On June 25, the trial of left-wing politician and trade unionist Anass Kazib will begin in France over his support for Palestine.

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On June 25, the trial of French railway worker, trade unionist and presidential candidate from the Trotskyist party Révolution Permanente Anass Kazib will begin in Paris, according to the organization’s website. Along with him, a Révolution Permanente journalist is involved in the same case, whose name the organizers of the solidarity campaign do not publicly disclose. Both are accused of "justifying terrorism" because of their statements in support of Palestine.

The persecution of Kazib was one of the most visible episodes of a wider campaign by French authorities against the Palestinian solidarity movement. After October 7, 2023, the “justification of terrorism” clause began to be used more frequently in France against activists, politicians, trade unionists and pro-Palestinian organizations.

What is he accused of?

The reason for the criminal prosecution was Anass Kazib’s publications on social networks after October 7, 2023. In one message, commenting on a video by a France 24 journalist, he wrote : “Support for the Palestinian people who have risen up against this bloody state that is Israel.”

In April 2024, the Paris prosecutor's office opened a case against him under the article on “justification of terrorism.” Kazib himself sees the trial as part of a broader campaign to criminalize the activities of political and trade union activists who support Palestine.

Initially, the hearings were supposed to take place a year ago, but then the process was postponed. On the day of the hearing, thousands of people came to the courthouse to express support for Kazib. Now the case is returning to court in a completely different political climate - against the backdrop of increasing pressure on the pro-Palestinian movement both in France and abroad.

The formal basis for the trial was a complaint from the pro-Israeli far-right organization Jeunesse Française Juive Jeunesse Française Juive (JFJ) is a French pro-Israel organization created in the early 2000s. Known for numerous legal complaints against pro-Palestinian activists, politicians and organizations. JFJ supports Israel's hard-line policies towards Palestine and regularly opposes left-wing and anti-colonial movements, accusing them of anti-Semitism . Back in 2025, more than a thousand international public figures called the Kazib case “a real test for the French state.”

Who is Anass Kazib

Anass Kazib was born in 1987 in Sarcelles, Val-d'Oise department in France. He works as a switchman at the Le Bourget marshalling yard and has repeatedly emphasized that the railway is part of family history for his family. His father, a native of Essaouira, Morocco, moved to France in the early 1970s and also worked as a switchman for the SNCF SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer français) is the national railway company of France, operating the majority of the country's passenger and freight rail services. One of the largest public employers in France .

Kazib joined SNCF in 2012, and three years later he became a trade union representative of SUD Rail SUD Rail is one of the largest railway unions in France. It is a member of the Union syndicale Solidaires trade union and is known for its left-wing, militant position, active participation in strikes and campaigns against the privatization of railways and the deterioration of working conditions . He became widely known in the trade union movement during the fight against the SNCF reform in 2018 SNCF Reform (2018) - reform of the government of Emmanuel Macron, which opened the French railways to privatization, the creation of private carrier operators and the abolition of special status for new SNCF employees. It sparked one of the largest waves of strikes in France in recent years and was met with strong resistance from the railway unions . Later participated in protests against labor reform El-Khomri El Khomri Labor Reform is a 2016 reform of French labor law that expanded the rights of employers in matters of working time and dismissals. Caused mass protests by trade unions and leftist movements throughout the country , the “yellow vest” movement, mobilizations against pension reform, as well as the “Block everything” movement in the fall of 2025.

While driving Nuit Debout Nuit Debout (“Night on your feet”) is a mass protest movement that arose in France in the spring of 2016 during the struggle against the El Khomri labor reform. The participants held open meetings and political discussions in the squares of French cities, speaking out against neoliberal reforms and social inequality. Kazib met activists of Révolution Permanente, then a media project within the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA). The New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA) is a French far-left party founded in 2009 on the basis of the Trotskyist organization Revolutionary Communist League. Advocates for socialism, anti-capitalism, workers' rights, feminism and internationalism , which later developed into an independent organization. In 2022, Révolution Permanente left the NPA, criticizing the party leadership for its policy of rapprochement with “Unconquered France”.

In 2022, Kazib already tried to participate in the presidential elections, but managed to collect only 160 of the required 500 signatures from elected officials. Now he intends to run for president again in the 2027 elections. His candidacy is being put forward by Révolution Permanente, which bills its campaign as “labor, communist and revolutionary.” The organization claims that it is already collecting signatures and has secured the support of dozens of mayors across the country.

