On Nov. 22-23, teams of Solidarité et Progrès set up banners and book tables in front of the annual congress of the Association des Maires de France (AMF) and the “Mayors’ Fair.” It should be noted, however, that many mayors of “small” villages and communes (such as those we often talk to) stopped going to this event, since they do not feel they are listened to or respected.
On our signs, we had a large reproduction (in French and German) of the letter of support signed by several French mayors in support of the German peace initiative by the German city of Stralsund. The late-October initiative to urge peace talks on Ukraine, launched by Stralsund in an open letter “A New Stralsund Peace” to the Federal government in Berlin and the Mecklenburg state government, has found co-thinkers and supporters among French towns and cities. Referring to a major peace treaty signed in Stralsund in 1370, which put an end to long wars in the Baltic Sea region, the current offer by Stralsund to be the host of peace talks on Ukraine has drawn the support of 15 French mayors.
Our organizing to add more mayors to the list, however, intersected a different intention on the part of the event’s sponsors. To brainwash the mayors, the opening session started with a message from Solidarity with Ukraine in the presence of six Ukrainian mayors, including the mayor of Lviv and a video intervention by Zelenskyy himself.
Ironically, the event organizers welcomed the Ukrainian elected officials next to our bookstand, but made it a point to restrict our visibility to the Ukrainians. No look or word from their mouth, once we informed them “this is Cheminade’s booktable,” and they immediately rejected our leaflet.
