On 8 May 2005, amidst a revolt of France’s indigenes against that country’s colonial legacy and post-colonial racism, the Indigenous Party of the Republic announced its emergence. Since then the PIR has been attacked viciously by Zionists and other defenders of colonial racism for its strong stances against Israeli colonialism and France’s ongoing exclusion and inability to come to terms with its history. Of course, it is the greatest compliment to be attacked by our opponents, and the intensity with which the opposition has attacked PIR is the purest testament to the clarity of your vision.
It has been a great honor for IJAN-France to struggle alongside the PIR, and to work together to build a principled opposition to the criminal policies of the French and Euro-American governments. We are also honored to share a commitment to challenging Islamophobia, one of the most virulent forms of French racism, and part of a long history of racism and colonialism in North Africa and the Middle East. As part of that commitment, we are proud to have worked together on the Never Again Tour, and to have linked the crimes of European colonialism with European antisemitism and the mass murders of Jews within Europe, as well as the murder of the Roma, gays and lesbians, people with disabilities, resistance fighters – among other victims of the Nazi horror.
Throughout this time we have been inspired the clarity, commitment, and unwavering drive of PIR’s political and intellectual work. We have appreciated your organization’s work, and we look forward to many more years of the PIR’s important labors.
All the best, and many congratulations from IJAN on this anniversary.
