From the ILC:

    Dear Sisters and Brothers,

    No sooner had the ink on the agreement that ended the 44-day general strike in Guadeloupe dried, than the Attorney General for French Overseas Department and Territories announced that he was filing legal charges against LKP Strike Collective spokesperson Elie Domota for "provoking discrimination, hate and violence against a category of persons based on their ethnic origin." More ominous still, the Attorney General accused Domota of "fomenting provocations and promoting the use of force to extort the signing of the so-called Jacques Bino agreement."

    This announcement of possible legal action by the French authorities came in response to a statement made by Domota, who is also general secretary of the UGTG trade union federation, to a celebration rally on Thursday, March 5 -- the day after the Jacques Bino agreement was signed. (Bino was the trade unionist killed the night of Feb. 16 by bullets now widely believed to have been fired by masked government provocateurs who infiltrated one of the barricades on the outskirts of Pointe-à-Pítre.)

    In response to a question from the crowd as to whether the French government and the white ruling elite in Guadeloupe, the Béké, could be trusted to live up to the signed agreement and to pay the 200 euro monthly increase in the minimum wage, Domota stated: "Either they respect and implement the agreement, or they will leave Guadeloupe. ... We have to be very firm about this. We will not allow a band of Béké to re-establish slavery on our soil."

    The attack by the Attorney General against Domota echoes the racist diatribes in the French media against the people of Guadeloupe and the LKP Strike Collective, in particular. The media portrayed the French government as the victim of "mob violence" that had compelled the government to sign an unjust agreement under duress and in violation of all conventional labor relations. This reference to a "mob" -- a reference to the overwhelming Black majority on the island -- is not only racist to the core, it shows the total contempt by the colonial authorities for the democratic aspirations of an entire people.

    The question that arises is this: Does the announcement by the Attorney General against Domota foreshadow an attempt by the French government to invalidate, through the courts, the agreement signed officially by all the concerned parties on March 4th at 8 p.m.? Given the wording of the charges, it appears that this may be the intent.

    The "first victory" that was won by the people of Guadeloupe through a heroic 44-day struggle is fragile. The colonial backlash has begun with its targeting of the spokesperson and most recognized leader of the general strike movement.

    We urge you to join us in demanding of the French government: "Hands Off Elie Domota! Implement the Jacques Bino Agreement!"

    We will bring you more information, including proposals for solidarity statements and actions, in the coming days. Please remain vigilant.

    In solidarity,

    Eduardo Rosario and Alan Benjamin

    For the ILC

(Note from Ross: Béké = buckra.)