Friday, March 30, 2007

FRENCH TEACHER UNIONS DENOUNCE POLICE TACTICS TARGETTING SCHOOLS IN CRACK DOWN ON IMMIGRANTS


Teachers in France are carrying out a one day strike today in support of one of their own arrested by cops while she tried to protect her students.

Valérie Boukobza-Rodriguez was arrested while trying to prevent the arrest of an illegal immigrant, the man in question was trying to collect his granddaughter from school. The police had set up checkpoints around the school and were checking the papers of all those coming to collect children. The police used tear gas and truncheons on the small crowd that were also attempting to aid the man and his children.

This is another example of police targetting parisian schools, previously they have taken children from schools. This has led to solidarity groups being set up in many schools by students teachers and parents.

Earlier in the week, there was a demonstration of over 1000 poeple in support of Boukobza-Rodriguez and the use of children and schools in taking sans-papiers (without papers) into custody. Chants called for an end to the expulsions of sans-papiers families who have provided education for children.

The following article is from libcom.org.

France: Solidarity strike for arrested teacher

French teaching unions have called for a one-day strike this Friday in parisian primary schools in support of an arrested teacher.

Valérie Boukobza, the headmistress of a school in the north of Paris, was arrested on the 20th of March after intervening to try to prevent the arrrest of a chinese illegal immigrant who was collecting his two grand-daughters from her school. A police car was damaged and an officer injured in the course of scuffles, with police using tear gas against those present. Ms. Boukobza was arrested and charged with damaging public property, she has since stated that her intervention was part of her duty of care towards the two pupils whose grandfather was being arrested.

Seven French teaching unions (SNUipp-FSU, SE-UNSA, SGEN-CFDT, SUD-Education, Snudi-FO, CGT-Education et CNT Sèvres-Babylone) have put out a joint call for strike action and for a march to begin at Sèvres-Babylone at 2pm.

The unions have denounced the heavy-handed treatment of Ms. Boukobza and have criticised the education authority in her district for failing to support her. The Interior minister (and probable next President) Nicolas Sarkozy has called for the courts to be 'allowed to do their job'. Something which Ms. Boukobza, currently held on remand, is unable to do.

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