The Union of French Muslim Democrats (UDMF) intends to present itself in the European elections next June within a “Free Palestine Party” coalition bringing together several European parties, the UDMF indicated this Monday, April 15, confirming information from La Tribune Sunday. It is about “making the voice of the Palestinian people heard” and “fighting against the contamination of far-right ideas targeting citizens of the Muslim faith”, the president and founder of the UDMF explained to AFP, Nagib Azergui, who plans to submit his list “at the beginning of May”.
This coalition will bring together “independent parties sharing the same Muslim ethics” in France, Spain (Partido Andalusi), Germany (BIG Partei), Belgium (led by Fouad Ahidar), the Netherlands (Nida) and Sweden (Partiet Nyans). The UDMF calls on its site for “a radical change in French and European diplomacy” with the establishment of sanctions against Israel, in particular the ban on arms sales, a commercial embargo and the exclusion from any international competition.
“Work differently” from LFI
It also lists, in addition to Palestine, proposals in terms of ecology, the fight against tax evasion and against discrimination. Created in 2012, the UDMF has 650 members. She had collected less than 29,000 votes in the 2019 European elections, with peaks in certain municipalities: 7.43% in Garges-lès-Gonesse (Val-d’Oise) or 6.77% in Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines). ).
The party intends to compensate for its lack of financial resources with a field campaign, with a bus which will travel from mid-May to working-class neighborhoods, from Strasbourg to Ile-de-France. “We have very keen competition against us,” adds Nagib Azergui, while LFI also insists on the situation in Gaza in its campaign. But “we want to work differently” by “not being satisfied with big declarations”, he adds.
Beyond the result of the European elections, the manager assures that “our real ambition is 2026” with the municipal elections, to which the UDMF intends to appear in three cities. Nagib Azergui also rejects any accusation of communitarianism: if it intends to defend the rights of Muslims, the UDMF is “not a confessional party because we have not made the Koran the basis of our program”, he explains. -he.