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Translation of the Letter
sent to the Prime Minister by CAP LC
Dear Sir,
The association CAP Freedom
of Conscience stands for members of religious minorities and individuals
supporting freedom of conscience.
We would like to draw to your
attention the behaviour of one member of the Miviludes, a body placed
under your authority.
Many of our members were shocked
by the recent statements of MP Jean-Pierre Brard (1), a member of the
Council of Orientation of the Miviludes. Indeed, during the TV show of
February 11, 2009, Enquête confidentielle, broadcast on channel
W9, M. Jean-Pierre Brard went a far way out of what is expected from a
representative of an official body, telling biased and disrespectful words,
deeply rooted in his personal iedology : « when you are glued in
the cult, then at this very moment, constraint starts … » and
he went on :« once you are in the jar ».
Mr Brard induces fear regarding
Jehovah Witnesses and bloods transfusions, regardless of the statement
made in 2006 in front of the inquiry commission of which he was the Secretary,
by Mr. Didier Leschi, Head of the Central Bureau of Cults : « to
prepare this hearing, I asked the prefectures [Translator’s note:
regional government authority] to count the number of incidents linked
to blood transfusions over the past three years. A few incidents came
to light, which were often resolved through discussion. No incident involving
children or lives considered at risk condition was noted. »
Mr Brard is well known for
his « extremist laicity » which was repeatedly sentenced by
courts.
On November 20, 2008, he appeared
in front of the criminal court of Bobigny. The facts occurred on November
8, 2006, when Mr Brard, then mayor of Montreuil, refused a member of the
city council, Mrs Vayssière, to speak, during the budget discussion
by the council. He justified this refusal by the fact that Mrs Vayssière
was wearing a cross around her neck.
Mrs Vayssière filed
a complaint for « refusing the benefit of a right by a person in
charge of a public service mission because of religion » (a discrimination
punished by article 432-7 of the criminal code).
According to the prosecutor,
Mr Brard « let himself go to give his personal beliefs a reach that
they could not have according to the law » and « deprived
his fellow citizen of exercising her religious freedom ».
Found guilty, he was sentenced
to a fine of 1,500 euros and 5,000 euros penalty. The 14th chamber of
the Court considered that the former mayor of Montreuil did make «
a confusion between the principle of neutrality demanded in public services
and the non-neutrality of a city council where everybody should have the
right to speak up ».
On July1, 2005, the administrative
court of Cergy-Pontoise canceled a city decree by Mr Brard forbidding
the fashion show « fashion for Muslim women » organized by
Cyl Jasmeen. In addition to this cancellation, Mr Brard was sentenced
to paying 750 euros for expenses paid by this company.
On February 6, 2005, Mr Brard
rushed into an evangelical church in the city of Montreuil during the
religious service. At the time, the mayor declared that it was about a
security control.
This affair scandalized the
Protestant Federation of France and Mr De Clermont, then president, stated
: « Evangelical Protestantism and Islam are today victims of the
same will of a certain number of officials to have in front of them some
« religiously correct”. Protestantism appreciates to be in
a country where freedom of worship is on the whole respected, but specific
threats are hanging over this freedom today. ».
Jean-Pierre Brard was sentenced
for libel on a complaint by Jehovah Witnesses by the Appeal court of Versailles
on December 18, 2002. He was also sentenced for libel against members
of Mandarom in 2003.
On November 4, 2008, he verbally
took it out on two eminent members of the Conseil Constitutionnel, reporting
extremely serious insinuations about them, during a session in the National
Assembly.
Mr Brard had just claimed
that « sects » « sometimes receive the support of highlighters,
spokespersons and defenders in a high position, enjoying networks within
the State system. »
« I think especially
of attorney de Guillenschmidt, lawyer in Paris, a fierce defender of the
organization of Jehovah Witnesses, co-founder of the Network for Advancement
of Transfusion Alternatives and of its french branch, NATA France »,
he said. « How could we imagine that Mrs (Jacqueline) de Guillenschmidt,
an influent member of Conseil constitutionnel, was completely estranged
to her husband’s beliefs, attorney de Guillenschmidt, when she acted
as rapporteur of the election case of our former colleague Georges Fenech,
a procedure which lead to the invalidation of his election and his ineligibility
», Mr Brard accused.
He then questioned the impartiality
of Law Professor Jacques Robert, a former member of Conseil constitutionnel.
He was called to order by
Mr Accoyer, president of the National Assembly, who said : « It
doesn’t seem acceptable to me to abuse of this [parliamentary] immunity.
This is intended to guarantee freedom of speech (...) and not to make
statements against which the victims cannot use their rights ».
Statements by Jean-Pierre
Brard against new religious movements are fueling a climate of intolerance
and discrimination.
This was criticized by Mr
Leschi, then Head of the Central Bureau of Cults, during the latest parliamentary
enquiry Commission regarding minors in October 2006. He said that this
kind of statements could indeed lead to « troubles to public order,
or at least manifestations of intolerance regarding one of the most fundamental
freedoms of any human being and any citizen: freedom of conscience ».
Let us recall that the UN
Special Rapporteur on Freedom of religion and belief, Mrs Asma Jahangir,
worried about this climate of intolerance, requesting in her report of
March 2006 to "stop stigmatizing members of some religious groups
or communities, including groups of which members never committed an offense
according to the French law" and advising that "actions of Miviludes
to come should go in the direction of freedom of belief and religion and
avoid past mistakes".
The above facts prove that
Mr Brard failed by far in his duty of reserve, not only during this show,
but also repeatedly over years. For this reason, we request, Mr Prime
Minister, that Mr Jean-Pierre Brard be expelled from the Orientation Council
of the Miviludes.
Thanking you in advance for
the interest you will grant to this letter,
Respectfully yours
Thierry Becourt
President
(1) JP Brard, a communist
member of Parliament, has been convicted of slander against religious
groups several times in court. He joined the French communist Party in
1956, the year of Budapest tanks. He is also a member of the MIVILUDES
(French governmental committee of watch and fight against sectarian practices).
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the letter
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