The Brussels Process

ICLA AND THE BRUSSELS PROCESS CONFERENCE: ICLA RELAUNCHED…….

 

International Civil Liberties Alliance Relaunched

By Alain Wagner

International Free Speech and Human Rights Conference
Brussels 9 July 2012

Ladies and Gentlemen,
If you are gathered here today in the European Parliament of Brussels, a very symbolic place indeed, in the first international conference for free speech and Human Rights organized by ICLA (International Civil Liberties Alliance), it’s not because you know us, we are a new organization, or because coffee and sandwiches are free today, but because you, all of you, are directly or indirectly involved in the defense of free speech, Human Rights and Democracy.

Before I start to present ICLA, what we stand for and what we plan to do today and in the
years to come, I want to explain why this new Human Rights non-governmental organization has been created.

Yes, why ?

There are already a lot of Human Rights NGOs doing a wonderful job all over the world, trying to save people from the tyrannical rule of dictators and bloody handed oppressive regimes. They denounce abuses and expose the criminal deeds of those who use their power to crush, to enslave and to dominate their fellow human brothers, denying them the possibility to live a free life.

Freedom…

Freedom is precious, the most precious and beautiful belonging of any human being. Freedom is precious because it does not come for free, it has to be paid with blood, sweat and pain. We often forget it, but the freedoms we enjoy and take for granted, have been paid at such a price by our parents and our ancestors all along our history.

Freedom is beautiful too. Because like a tree, it gives us an agreeable place to live, sheltering us from the harshness of the elements and gives us and our children sweet and sustaining fruits.

But like a tree, Freedom is fragile, Freedom has roots and needs a nourishing soil to grow
upon and stay strong. A tree needs earth and water, Freedom grows from free speech and
Human Rights. Deprive it of those two components and she will wither and die.

Democracy’s principles and rules are the network of roots allowing Freedom to prosper and grow on the fertile soil of Free Speech and Human rights, cut those roots and Freedom dies too.

To keep our inherited Freedom intact and be able to transmit it to our children, its ground and roots should have been kept safe from all attacks and threats.

This is not the case…

In the past decades, a new threat has arisen. Actually a very old threat, but neglected because it was far from us and because we were arrogant and deluded by the illusion that Democracy and Human Rights were a natural wish for everyone living in a post cold war period of history.

This is not the case…

Democracy is now almost everywhere in the world under attack. The proponents of sharia, a totally different societal system, based on submission, indoctrination and violence like all totalitarianisms, are slowly undermining the roots of our societies. In this time of danger, Freedom of speech and Human Rights should be resolutely protected by our countries against all curtailing attempts.

This is not the case…

This is why this new International Civil Liberties Alliance has been created.

We aim to uphold threatened Freedom of Speech and Human Rights everywhere in the world.

Sharia enforcement is now one of the main issues that our democratic societies have to face
and will have to solve. Sharia enforcement is a worldwide political issue but also a human tragedy. Millions of people suffered and died from it and still are. And this includes the vast
majority of Muslims, especially muslim women, who are on various degrees deprived of some or all of their basic human rights and freedoms.

Every new societal sharia implementation, however innocent looking, is a direct attack
against the cornerstone of Democracy in progress.

We will be there to say it, to show the culprits, and today you will hear the name of OIC
(Organization of Islamic Cooperation) a lot of times, and to help the Freedom loving people
and organizations to raise their voices and to protect their societies.

We aim to help sincere proponents of free speech and Human Rights, those who are shaking the yoke of sharia oppression and defending the right for them and their children to be free humans.

We will raise our voice, your voice, in all international assemblies.

We will meet politicians, educate those who are still blind, support those who act
courageously and denounce those who betray the trust of their citizens.

We will collaborate with all democrats of the world, whatever their countries, the color of
their skin, their culture or their beliefs in order to find solutions, to promote the necessary
policies needed to protect their fundamental rights against sharia enforcement attempts.

Human rights are universal, we will fight at your side to protect them.
And it’s inspired by Winston Churchill, a magnificent defender of Freedom, that I will
conclude this presentation of ICLA by:

We will act in our streets, we will act in our cities, we will act all over our countries and
across boundaries, we will never surrender our Freedom.

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