A group of extremist Israeli youths, members of the outlawed Kach Movement, tried to prevent Palestinian nonviolent resistance leader, Abdullah Abu Rahma, from speaking at a forum in Paris, by creating chaos, acting in a violent way and trying to physically attack him.Abu Rahma, coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Bil’in village near Ramallah, was the guest speaker at the forum.
Fundamentalists interrupted his talk by breaking chairs while raising Israeli flags and by shouting and cursing at him while trying to physically attack him.
The extremists managed to disrupt the talk for approximately 30 minutes. Organizers of the Forum denounced the attack, especially since it is meant to suppress freedom of speech.
During his talk, Abu Rahma spoke of the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people, living under Israeli occupation, losing their lands for Israeli settlements and the Annexation Wall, and subject to constant attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
He called for isolating Israel and imposing sanctions on it until it recognizes the legitimate Palestinian tights of liberation and independence.
Abu Rahma is conducting a tour in Europe to talk about Palestinian nonviolent resistance against the Wall and settlements, and the suffering of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.
He started his three-week tour two days ago in France, and will also be touring in the Czech Republic, Britain and Germany.
On March 14, Abu Rahma was released from an Israeli detention facility after being imprisoned for 15 months. He was kidnapped by the army in December 2009. Nine months later, an Israeli court “convicted” him of “incitement” and organizing and participating in the nonviolent protests in his village, Bil’in. He was acquitted of stone-throwing and weapons possession charges.
The army tried to accuse him of having weapons for exhibiting spent tear-gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets fired by the army at the local, Israeli and international peace activists conducting nonviolent protests in Bil’in.
Abu Rahma is a well-known Palestinian figure of the ongoing nonviolent resistance against the illegal Israeli Annexation Wall and illegal settlements built on Palestinian lands in the occupied territories.
Several Palestinians were killed while dozens of Palestinian, Israeli and International peace activists were wounded after being violently attacked Israeli soldiers who also fired live rounds at them.
