Macron once campaigned for Ramy Shaath's freedom. Now he wants to deport him

“Macron once campaigned for Ramy Shaath's freedom. Now he wants to deport him Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Thu, 05/21/2026 - 09:49 The Palestinian-Egyptian academic and organiser faces deportation from France over his Gaza activism Palestinian-Egyptian activist Rami Shaath in Paris on 27 January 2022 (Joel Sagat/AFP) Off In January 2022, Ramy Shaath arrived in Paris after spending 900 days in an Egyptian prison. Forced to renounce his Egyptian nationality upon being freed, the Palestinian academic and organiser was greeted at the airport by his French wife and cheers from supporters. “I share the relief of his wife,” wrote French President Emmanuel Macron, who had pushed his counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, for Shaath's release. “Thank you to everyone who has played a positive role in this happy outcome.” Cut to four years later and Shaath is facing deportation from France as a "serious threat to public order". On Thursday, he is set to appear before a deportation committee in Nanterre – where he lives – which will assess whether he should be removed from France. The decision will only be advisory, however, and the authorities can choose to ignore it. "They cannot send me back to Gaza; one, because it's a war zone and because I am targeted by the Israelis ," Shaath, who was born in the besieged enclave, told Middle East Eye. "And in both cases, European law will not allow them to send me to Palestine. And of course, I know more Egyptians, but they cannot send me to Egypt." He said there was a possibility that they could send him to a third country – "so I could find myself in Liberia or Gambia" – but he suspects that he will instead be left in limbo, permanently unable to renew his French residency, harassed by the authorities and unable to access basic services. The basis for the deportation threat is Shaath's pro-Palestine activism. In Egypt, he was a prominent figure in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings against Hosni Mubarak and was a coordinator of Egypt's chapter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. 'This is a McCarthyist attack that is racist, that is criminal, that is beyond the law to harass everybody who talks about Palestine' – Ramy Shaath, campaigner Shaath settled in France in 2022 on a one-year visa. He applied for renewal in September 2023 but received no response. Since then, he has filed 10 urgent appeals for renewal, without success. On 30 April, he received notice at his home that deportation proceedings had been initiated against him. A document issued by the Nanterre prefecture listed the reasons for the deportation proceedings, mainly citing various speeches, lectures and other public appearances of Shaath's. Among them were his links to "figures of the Palestinian cause in France" as well as his references to "Israel's criminal occupation of Gaza" and his self-professed anti-Zionism and support for a one-state solution in Palestine. France top arms exporter to Israel in 2024, according to EU data Read More » "Oh my god, are you fucking serious?" Shaath said to MEE. "The French services cracked the biggest secret of my life! For 40 years I have not had one speech that I didn't attack Zionism, and today you cracked my heart that I've been lying about – that I am anti-Zionist? Unbelievable." Another example accused him of giving a "militaristic speech" while "wearing military fatigues". Shaath pointed out there was a video of the event cited in which he was giving a lecture, sitting down and wearing beige Uniqlo pants. Also cited was a call from Shaath for Iran to intervene in Israel's genocide in Gaza , which has so far killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and reduced most of the enclave to rubble. "Yes, that's true. But also, I have six other speeches in which I also called on France to send in its military to hit the Israeli planes that are continuing the genocide in Gaza," he pointed out. "This is a McCarthyist attack that is racist, that is criminal, that is beyond the law to harass everybody who talks about Palestine." MEE has contacted the French Interior Ministry for comment, but received no response at time of publication. MEE also contacted the Nanterre prefecture for comment, but also received no response. Distinguished career Like much of western Europe, France has seen a crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. This has been particularly the case in universities, where campaigners, students, teachers and unions have warned of growing pressure on those expressing support for Palestinians. Demonstrations, public speeches and building occupations are being criminalised, resulting in disciplinary hearings, administrative sanctions, legal proceedings and, in some cases, criminal records. Ramy Shaath holds hands with his wife, Celine Lebrun-Shaath, after arriving at Roissy airport outside Paris on 8 January 2022 (AFP) A bill set to be discussed in the French parliament last month would apply a range of penalties for criticism of Israel, including denying Israel’s existence and comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany. The text was eventually withdrawn from the parliamentary agenda, but the government is expected to introduce a bill on the same topic this summer. The proposed legislation would have expanded terrorism-related offences to include what the text describes as “implicit” provocation. Shaath has had a distinguished career. 'They want to keep me, to stop talking about Gaza and Palestine. I'm not going to do that' – Ramy Shaath The son of Palestinian chief negotiator and former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Nabil Shaath, he advised Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat, was part of the Palestinian Authority's negotiating team, and has delivered speeches to the French senate and foreign ministry. The city of Nanterre, where he now lives, named Ramy Shaath an honorary citizen in 2021. None of this has prevented him being caught up in the new anti-Palestinian climate. 'Banana republic' Family members, friends and supporters of Shaath announced on Sunday that they were launching a campaign to oppose his deportation. The campaign, titled #FreeRamyShaath2, references his previous imprisonment in Egypt between 2019 and 2022, when he was accused of “aiding a terrorist group in achieving its goals". 'I will fight it, but I'm not going to spend my life in that condition' – Ramy Shaath While the first campaign had the support of the French establishment, the second is directed against them. In November 2023, Shaath was reported to the justice system for " apology for terrorism " by the then prefect of Paris, Laurent Nunez – who is now interior minister. It was based on a speech made at a rally in which he asserted that the "Palestinian people, like all people under occupation, have the right to defend themselves and resist". The case was closed 11 months later by the Paris prosecutors' office. Criminalising protest: Pro-Palestine students in France face increased repression Read More » Shaath, who says he opposes violence and racism in all its forms, including antisemitism, said everything thrown at him was aimed at getting him to shut up or leave France – even if, ultimately, none of the charges stuck. "Yes, of course, if they continue this draconian decision against me and put me under house arrest... I will fight it, but I'm not going to spend my life in that condition," he said. "Eventually, probably, that might lead me to leave." The letter notifying Shaath of the proceedings against him suggested he would be placed under house arrest, have his movements restricted to his municipality, and be required to report "morning and evening" to the local police station. Shaath said he would exhaust every legal possibility before then, even taking the case up to the European Court of Human Rights. "I will not live under intimidation. If they insisted on being a banana republic, I will insist on taking the legal [route]," he said. "They want to keep me, to stop talking about Gaza and Palestine. I'm not going to do that." France News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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