On Wednesday, May 13th for the first time since the massive French Demonstrations of 1995, the French police encircled a Pro Mumia Abu-Jamal group picketing the American Consulate and ordered the demonstrators

"to take their Mumia banner down because an important personality on a semi-official visit to France was due to pass through the Place De La Concorde"

[This is unprecedented. A group of Mumia Abu-Jamal supporters from the ranks of the thirty group strong Save Mumia Coalition have been meeting Winter and Summer, rain or shine every Wednesday from 6 to 8PM on the famous Place De La Concorde opposite the American Consulate. The ten feet long "Save Mumia" banner strung between two lamp posts - a few yards away from the site where the French Revolution was sparked - has become a permanent fixture near the former site of the old guillotine. The death penalty was abolished in France in 1981, through the efforts of the then Minister of Justice, Robert Badinter]

A motorcade did pass through, yards away from Mumia picket and the unhoisted banner - close enough for all to recognize its VIP passenger: Hillary Rodham Clinton. The French police had received a mobile phone call minutes before most probably at the behest of the First Lady’s security liaison.

No sooner had the Presidential motorcade passed what was deemed to be an "eye sore" but not a "human rights sore", the Mumia banner went up again. And was into the sultry evening, Hillary’s garden party guests seeking the cool on the stone balconies of the American Consulate tasted sour champagne as they gazed down on the Mumia Banner raised to meet their eyes. Mumia’s ordeal will be a thron in the side of American diplomacy abroad.

[Both the conservative President of the Republic of France - Jacques Chirac - and his socialist Prime Minister - Lionel Jospin - have written letters (respectively in 1995 and 1998) indicating their concern that Mumia’s human rights were violated]

Paris, May 16, 1998

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