicing Christian. Her faith is connected to life. She gives the desire to believe in faith. |
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| Black Thursday |
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| It is a student association that is denouncing the crisis of housing for the students. They call themselves: « The Collective of the slaves of housing". |
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| Black Thursday inaugurated a new squat by occupying an empty building of 1 800m_, next to the Bastille in Paris. This building has been abandoned for more than 4 years and was owned by the Post Office until last July. A new owner, a company of mixed economy, has a project to make housing for foreign workers. The students applauded to this project. If one day, the construction starts, they will leave. |
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| I was invited to their press conference, and found, that the premises had been well decorated. |
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| These students have taste and a sense for beauty. With heteroclite materials given to them, they have succeeded in creating a convivial ambience, with flowers and discreet lighting. |
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43 students live in the building. People from the neighborhood welcomed them with pleasure. Are they not installed in the « Passage of the good seed »? A small street unknown to me. |
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Everyone was there. There was no place left. A student presented « the small black book of housing », that has just been published. In it, are found their grievances and proposals.
I admire the citizens' initiatives of these young people that make things happen in a non-violent manner. They know how to work with others and show their solidarity. They appreciate that I tell them: « you are students with a rebellious dignity! ».
But the problems are beginning. The new owner is taking them to court. |
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| Freedom for the union workers of Noumea |
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Seven labor unionists from USTKE ( Union of Kanaky and exploited workers) are in jail in Noumea since the month of June. They have been sentenced to up to one year of imprisonment. |
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The official motive for their sentence was « interfering with airplane traffic ». What happened ? A day of demonstration was organized by USTKE in front of the Noumea airport in support of the workers of Air Caledonia in combat since 2 months against abusive dismissal.
The police force used strong-arm tactics: flash balls and tear-gas grenades. The demonstrators took refuge in an empty airplane to protect themselves against the tear-gas. At the time of the intervention, there was no plane in circulation. An impressive demonstration in the streets of Noumea was held to protest against this politician verdict and this colonial justice.
A delegation came from Paris to communicate and put questions to dignitaries and politics, union and judicial organizations, because of violations to the human rights in New Caledonia. |
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The delegation came to see me. These Kanakys had traveled 23,000 Km and will have a very heavy schedule.
It is a pleasure to meet them. They know me and they know that for a long time I have been on their side. According to the custom, one of them makes a speech about me and offers me meaningful presents of which a necklace of shells. |
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| We share the bread and friendship. Then, we took the subway to go to a meeting of solidarity for the union freedom. An evening organized in their honor. They are eagerly awaited. I have the pleasure of talking to Elie Domota, a well-known union leader, from Guadalupe. He is an impressive man. His speech during the evening pleased me very much. |
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| When one hears these men and these women, impassioned for justice, fighting barehanded, how is it not possible to keep hope for a better world? |
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