Solidarity Campaign

Angela Davis, Nancy Fraser, Raphael Arnault spoke in support of Kazib Raphael Arnault is a French leftist politician and anti-fascist activist, member of the French Parliament from the New Popular Front alliance. Before his election, he was one of the founders of the anti-fascist organization Jeune Garde and participated in campaigns against far-right groups in France , Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Nathalie Artaud Nathalie Artaud is a French Trotskyist, economics teacher and one of the leaders of the Lutte ouvrière party. Since 2008, she has been the main public face of the party and has stood for the presidency of France three times - in 2012, 2017 and 2022, representing the far-left labor movement , Olivier Besancenot Olivier Besancenot is a French Trotskyist, trade union activist and one of the most prominent representatives of the far left in France. In the 2000s, he ran twice for the presidency of the Revolutionary Communist League, and later became one of the founders of the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA). Long worked as a postman and remains one of the most recognizable figures of the French radical left , Francesca Albanese, Frederic Lordon Frédéric Lordon is a French philosopher and economist of the radical left, a researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and one of the most prominent critics of capitalism and neoliberal policies in France. Actively supports social movements and protest campaigns and many other intellectuals and politicians. His case was discussed far beyond France - from Brazil and Spain to the European Parliament and the Parliament of Catalonia.

Rencontre avec la députée argentine Myriam Bregman lors de son passage à Paris pour soutenir Anasse Kazib, accusé d'apologie du terrorisme.

RDV au rassemblement ce jeudi à 11H devant le tribunal de Paris à Porte de Clichy. Les voix de la paix ne doivent pas être censorées! pic.twitter.com/3vEbIke4Ms

— Jean-Luc Melenchon (@JLMelenchon) June 22, 2026

On May 1, 2026, more than six thousand people at a rally in Buenos Aires demanded that Kazib be acquitted. And on June 18, Révolution Permanente organized a big evening in Saint-Denis against the repression of Palestinian supporters.

The evening's participants were addressed by Kazib himself, his lawyer and municipal councilor of Saint-Denis Elsa Marcel, Argentine parliament member Miriam Bregman, Palestinian activist Rami Shaat, who is threatened with deportation by the French authorities, as well as a representative of the UJFP UJFP (Union juive francaise pour la paix) is a French Jewish organization that opposes racism, anti-Semitism, colonialism and the occupation of Palestinian territories. Supports Palestinian rights and participates in the Palestine solidarity movement in France , EuroPalestine EuroPalestine is a French pro-Palestinian association founded in 2002. The organization raises awareness of the Palestinian situation, conducts solidarity campaigns and advocates for the rights of the Palestinian people. Its long-term leader is Olivia Zemore and Global Sumud Flotilla.

“We are not just building a front of repressed Palestinians - we are building an international front,” Kazib said.

Among the speakers was Russian-Israeli journalist Andrei X, who is involved in activism in the occupied West Bank. “I traveled from the West Bank to London and everywhere I saw the same thing - outsiders of the Palestinian people are being repressed. The same thing is happening to Anass, but in a country that calls itself democratic. If they repress us, it means they are afraid of us,” he said.

🇵🇸 « J'ai voyagé de la Cisjordanie à Londres, et partout, les soutiens du peuple palestinien sont réprimés. C'est la même histoire ici avec Anasse, mais dans un pays qui prétend d'être démocratique. S'ils nous répriment, c'est qu'ils ont peur! "📢 – @the_andrey_x , journalist… pic.twitter.com/84M5sZBiIk

— Révolution Permanente (@RevPermanente) June 18, 2026

On June 25, supporters of Kazib are called to gather at the Paris court by 11:00. A year ago, more than two thousand people attended a similar rally, including delegations of trade union activists, as well as a representative of Urgence Palestine Urgence Palestine is a French pro-Palestinian organization created after the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023. Organizes rallies, solidarity campaigns and actions in support of the Palestinians: approx. In 2025–2026, the French authorities tried to achieve its dissolution, and several representatives of the organization became involved in court cases , Tsedek Tsedek is a French Jewish anti-Zionist organization opposing the occupation of Palestinian territories and in support of Palestinian rights: ca. Participates in solidarity actions with Palestine and collaborates with other leftist and anti-racist movements in France , Samidoun Samidoun is an international network of solidarity with Palestinian prisoners. The organization campaigns in support of Palestinians in Israeli prisons and advocates for the rights of the Palestinian people. In a number of countries, including Germany and Canada, authorities accuse Samidoun of having links with Palestinian armed groups; the organization itself denies these accusations . Lutte ouvrière Lutte ouvrière is a French Trotskyist party founded in 1968. He advocates the socialist revolution, an independent political organization of the working class, and regularly participates in elections. The most famous representative of the party today is Nathalie Artaud and Unconquered France.

