It s a great honor to write this letter to you to introduce. During a writing class, they ve discovered your story and

Transcription

1 Paris, june the 1 rst Dear Leonard Peltier, It s a great honor to write this letter to you to introduce those written by ours students. During a writing class, they ve discovered your story and decided to write to you. With their own words, spontaneous and sincere, they tried to express how much your story touched them.

2 As you can see in this picture, they are full of youth and energy! I wish I could light up your cell with their cheerfulness and good mood! Like a rainbow does after the rain! Realizing that it was still possible to be a political prisoner in the US today was a shock for them. Trying to bring you hope with their own words will remain a strong and unforgettable experience. I wish you the best and hope to hear from you soon. I ll like to finish this letter with the only lakota word I know, so soft and beautiful Pilamayaye. Géraldine Carré, librarian Christine Rossignol, teacher Lycée professionnel Paul Bert 1 rue du gué aux Aurochs Maisons Alfort FRANCE

3 We are students in a vocational high school, the Lycée Paul Bert, in Maisons- Alfort, near Paris, France. We had the chance to study your story with our French teacher and our librarian, based on the book Non au massacre du peuple indien, written by Elsa Solal, published by Actes Sud in This author went in our high school in January-February 2018 to make us aware of your fight thanks to a writing class, and we wanted to get in touch with you. Here are pieces of our letters, which you can read entirely.

4 Your story really touched me because my grandfather and grandmother are of Portuguese origin and were forced to leave the country by a dictator called Salazar who made about a million people flee. You are a brave person, rightly proud of your origins. I think that you are subjected to a great injustice and I hope that one day you will be able to see your people and your family again. I want you to know that I will support you, even just through this simple letter. Gonçalo Your story intrigued me and touched me because I find it unseemly that in our time a nation that calls itself democratic would allow itself to leave an innocent person in prison. I admire your courage and determination because you have remained humble and have not let yourself be invaded by hatred during all these years. Noah I admire the fight you are waging when you have been a prisoner for more than half your life. Your struggle is essential because through you, we are talking about a whole people. With this letter I hope to give you courage and that you will not give up. Flavien You have already been in prison for more than forty years while not a criminal. What really upset me in this tragedy is that you're locked up because you're Indian. I admire you very much because you still have the strength to fight, I would not have lasted so many years. I hope that one day you will be free and that you will find your family. I write to you in the hope that you have the strength to continue to fight. Medhi Dear Leonard Peltier «Tate Wikuwa», You have been wrongly accused because of your color, your way of life, your beliefs, your culture. You were imprisoned because you wanted to keep your values, respect yourself and your people. Despite all this, you're still there... brave, resilient. Many of us support and admire you and we hope that justice will be done. Terry & Jacques I sincerely hope that you will get out of prison as soon as possible to be back with your family. You must keep on hoping.. I can't find the words to tell you how much I admire you. I would like to be able to bring you courage. Tony Your story touched and inspired me a lot. I sincerely wish you to come out of this hell, to see your family again, to be able to take those dear to you in your arms. I understand why you love your people so much and why you continue to fight... I also love PORTUGAL, my country of origin, very much. What I love most when I arrive in Portugal are the smells of nature's food, the mountain landscapes, seeing my grandmother again. I live in France but my heart beats for Portugal especially during painful episodes. I know one doesn't compare pain and suffering, I support you in your struggle. Julien If you're kept in prison, it's to keep you from talking about the massacre of your people. I want to tell you that I am on your side. My life is different from yours because I have the chance to be free and to be interested in light things like cars sports... nevertheless I find that your fate is unfair because you are innocent. Lenny I was particularly touched by the strength of your people, even after a century your people have been ready to die to defend their honor. Just your person in this world shows that even with time you can keep strength and honor. Samy

5 Dear Leonard Peltier, I m Arnaud Rodier, student in Paul Bert high school, near Paris. I m sending you this picture of a bolivian armor that I saw in a museum in Paris. Since you seem interested in arts, I thought possible that you would be touched as I was myself by : the colors, the shape, the weird faces. Maybe it could even inspire you in your paintings. I wish you will get out of prison soon. Arnaud Rodier

