The TGI of Grasse has just reinstated the crime of solidarity, which was abolished by the government in January 2014, to the detriment of Claire, 72, for helping two refugees reach the Antibes train station. Handcuffed, interrogated, and placed in custody for 24 hours, Claire was treated like a dangerous criminal…
Claire is 72 years old. A retired lecturer, Claire is a charity volunteer, a solidarity and mutual aid activist.
Claire was handcuffed, placed in custody for 24 hours, her home searched, and her mobile phone seized.
Today, December 18, 2015, Claire has just been fined 1500€ by the TGI of Grasse.
Her crime?
Accompanying two refugees to the Antibes train station by car, allowing them to evade police checks.
The crime of solidarity, meaning the act of assisting the entry or stay of people in irregular situations (without compensation and without risking harm to the human dignity of the aided persons), was abolished in January 2014 by the government. It was even a campaign promise of candidate François Hollande.
What is shocking about Claire’s case is, on one hand, the fact that she was treated like a dangerous criminal, even handcuffed, and, on the other hand, that she is clearly not a smuggler but rather a charity activist.
At a time when we are teaching our young people that the Righteous Among the Nations defied prohibitions and danger for what they believed was right, we are convicting a septuagenarian for an act of solidarity and humanity.
by David Nakache
