Defy the Curfew: a Declaration by Olivier Besancenot
November 8th, 2005
[Olivier Besancenot is the spokesperson for the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire]
[Prime Minister] de Villepin’s decision, as announced last night on Channel
One, is unacceptable. Instead of responding the social crisis, he has dug
up a law from the colonial era, from the Algerian War, which gives prefects
the power to enact curfews in part or all of their borough, and also to suspend
many freedoms. E. Raoult, the mayor of Rancy – a city with 2,6% low-income
housing – had already enacted such a curfew, as a repressive trial balloon.
The LCR [Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire, or “Revolutionary Communist League”
– France’s largest Trotskyist organization – translator] is calling on people
to defy the curfew by demonstrating wherever they are enacted, at night if
necessary. The LCR invites all democratic and left-wing to help organize these
demonstrations.
Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire, November 8th 2005
Please note that the above text about the past 12
days riots in France comes from the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire website
in France and was translated by yours truly. I have a “fast and loose” translation
philosophy, meaning that when there is a choice between readability and the
original phraseology i tend to favour the former, provided that the meaning
stays the same. The
original document can be seen in French.
This originally came from my blog - Sketchy Thoughts
- and is one of a number of pieces i wrote or translated regarding the
riots that rocked France in October and November 2005. To see the a complete
list of such posts, i suggest you check out the 2005 Riots In France page on the Kersplebedeb
site.