France blocks Palestinian children’s book, cops raid bookshop
http://maktoobmedia.com/gaza-genocide/france-blocks-palestinian-childrens-book-cops-raid-bookshop/
French authorities have triggered a major censorship controversy after moving to block the distribution of a Palestinian children’s colouring book and sending police to raid a Paris bookshop to seize copies, actions that the publisher and booksellers have called “an unprecedented attack on freedom of expression.”Social Bandit Media, the publisher of “From the River to the Sea: A Colouring Book,”has accused French authorities of censorship after the children’s book was effectively blocked from distribution in France following an adverse opinion issued by a government body.“From the River to the Sea,” by South African author and illustrator Nathi Ngubane, is an educational colouring book that offers young readers a gateway into the story of Palestine. Through a series of striking illustrations, the Soweto-based artist explores Palestinian history and culture, addresses the injustice of the Nakba, examines the ongoing Israeli occupation, and introduces key ideas that have shaped and sustained Palestinian resistance.In a press release, the publisher said it was informed on January 8, 2026, that the Commission for the Surveillance and Control of Publications for Youth (CSJP) had issued an “unfavourable opinion” on October 16, 2025, regarding the import and distribution of the book in France.Another excerpt:“On January 7, 2026, the Violette and Co bookshop-café was subjected to an irregular search aimed at seizing books. This is unprecedented in France and extremely worrying for the fundamental freedoms of bookshops,” the statement said.According to the shop, officers spent 45 minutes conducting a meticulous search of the premises. “Shelves were inspected, boxes of books opened one by one, storage rooms and the staff break room were searched,” it said, adding that the employees present were “shocked and powerless.”Describing the scene, the statement said, “Uniformed police officers, weapons at their belts, were filming the premises with body cameras and checking around thirty boxes of books in search of a title that was no longer in stock.”
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