On Sunday 16th January we gathered in Claviere. We took the public space to finally give voice to Fathallah’s story, this border killed him. Fathallah, a 31-year old Moroccan arrived in France from Italy between 29th December and 1st January and was found dead on 2nd January in the basin of Freney, downstream of Modane. The eighth person we know to have died on this damned border in 3 years.
At 10am a solidarity stand was set up opposite the church of Claviere on the other side of the road, amidst of the comings and goings of tourists and skiers. When the 11 o’clock bus arrived a good number of people passing by joined us. After a few speeches, we walked towards the border. The invisible border between Italy and France covered by the motorway 94 of Monginevro was blocked for two hours. Several speeches were made by people who had known Fathallah, about the current situation in the detention centres, the NO TAV struggle, Emilio’s arrest and updates from Tripoli. Police deployment was massive, as always, from both the Italian and French side. We counted at least 20 vans on either side of the border, with annexed guards, digos, investigation police and some journalists next to them.
We chose to smear this border with red paint, red for the blood of the dead with which both States are stained. The blocked border caused long queues of cars, whose occupants expressed their solidarity in some cases and some even joined the demonstration.
A group also gathered in Île-Saint-Denis, Paris, for a demonstration in the neighbourhood in memory of those killed on borders in recent days and to show solidarity from beyond them.
We shouted our anger and pain in the face of yet another State death.
As long as this border exists, we will be on the side of all the people determined to cross it. The self-determination of those passing through Val Susa as well as any other territory has never stopped and continues every day without respite.
ALWAYS ACCOMPLICES AND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THOSE WHO STRUGGLE AGAINST BORDERS
For Fathallah (Modane, 2/01/22), Azzeidin (Calais, 14/01/22), Abdallah (Calais, 15/01/22) and all those killed by States, their borders and their guards
On Sunday 16th January we gathered in Claviere. We took the public space to finally give voice to Fathallah’s story, this border killed him. Fathallah, a 31-year old Moroccan arrived in France from Italy between 29th December and 1st January and was found dead on 2nd January in the basin of Freney, downstream of Modane. The eighth person we know to have died on this damned border in 3 years.
