We have received the message below and a press release from the Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE), a group which has participated in the WARAF network. As they explain, they are suffering a new attack at the hands of the French state.
In 2020, repression led to the closure of the Collective Against Islamophobia in France; the fascist Front National party had already been demanding their banning for years. CCIE was created in Belgium in 2020, effectively as an exiled entity. Now French state repression is attempting to silence them there.
Dear partners,
Last May, the Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE) was the target of house raids and police custody measures against its founding members, as well as one of its partners based in France. These measures were carried out as part of an investigation opened in France for “participation in a dissolved association” – a provision originally intended to combat violent extremist groups.
The application of this charge against a Belgian association raises fundamental questions:
- On what legal basis can a French ministry trigger such investigations outside its own territory?
- Are we not witnessing the misuse of this provision to silence actors working to defend human rights and combat Islamophobia?
The timing is also troubling: these operations took place only two days after the march against Islamophobia, organized in France following the brutal murder of Aboubakar Cissé in a mosque. The message sent is clear: repress rather than respond to legitimate demands as guaranteed by the French Constitution and international conventions.
What makes this matter even worse is that the same individuals were summoned again for questioning on 3 September.
In the face of this worrying situation, we call on you for active support. Specifically, we invite you to:
- Publish a public statement or our press release (attached) denouncing these disproportionate measures and expressing your solidarity with the CCIE.
- Publicly question the French, Belgian, and European authorities (through open letters, public statements, social media) to demand explanations and respect for fundamental rights.
- Share this press release with your members, networks, and subscribers in order to amplify mobilisation and vigilance around this case.
- Share any expertise or resources useful to our defence, and facilitate connections with relevant partners.
We call on our partners and all human rights defenders to remain vigilant and mobilised against all forms of political repression. Together, we can create the necessary pressure to put an end to these troubling practices and defend freedom.
We thank you in advance,
The CCIE team
Press Release
New summons of CCIE leaders
29 July 2025
The Brussels based European human rights organization Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE, governed by Belgian law), was informed this week that its leaders—as well as those of a European partner organization based in France—have received a summons for a hearing scheduled on 3 September 2025, following the house raids and hearings that took place on 13 May.
This new summons comes after an initial, hastily arranged attempt to hold a hearing on 23 July 2025, right in the middle of the summer holiday, even though it had been agreed during the 13 May searches that no action would be taken until the autumn.
One of the CCIE leaders, who was abroad for personal and professional reasons at the time, and whose lawyers were also unavailable, had expressed the impossibility of attending on that date.
This rushed approach raises many legitimate questions:
- Why this sudden acceleration in the middle of summer, contrary to previous commitments?
- Are these new steps the result of pressure from the Ministry of Justice, and to what end?
- Is this a political instrumentalisation of the justice system?
We cannot ignore these questions, especially as the government is preparing, in the autumn, to relaunch a proposed law targeting so-called “Islamic entryism,” in which the CCIE is falsely named.
This judicial timeline, strangely synchronised with a political strategy, shows that we are not facing a routine legal procedure, but rather a political and judicial operation aimed at criminalizing an organization committed to fighting racism and Islamophobia. We must express deep concern over a justice system being used as a political tool against a human rights organisation.
CCIE reaffirms that it has nothing to hide. We have always cooperated with the authorities in full compliance with the law. However, we strongly denounce these attempts to silence critical voices, to delegitimise respected civil society work recognised by experts and, more seriously, to portray human rights defenders as a threat.
What is at stake here goes beyond our organisation alone. It concerns the freedom of all associations and the ability to participate in public debate without repression. We call on political leaders, national, European and international institutions, human rights NGOs, activists, as well as our members and supporters, to mobilise and demand that CCIE, its leaders, and its partners be left in peace, no longer harassed for their actions, their commitments, and their positions fully fall within the framework of fundamental rights.
What is being targeted here is not a crime, but a right: the right to speak, to organise, and to mobilise, a right we must now defend together.
World Against Racism and Fascism 