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Solidarity action for Said Elhairech following bail refusal
19 September 2012
Unionists in Spain and France have been among those taking solidarity action in support of jailed Moroccan dockers’ unionist Said Elhairech. Arrested in June and subsequently charged, he was refused bail last week.
The Spanish unions Transportes, Comunicaciones y Mar of the Unión General de Trabajadores and Servicios a la Ciudadanía of the Comisiones Obreras participated in a demonstration outside the Moroccan embassy in Madrid on 14 September to demand Elhairech’s release. They also attempted to hand over to the Moroccan ambassador to Spain a letter of protest; however, they met with hostility when embassy officials refused to accept it. They left the letter on a desk within the building.
French union Force Ouvrière also staged a protest outside the Moroccan embassy and presented officials with a letter.
In addition, the European Transport Workers’ Federation, the ITF’s European arm, passed a resolution at its dockers’ section meeting in Brussels on 13 September. There the unionists condemned “the fact that the Moroccan government has so far ignored the appeals coming from unions from all around the world to free Said” and committed to contribute to the ITF campaign to win justice for him. They also appealed to the Court of Rabat to reconsider its decision to imprison Elhairech.
Meanwhile, unionists from across the Africa region, including ITF Africa’s women trade unionists, have sent approximately 3000 messages of solidarity demanding Elhairech’s release.
For more information and details of how to get involved, visit: http://www.itfglobal.org/campaigns/free-said.cfm
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