Freedom News

Supporters call for International Day of Solidarity with anarchist hunger striker Libre Flot

On 8th December 2020, seven anarchists were arrested by the DGSI, the French anti-terrorist police unit, in various locations across France. They have been accused of partaking in “a criminal association planning a terrorist attack”.

All but one have since been released (two without charges), some after months in pre-trial detention. They are awaiting trial and are placed under judicial control. The defendants, not all of whom know each other, have been under surveillance for a long period of time, including digital surveillance such as planting recording devices in vehicles as well as physical surveillance.

The one who is still incarcerated awaiting trial, Libre Flot, is kept in solitary confinement with limited access to visitors. The official reason given to justify his continual detention in such conditions while all other defendants have been released is because the authorities and the court identify him as the leader of the “group”.

In February, Libre Flot’s appeal to be released before trial  was denied by a judge. He then announced he will go on hunger strike, to protest his detention. Flot begun his hunger strike on 27th February, and in result, he was hospitalised on 24th March.

Below, Freedom publishes a call-out for international solidarity action released by Libre Flot’s comrades and supporters. 


On Dec 8, 2020 a group of seven people were arrested by the French state for alleged terrorist association. All but one of them have been released with no specific charges beyond ‘criminal conspiracy,’ a charge that can be used to enhance sentences and strip away rights. Libre Flot was transferred to solitary confinement days after his arrest and is the only one of those arrested still behind bars.

Throughout his incarceration, the French state has attempted to say that Flot’s actions of joining the liberatory struggle against the Islamic State is the same as those who traveled to Syria to join ISIS.

As of Feb 27, Flot began a hunger strike in protest of the 14-plus months of pretrial detention, the allegation that seven people who did not even know one another committed a conspiracy, and the attempts of the French state to assert that those who fought the Islamic State are no different than the ISIS members they opposed.

On the 24th of March, after having lost a lot of weight and presenting health problems, Libre Flot was hospitalized.

The 4th of April will be his 36th day of hunger strike.

The 4th of April is also his birthday.

On this day, we call for an international day of solidarity. We call upon all comrades and every decent human being with a sense of justice to protest outside French embassies, consulates or institutes, or to find any other way to voice their objection to this blatant injustice.

DESTROY ALL PRISONS. FREEDOM FOR INCARCERATED COMRADES.

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