Stop Mugabe coming to Cannes

Zimbabwe in crisis

Brendan Barber blogs against Mugabe

13 February 2007

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has issued a last-minute call to the French Government not to allow Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to attend the Franco-Africa summit in Cannes which starts on Thursday.

Writing on the Guardian's Comment is Free website, Brendan says:

'His [Mugabe's] regime in Zimbabwe has become a by-word for repression, cronyism and incompetence. Once the bread-basket of southern Africa, its economy now lies in ruins. Its people are terrorised, immiserated and enslaved... . Tens of thousands have been forced to flee the country. And the regime and its supporters brutally suppress any dissent or attempts to organise opposition.

'Trade unionists have particular reason to hate Mugabe and his cabinet cronies. Last September, the leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions - who remain the most vocal, best organised and largest opposition to Mugabe's regime - were imprisoned, beaten and initially refused access to both lawyers and doctors because they had the temerity to protest against high inflation, unemployment and lack of access to AIDS medicines.'

On the day the article appeared, it was reported separately that inflation in Zimbabwe has reached a staggering 1600% per annum.

The French Government has repeatedly refused to deny rumours that it has invited Mugabe to the summit, sparking a campaign which included protests in London, an unprecedented joint lobbying by the three main union confederations in France. Trade unionists around the world heeded the call for solidarity from the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.

For more information, see:

• Brendan Barber's article at http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brendan_barber
  /2007/02/why_mugabe_shouldnt_be_invited.html
• The International Trade Union Confederation's coverage of the issue at http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article681
• The Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) website at http://www.actsa.org/Pages/Page.php?pID=1083&title=EU%
  20Sanctions%20Campaign%20-%20ACT%20NOW!