French Union CNT Joins BDS Campaign

Confederation Nationale du Travail joins BDS campaign – press release

November 2009 – Through the intermediary of its international Secretary, the National Work Confederation (Confederation Nationale du Travail or CNT), a French anti-capitalist internationalist union involved in social class struggles, has joined the campaign labeled “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against the State of Israel”, an international campaign launched by more than 170 grass-root Palestinian organizations, including our partnering independent Palestinian independent unions.

Our union confederation will take an active part in the initiatives organized in France. The CNT”s international secretary is also inviting every union and federation within our confederation to sign this campaign individually and to take concrete actions in their own field of activities (education, social work, health, culture, trade, media …) and in their various regions.

The commitment of the CNT to support the Palestinian people over many years has led us naturally to join this vital campaign to end the exploitation and occupation by Israel. A special group within the international secretary has been working on Palestinian issues since 2001. Thanks to them, we have been able to establish many contacts in Palestine with autonomous unions and grass-root organizations that are fighting the occupation.

Our joining this “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” (BDS) campaign is coherent with our solidarity with Palestine, defined by our statement of support of the Palestinian people”s struggle, adopted by the CNT during its 2006 congress. This statement is the expression of the anti-colonial and internationalist principles of our union.

It confirms our opposition to all forms of colonization and occupation as well as our solidarity with the oppressed against the oppressor.

As it was done in the case of South Africa, this initiative aims at weighing through economic means and the media on the state of Israel until the unpunished oppression of the Palestinian people and the denial of their fundamental rights end.

Do not finance the occupation and the colonization of Palestine; out response, international solidarity between workers!

CNT International secretary
www.cnt-f.org/international