“We are trying to show that in the face of repression, one can and should resist”

In a conversation with DOXA, Révolution Permanente activist Alexandra Yaropolskaya notes that the current trial of Anass Kazib was the result of a long-term political campaign of pressure on the pro-Palestinian movement, and the trial itself goes far beyond the scope of one criminal case.

According to her, the process was originally supposed to take place on June 18, 2025. Then Révolution Permanente launched a large-scale solidarity campaign in France and beyond, uniting political figures, trade union activists, intellectuals, artists and media personalities. On the day of the trial, about two thousand people gathered at the tribunal building. However, the hearings were postponed to 2026.

“A year later, we had to actually reassemble all these forces - political, cultural, intellectual. It was not at all obvious that people would be able to mobilize again, but we succeeded,” says Yaropolskaya.

She emphasizes that this is not just about Kazib himself. Another Révolution Permanente activist is involved in the case with him, and therefore the organization views the trial as a political attack not only on its participants, but also on the entire movement of solidarity with Palestine.

“Through the figure of Anass, the authorities are sending a signal to the entire Palestinian movement. This is an attempt to intimidate activists and show that for publicly supporting Palestine you can end up in the dock,” she said.

A broad front of solidarity

According to Yaropolskaya, one of the main goals of the campaign was to create the widest possible front against repression. An appeal in support of the June 25 mobilization was signed by more than 45 organizations, from pro-Palestinian initiatives to trade unions, youth groups, LGBT organizations and political parties.

“We managed to unite forces that disagree with each other on many issues. But in the face of government repression, they were able to speak out together,” the activist notes.

She connects this with the general situation around the Palestinian movement in France. In recent months, many prominent activists and representatives of solidarity organizations have been under investigation or threatened with prosecution, including Olivia Zemore, Rima Hassan, Omar Alsuumi and others.

According to Yaropolskaya, “if you don’t build a common front, the state will be able to simply crush activists one by one. This is why it is so important to stand in solidarity with each other, despite any differences.”

Repression as a political tool

Yaropolskaya also rejects the idea that the French judicial system is politically neutral.

“We do not believe that justice exists separately from the state. When the authorities want to suppress a certain movement, the judicial system becomes one of the instruments of this pressure,” she argues.

According to her, the task of such campaigns is not only to legally protect the accused, but also to create public resistance that can increase the political cost of repression.

“Very often people are persecuted almost unnoticed by society. Without public support, such causes demoralize activists and create a feeling that resistance is futile. We are trying to show the opposite - that in the face of repression one can and should resist,” says the activist.

Context

Kazib's case comes in the context of increasing pressure on the pro-Palestinian movement in France. Despite the fact that the court previously suspended the dissolution of Urgence Palestine, repression of activists and public figures continues. Thus, the press secretary of EuroPalestine, 85-year-old Jewish activist Olivia Zemore, was sentenced to 24 months of suspended imprisonment. Representatives of Urgence Palestine, MEP Rima Hassan, and activists Nicolas Shahshahani and Omar Alsuumi are also due to appear in court in the coming months.

Palestinian activist Rami Shaath is being threatened with deportation by the French authorities based on a secret intelligence memo. Another Palestinian, Ali, has been in custody for two years in a case based on charges brought to the French side by Israeli structures.

France is no exception. In the UK, the Labor government listed Palestine Action as a "terrorist organisation". In Germany, support for Israel has actually become part of state policy, and pro-Palestinian actions regularly face restrictions and bans. In the US, the Donald Trump administration is increasing pressure on universities, seeking the deportation of prominent Palestinian supporters, including Mahmoud Khalil, Leka Kordia and Mohsen Mahdavi, and using ICE immigration to suppress pro-Palestinian protests.