Paris, 14 December 2022
Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr Shimon Samuels, called attention of Toulouse Municipal authorities: “The ‘Collectif Palestine Vaincra’ (CPV – ‘Association Palestine Will Vanquish’) has launched its yearly Winter Campaign in your town, inciting BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) targeting Israel, and staunchly supporting (Hamas-governed) Gaza.”
After the launch of their campaign on the 9th of December, CPV plans to hold another rally in Toulouse on Thursday 15th. Apparently, they have again hijacked JCDecaux billboards on the streets of the French city. This time round, their posters have the outline of their idea of “Palestine” – that includes Israel in its entirety – in Christmas-tree green with multicolour decorations.
A year ago, different BDS campaign outlets occupied JCDecaux billboards with blood dripping over the logo of Puma, “guilty of sponsoring Israeli colonialism” (Puma is Israel’s national football team outfitter) and called to boycott Israeli Teva pharmaceuticals, somehow “guilty of ‘Apartheid’ by association.”
Samuels stated: “Of course their lexicon is grotesque and inappropriate. Just as they manifestly aim at pilfering the geographical reality of Israel and embezzling its heritage, it is also their long-lasting tradition to misappropriate someone else’s victimology – in this case, South Africa’s ‘Apartheid’ – used as a catchword to defile and delegitimize the Jewish State.”
This new Winter Campaign offensive, again carried out in the CPV national stronghold, Toulouse, foreshadows incitement to antisemitism, masked as anti-Zionism.
The Wiesenthal Centre has urged the Toulouse municipal authorities and police “to block CPV’s Winter Campaign, that is in stark contrast with the adoption by the French Parliament of the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism... Furthermore, those responsible for misappropriating the JCDecaux billboards must be identified and charged for vandalism, aggravated by antisemitism and incitement to hatred, in compliance with French law.”
“Indeed, this CPV campaign represents a threat to the Toulouse Jewish community, that has already been irreparably wounded by the murderous Jihadi rampage of March 2012, when a lone wolf attacked the Ozar Hatorah school, murdering 3 and 5-year-old brothers together with their father, and an 8-year-old girl at point blank range. The Toulouse Jews should not endure incessant antisemitic campaigns led by fellow citizens fuelled by hate!”
To find the vandals should be possible, considering that Toulouse claims to have added, since 2021, a number of video cameras in “sensitive areas”. It is most probable that the perpetrators are the same militants who openly support Gaza and incite BDS.
The Wiesenthal Centre last year urged JCDecaux “to add new forms of security to its infrastructure – alarms, cameras or more secure locking systems."
“Furthermore, the company should bring a case against Collectif Palestine Vaincra.”
“Our Centre will monitor the CPV rallies and billboards in Toulouse over the next weeks. If the perpetrators are not punished, Toulouse will be seen abroad as the ‘French Gaza’,” concluded Samuels.
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For further information, contact Shimon Samuels at csweurope@gmail.com