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From Le Monde, an interview with Julien Coupat (wikipedia), formerly accused with several others of “having sabotaged the suspended electrical cables of the SNCF,” the French train line. Of the nine people arrested on 11 Nov ’08, he was the last one released, on 28 May ’09 (yesterday).

Q. The police consider you the leader of a group on the point of tipping over into terrorism. What do you think about that?

A. Such a pathetic allegation can only be the work of a regime that is on the point of tipping over into nothingness.

Q. What does the word terrorism mean to you?

A. Nothing allows one to explain why the Algerian Department of Intelligence and Security, suspected of having orchestrated—with the knowledge of the DST [Direction de la surveillance du territoire (wikipedia)]—the wave of attacks in 1995, is not classed among the international terrorist organizations. Nothing allows one to explain the sudden transformation of “terrorists” into heroes in the manner of the Liberation, into partners suitable for the Evian Accords, into Iraqi police officers and “moderate members of the Taliban,” according to the most recent sudden reversal of the American strategic doctrine.

If you can wade through his rhetoric, which is constipated in a peculiarly French way (there are American, German, etc ways, but they’re different), there are some real gems. The English translation, though much better than nothing (thank you), reads a bit like a first draft by an amateur committed—steeped—in the cause—say, by the people behind the “site of the US support committee for the Tarnac 9.”

And Poor Bob Quick, the former English counterterrorismist officer, forced to resign for carrying terror-related papers the wrong way. All eleven of the men arrested prematurely as a result of his blunder have been freed. Quick’s career is in tatters—over nothing! Nothing!

(nettime)