Despite the intense heat, over 2,000 people gathered outside the Paris courthouse on Wednesday, June 18, to denounce the repression of Anasse Kazib and another activist from Révolution Permanente (RP), Left Voice’s sister group in France. “We have shown that we’re capable of creating a massive bloc of resistance,” said Kazib, railway worker and RP spokesperson at the podium. Kazib is being prosecuted for “advocating terrorism” for his tweets supporting Palestine.

On the square, a wide range of organizations expressed solidarity with the two activists. From La France Insoumise to Lutte Ouvrière, along with NPA-A, Jeune Garde, NPA-R, Urgence Palestine, Samidoun, Tsedek, Les Soulèvements de la Terre, Action Justice Climat, Extinction Rebellion, and Young Struggle, all denounced the politically-motivated case meant to silence voices condemning the genocide in Gaza.

“If the goal was truly to prosecute terrorism, then Israel should be the one on trial,” declared Nathalie Arthaud. 

Éric Coquerel denounced the criminalization of those who speak out “against the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the colonization of the West Bank, attacks on people in the region, and the drive to eradicate the Palestinian people.” 

At the rally’s opening, one of Kazib’s lawyers, Elsa Marcel, criticized the charge of “advocating terrorism” as “a weapon of mass destruction against freedom of speech.”

Numerous worker delegations also arrived from across France. In transport, over 200 railway workers showed up in solidarity, with SUD Rail and CGT Cheminots Paris Nord representatives speaking from the podium. Also present were large delegations of RATP, Transdev, and Keolis workers, including many from the Vulaines depot in Seine-et-Marne, along with workers from SUD Aérien. After speeches by CGT members from Geodis, Sidel, CGT Énergie Paris, and refinery workers from TotalEnergies Grandpuits and the Normandy platform, many pointed out that the prosecution is aimed at preventing the workers’ movement from expressing internationalist solidarity with Gaza — especially at a time when the ruling class wants a “nationalist working class that will accept militarization.” Julien Troccaz and Aurélien Boudon shared the solidarity of SUD Rail and Union Syndicale Solidaires. Brahim, of the CGT Nord’s executive committee, spoke on behalf of his union, whose secretary Jean-Paul Delescaut was given a one-year suspended sentence for distributing a pro-Palestine leaflet.

Many speakers defended the right to support Palestine, including collectives such as Urgence Palestine, Samidoun, and the decolonial Jewish group Tsedek. Anti-racist activist and labor inspector Mornia Labssi denounced the violence of the French state — which is complicit in the genocide — and reminded the crowd that “solidarity with Palestine also means fighting against the broader repression targeting those who rose up after Nahel’s murder¹a French-Algerian teenage killed by the police, the repression of our Kanak and Mayotte brothers, and the criminalization of strikers.”

That same morning, the judges postponed the trial until June 25, 2026, a decision the defense sharply criticized. “The prosecution is quick to go after activists based on a far-right complaint, yet only gives them 90 minutes to defend themselves. When you’re politically prosecuted, you defend yourself politically — not in just 90 minutes,” Elsa Marcel said.

“They weren’t ready,” said Anasse Kazib, thanking the crowd for their overwhelming solidarity. “We were going to put the genocide in Palestine on trial, show what’s really happening,” he said, referencing testimonies — both in court and in writing — from figures like historian Ilan Pappé, journalist Alain Gresh, humanitarian doctor Rony Brauman, and former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk.

“Of course we’ll be here in a year, and in ten years if needed,” said Raphaël Arnault, La France Insoumise deputy and spokesperson for La Jeune Garde — an anti-fascist organization recently dissolved by the government — urging the movement to grow even larger. 

“We should be proud of this mobilization today. They have the courts and prisons, but we have the most powerful weapon: we are not afraid, and we are united,” said anti-racist activist Assa Traoré.

In the end, the powerful gathering against the genocide in Gaza and the criminalization of Palestine supporters was a show of strength in defense of Anasse Kazib and all the repressed. This mobilization builds on recent waves of solidarity — from the crew of the Madleen, arrested by Israel for trying to break the Gaza blockade, to the growing understanding that the workers’ movement must play a central role in ending the genocide.

Now more than ever, our mobilization is vital to stop the massacres in Gaza and to expose the complicity of the French state, the United States, and other imperialist powers with Israel — especially as they’ve silenced even their weak criticisms since Israel launched a massive offensive against Iran. 

We must also continue to take to the streets in large numbers to demand the release of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, the longest-held political prisoner in Europe.

This article was originally published in French in Révolution Permanente on June 18.