Mumia Abu-Jamal named honorary Paris citizen

AFP ^

[paulat]

US death row inmate made Paris citizen PARIS, Oct 4 (AFP) - The city of Paris Saturday made an honorary citizen of celebrated US death row inmate and black activist Mumia Abu-Jamal, sentenced to die for the 1981 murder of a white Philadelphia policeman. It is the first time Paris has bestowed the honour since Pablo Picasso was made honorary citizen in 1971, Socialist mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe told an audience of 200 people, taking the occasion to attack the "barbarity" of the death penalty.

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Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther civil rights activist and journalist who has maintained his innocence, had his death sentence overturned in December of 2001 but that decision is currently on appeal.

In attacking the "barbarity called the death penalty," the mayor said "as long as there is a place on this planet where one can be killed in the name of the community, we haven't finished our work."

Raising his fist in a sign of solidarity, Delanoe then shouted "Mumia is a Parisian!" as the crowd of mostly-leftist activists cheered and applauded.

Black activist Angela Davis, a former member of the Black Panthers and the Communist Party, hailed the "profound sense of humanity" of Abu-Jamal, attacking American "unilateralism" and racist attacks against immigrants.

The movement to free Abu-Jamal "takes on a new sense in face of American unilateralism, the aggression against the Iraqi people and the racist attacks against immigrants which can only further gnaw away at the vestiges of democracy in the United States," Davis, a professor at the University of California in Santa Cruz, said.

Abu-Jamal, sentenced to death 21 years ago for the murder of Daniel Faulkner, has always insisted he was innocent, and scores of movements and organizations have sprung up around the world in his defence.

His opponents view him as an unrepentant murderer.

His case has provoked particularly vivid debate in France, which abolished the death penalty in 1981. French school children are required to study the case as part of their education.

©AFP

Subject: French news

[VigilantEye]

Shame on the french (small f intentional).

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[Always Right]

In attacking the "barbarity called the death penalty," the mayor said "as long as there is a place on this planet where one can be killed in the name of the community, we haven't finished our work."

How hypocritical is it then to honor a murderer.....is there a Frechman with a brain?

[mewzilla]

His case has provoked particularly vivid debate in France, which abolished the death penalty in 1981.

Tell that to the 15,000 people who died over the summer....

[Byron_the_Aussie]

"America saved France first from the Kaiser, then from the Nazis, and then from the Communists. The result? France cuddles up to Germany and rarely loses an opportunity to spite America. One shakes one's head in wonder that so brilliant a nation should fall prey to so crippling a sin as envy."

Dennis O'Keeffe, Quadrant magazine, October 2003

[anniegetyourgun]

I guess the French are so uninformed that don't know his death sentence was altered to life a few years ago. Not that being uninformed even approaches the depth of the French depravity in supporting this cop killer.

[JoJo Gunn]

I suppose those sewer divers will be honoring Manson and Gacy, et al, next? Oh yeah, those Europeans are so far ahead of the rest of us mere mortals.

[jmcclain19]

are you kidding me? He's the reason I don't buy Ben and Jerry's Ice cream, because they support Cop killing.

Ugh, and the french hits just keep on coming

[joesnuffy]

Boycott French Products

[Argus]

How do the Paris police feel about it? I don't recall the flics being all that tolerant of littering, much less cop killing.

[b4its2late]

His case has provoked particularly vivid debate in France, which abolished the death penalty in 1981.

This from the scumbags who invented the guillotine......

[Chu Gary]

Fine. Now that the U.S. is introducing biometrics to the entry process into the U.S. Make sure we have his fingerprints, scans of his iris's, a sample of his DNA and his blood, then send him to Paris to reside permanently!

[jpthomas]

Justice for Police Officer Daniel Faulkner.

[kylaka]

Ah but the French saved the Colonies from the British, which got the whole thing rolling. The French also gave us back Philadelphia's other notable cult hero... Ira Einhorn. So, I only consider France half bad.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

If Mumia would promise to stay in france, I'd be for letting him work his handy work there.

[Moonman62]

Tell that to the 15,000 people who died over the summer....

Yep, they get rid of grandma by wheeling her into a hot attic while the rest of the family goes on vacation, and they make a cop killer an honorary citizen. The only reason we shouldn't bomb the french is they are doing a better job of destroying themselves.

[Hillarys nightmare]

Here here!
To be "French", is to have one's nose poised high in the Air, thus making it very difficult to see clearly what is directly in front or around them!
Many people mistake this behavior to be a display of elitism, but it is actually an ancient defense mechanism that is characteristic of their culture.
Similar to that of an Ostrich, only in reverse.

[at bay]

Wesley, Cook already!

[Sapper26]

I've been through France. The last thing anyone would want to do is have his/her nose in the air. Whew - it stunk.