François Piquemal: a humanist MP unjustly imprisoned
This photograph, signed by photojournalist Rémi Benoît, was taken during the first municipal campaign meeting for François Piquemal, scheduled for March 2026.
In it, we see the Toulouse MP surrounded by his guests, in a moment of exchange and fraternity.
François is offering meaningful United Souls t-shirts: to Ada Colau, the first female mayor of Barcelona, a Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian poet and symbol of resistance through the spoken word; to his assistant, a Patrice Lumumba, martyr of African independence.
Two creations signed by Toulouse-based artist Marie-Claire Laffaire, which embody solidarity between struggles, from yesterday to today.
A humanitarian act, a political imprisonment
Today, François Piquemal is unjustly imprisoned in the jails of the Israeli colonial state, alongside other comrades:
Emma Fourreau, Rima Hassan, Marie Mesmeur, as well as those from Toulouse Cédric Caubère and Khaled Benboutrif, along with the entire humanitarian crew of the Global Sumud Flotilla and 38 French citizens on board.
Their crime?
Having wanted to uphold international law and break the illegal blockade that is murdering the children of Palestine.
These women and men are not provocateurs: they are humanitarians, elected officials of the French Republic, and citizens of the world acting for peace, justice, and human dignity.
We have learned from the French consulate in Israel that François Piquemal has begun a hunger strike, to protest against his arbitrary detention and the inaction of the French government.
A deeply humanist commitment
Like thousands of humanists in France and across the world, United Souls expresses its solidarity with François Piquemal — a politician who is deeply anti-racist, anti-colonialist, and faithful to his convictions.
His action is in keeping with the figures he admires and whose faces he sometimes wears on his clothing: Fanon, Lumumba, Sankara, Darwish.
These figures remind us that human dignity is not negotiable and that solidarity has no borders.
Since 1948, the Palestinian people have endured a methodical dispossession of their lands and their rights, under the complicit gaze of slave-owning, colonialist, and intrinsically racist powers.
In this context, François Piquemal's act is not a provocation, but an act of humanity.
A lucid heir to French colonial history
Beyond the MP, there is the man.
Grandson of servants of the French colonial Empire in Chad, François Piquemal has chosen to break with this heritage to commit himself to the path of justice, fraternity, and reconciliation.
Unlike so many others, he does not look away.
He stands tall, on the side of oppressed peoples, faithful to this simple idea: words only have value if they are translated into actions.
The struggle continues
His arrest reminds us how much the defense of human rights remains a struggle.
But in times of trial, we recognize men of conviction.
Toulouse, a city of struggles and memories, will remember the one who carried the voice of the voiceless even into the waters of Gaza.
Citizen mobilization
Call upon the French authorities now, who remain silent in the face of this injustice:
Call them:
- Élysée: 01 42 92 81 00
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 01 43 17 53 53
Write to them:
For the suspension of the Toulouse-Tel Aviv twinning, sign the petition!
Every voice counts.
Every call, every email, every share helps to save lives.
Courage to you, comrade.
Awakened consciences support you, and the struggle continues. ✊🏿✊🏿
