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The Gilets Noirs in their own words

Posted: April 21st, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: General | Tags: , | Comments Off on The Gilets Noirs in their own words

Today, April 21, 2020, the Gilets noirs movement in France has published a presentation of their movement, their principles and their goals. What follows is our translation of the French language flyer, the original flyer is below.

Introduction:

FEAR HAS SWITCHED SIDES, THE GILETS NOIRS ARE HERE!

IMMIGRANT SELF-DEFENSE, GILETS NOIRS RESPONSE

Born in Nov. 2018, the Gilets noirs movement fights against State Racism, slave bosses, foyer[1] managers and for documentation and housing for everyone. Today it includes over 50 foyers in the Ile-de-France reigion as well as the houseless, fighting for dignity. Covid-19 is not our greatest enemy: the State, the bosses and foyer managers have been spoiling our lives for much longer.

We the foyer inhabitants & the houseless of different nationalities and individuals in solidarity, have decided not to hide any more. We left our daily activities, we have risen up for housing and documentation, we organized ourselves into a movement, the Gilets noirs.

Here is our presentation of the movement, what we think and what we are fighting for in Fulani, Soninke and French.

Long live the struggle!
Loves live the Gilets noirs!

[We don’t want]
The streets
Or prison
Documentation and freedom for all!

Flyer presentation:

Immigrant self-defense, Gilets noirs response!

  1. Wherever an immigrant is suffering, the Gilets Noirs can rise up! For us France’s motto is: Humiliation, Exploitation, Deportation.
  2. We organize day & night, inside of foyers and on the streets against this Racist State and its accomplices. We are of all nationalities, we conduct our meetings in multiple languages. Despite what the State wants from us, we live an intense and autonomous political life. We are hiding no more!
  3. We are here to defend foyers against police round-ups.
    We are side-by-side with the rejected immigrants on the streets of la Porte de la Chapelle or at la Porte d’Aubervilliers where everyday they suffer tear gas and baton blows by the cops.
  4. We are ready to rise-up by the thousand when a boss exploits an immigrant.
  5. We mobilize within airports as the French State decides to deport foreigners back to their home countries, whether it is Afghanistan, the Sudan, Senegal or whichever country.
  6. We denounce at every occasion the colonialism, war and the economic looting pursued by France and other imperialist powers, whether regional or global.
  7. First, second, or third generation, we will destroy [immigrant] detention centers!
  8. Fear has switched sides. As we leave behind our families, cross the desert, cross the ocean, attack the [police] prefecture, attack la Défense, attack the airport, attack the Panthéon, the Gilets noirs are there. Fear has switched sides.
  9. Everything an immigrant must do in France, they must do in the DARK** [tr. noir]. We are Gilets noirs blackened by rage.

What do we the Gilets noirs want? Documentation!

We want documentation for everyone, whether we have been in France for a year or a decade, whether we’re employed or not and for everyone who will later come. We are all immigrants. We will not allow ourselves to be divided between “asylum seekers,” “refugees” or the undocumented.

We are no longer afraid of the Police or of Death, what we now fear is humiliation. We are proud of who we are, we are proud of our skin, our pride runs day and night. We came into the world with our pride and we will die with it.

We do not just struggle for documentation but against the system which creates the undocumented. We struggle for a life of dignity.

–

Everyone who fights against the State, exploitation and racism are among our ranks. We are living in a historical moment where oppressed people are rising up by the millions all over the world.

We support any organizational attempt from below that is against racism and exploitation, in France and elsewhere. We are a part of all these struggles.

Notes:

[1] In France, foyers are state-funded housing for immigrants.

You can follow the Gilets noirs on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/GiletsNoirsEnLutte/
And on twitter at: https://twitter.com/gilets_noirs

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