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| • Victims of France's nuclear tests |
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| • Visit to the Mediator of the Republic |
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| • A historical victory |
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| • A place to live |
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| Victims of France's nuclear tests |
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A press conference was held on this subject at the Senate, in presence of the chairman of AVEN (Association of the victims of the nuclear tests). Many people were attending.
France has made 210 nuclear tests, of which 50 were made in the atmosphere, in the Algerian Sahara and also in French Polynesia. 40 years later, the victims (professional soldiers and civilians) have still not received any compensation from the State. |
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| I went twice (1989 and 1995) to Polynesia, especially at Muraroa with Greenpeace, to protest against the nuclear tests. |
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The radioactive fallouts have affected all the islands of Polynesia with serious consequences as well for the people as for the environment.
At Papeetee (Tahiti), I observed the effects when I met the victims suffering from cancerous diseases or unable to have children. I particularly saw children with malformations. It was a shock.
Invariably, the Minister of Defence, declared that the nuclear tests were « clean » and without any consequences.
Is this not disinformation? An "untruthful statement of the State"?
At the press conference, the creation of a support committee for the victims is announced, « Truth and Justice », requesting: |
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To vote a law ensuring a sanitary and environmental follow-up process after nuclear tests. |
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-The creation of an indemnity fund for the victims.
-The access to the secret records regarding the tests.
It is a long fight which needs the public opinion's support. |
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| Visit to the Mediator of the Republic |
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Near ''place de la Concorde'', in a fine private mansion, a delegation composed of people with no official documents from Lille and Paris had an audience with the Mediator of the Republic. At his side, his principal private secretary and the general secretary of the Court of appeal of Paris.
It was the first time there for me. It was an occasion for me to discover what the role of a mediator is!
During two hours, the time did not seem long to me. The mediator is a man who makes you feel at ease, knows how to listen to people and says what he will do. |
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| Concerning these files, they are jammed as well at the Lille prefecture office as well as that of the Paris prefecture. The mediator promised to intervene so that the files be accepted and re-examined on the criteria of having a job. |
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| The representatives for the people with no official documents can come to see the mediator when they please: they will be welcomed. |
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After the meeting, we went to take a drink in a nearby coffee shop. The representatives were delighted. For the first time, they were being recognized and taken into consideration by a top-ranking politic leader: « we feel like coming back again! » |
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| A historical victory |
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The British Court of Appeal has ordered the removal of the PMOI (People's Mujahidin Organization of Iran) from the terrorist list. The Court recognized this organization was not involved in terrorism. |
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Since this terrorist designation in 2002, this organization was stuck with this label. Which permitted the States to have a politics of accommodation with the Teheran Regime.
Famous lawyers and parliamentarians had to fight during many years to achieve this first victory, but a decisive one!
It is now the turn of the European Council to remove PMOI from the terrorist list. |
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| In the meantime, at Auvers-sur-Oise, it was time to celebrate. This charming small city, located at 30 Km from Paris, is not only the cradle of the Impressionists with Cézanne, Picaroon or Van Gogh, it has also been, for the last since 20 years, the place of the Iranian resistance with its elected woman president: Maryam Rajavi. |
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The Mujahidins living in Auvers-sur-Oise did not conceal their joy, as well as the Iranians in exile who dream to see the democracy one day in their country.
I was sitting next to a dignified English Lord and the jovial mayor of Auvers. We listened to the woman president's speech while following on a giant screen by satellite, what was going on in London and in Iraq (at the city Achraf where 20,000 Iranian resistants live).
After the dark hours the Moudhahidines had lived, I was delighted of their victory. Those who sow in tears, reap in joy. |
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| A place to live |
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At the end of the afternoon, I took the subway as usual to go to the
Labour Centre where Africans with no official papers are. On the boulevard,
one of them was handing out a flyer to the passers-by to inform them of the
fight: « 38th day of occupation at the Labour Centre. More than 800 isolated
workers with no official papers are engaged in an exemplary fight. Come to see
us. » The exterior walls of the Labour Centre were covered with pictures of
faces: each African had his picture taken with a French person (man or woman)
showing his identification card. It was a way to show solidarity and to request
papers for those that do not have them. |
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I heard a loud rhythmic music giving the desire to dance. In front of the door,
in the street, young Africans danced marvellously. I was fascinated by this
scene.
Sissoko, a spokesman for this group, invited me to follow him into the interior
court. Some Africans were sitting on the soil and were eating couscous prepared
by the women. They were about 10, dressed with long colour dresses and preparing
the meals, happy to distribute this food that smelled so good. They insisted
that I take a plate full of vegetables and couscous. I remembered that at the
beginning of the occupation of the Labour Centre, an Angolan had accompanied me to make himself an idea about the situation. He had been overcomed by
what he had seen: the Africans were cramped, full of del fear and sleeping
outside on cardboards. |
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Today, those things have changed: They have access to big rooms to sleep, with a
place reserved for women and children. Everything is clean and well organized.
Hope is with them.
They have succeeded this amazing feat of making of this occupied place a place
to live. Sassoon was very happy but he added: «All this does not give us
papers! » |
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