PARIS (AP) — Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath said French authorities are seeking to deport him on the grounds that he is a threat to public security, accusing France of targeting him over his pro-Palestinian activism.Shaath, 54, said in a May 14 face-to-camera video statement posted online that the move was part of what he described as a broader campaign to silence Palestinians and supporters of the Palestinian cause in France. Shaath helped found the pro-Palestinian organization Urgence Palestine after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. He accused French authorities of targeting him after earlier legal proceedings failed.France’s Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Shaath said in the video that the deportation move followed earlier difficulties renewing his French residency papers, despite his family ties in France. He also alleged that his bank account had been closed without warning and that his health insurance card had been suspended, saying the measures affected his ability to work, travel and receive care.
Shaath said he and his family would challenge the proceedings before French and European courts.
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Shaath, who is Egyptian and Palestinian by birth, previously coordinated the Egyptian chapter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. He has long linked his Palestinian activism with opposition to authoritarian rule in the Arab world.