6 Hello my name is Flavien Dubernet, I'm 17 years old, I'm in junior high at the Paul Bert vocational high school in Maisons-Alfort (France). I m writing to you to tell you that I support you in your fight, I am an admirer of the struggle you are leading while you have been trapped for more than half of your life. I really hope that one day you will be set free and that you will be able to return to a "normal" life. Your fight is essential because it should be known all over the world (through you it is a whole people we are talking about.) With this letter I hope to give you courage and that you won t give up. Flavien DUBERNET

7 Hello Leonard PELTIER, I am Gonçalo SOUSA, I am 16 years old, I am of Portuguese origin and I live in France for 4 years, I am a student at the Lycée Paul Bert in the Paris region. Your story really touched me because my grandfather and grandmother are of Portuguese origin and were forced to leave the country because of a dictator called Salazar who, because of his dictatorship, fled about 1 million people, including my grandparents. You are a courageous person and proud of your origins as in the book we read about you. For me you are experiencing a great injustice and I hope that one day you will be able to see your people and your family again. Even if it is only a letter, I would like to tell you that I will support you until you get out of this hell. Gonçalo Correia Sousa

8 Hi Leonard Peltier, I am Julien Alves a high school student in France, I am sending you this letter because your story has touched and inspired me a lot. You have a lot of courage to continue living with this injustice! I sincerely hope that you will come out of this hell and see your family again, that you will be able to embrace your loved ones. I understand why you love your people so much and why you keep fighting...i too love my home country Portugal very much. What I like most when I arrive in Portugal are the smells of the nature of food, the mountainous landscapes, seeing my grandmother, the good humor of the people, arriving at the village café and seeing the young people laughing with the older people, seeing the older people playing cards, screaming, laughing, and drinking alcohol together, while listening to music and watching traditional dances... I know that my "misfortunes" and "sorrows" are less than you, but the worst thing in my life was to see Portugal burned down last summer. There were a lot of deaths and injuries during the fire and I thought a

9 lot about my grandmother who could have been hurt or worse... During this fire I was in France but my heart was beating in Portugal. I know that we do not compare sorrows and misfortunes, but we have both seen our people "die" and be "destroyed". All this to say that I support you in your fight and I hope to have the chance to receive an answer. Julien Alves

10 My name is Lenny Benabid, I am 17 years old, I live in Créteil (Paris suburb of France). As part of my school work, I read Elsa Solal's book,"no to the massacre of the Indian people", which tells of your life and your struggle. It caused me emotion and sadness. I totally understand the fact that you're sad to be in prison for nothing, your family may be with you. They are saddened... I want you to get out of this hell you live in. I find it appalling that your people have been massacred because massacring a people is unacceptable! Besides, if they keep you in jail, it's to keep you from talking about the massacre of your people. I want to tell you that I'm by your side. My life is different from yours because I'm lucky enough to be free and interested in things as light as cars, sports... but I still think your fate is unfair because you're innocent. I understood through the book that I read that the trial was rigged. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and don't forget that you are a good person. Lenny Benabid

11 Mr. Peltier, My name is Mehdi, I am a junior student at the Paul Bert vocational high school in Maisons-Alfort (in the suburb of Paris in France). I am writing this letter because I read the book of Elsa Solal (No to the massacre of the Indian people) and I have thus discovered your story. What touched me was the unfairness you are facing : You have been in prison for more than forty years now, even though you are not a criminal. It's a tragedy that did upset me a lot because you're locked up because you're an Indian. The American justice has faked the evidences so you would be charged. I admire you very much because you still have the strength to fight, where I wouldn't have lasted so many years. I wonder if you are holding on thanks to your family, your culture or your people. You really are a legend to me. I believe in your innocence. I hope you'll be free one day and that you'll find your family again. If I am writing to you, it's to help you to keep the strength to go on fighting. Mehdi Khedaïoui

12 Hello Leonard Peltier, I heard about you during a french class, and your story intrigued me. My name is Noah BENOIT I am 18 years old and I am in a vocational high school in Paris. I was intrigued and touched by your story because I find it improbable that in our day and age a democratic nation would allow itself to leave an innocent person in prison. I admire your courage and determination to have remained humble without being overwhelmed by hatred through all these years. Noah Benoit

13 Hello Leonard, I am Samy I am 16 years old, I participated in a project on a part of the book No to the massacre of the Indian people of Elsa Solal which evokes your story, and the story of your people, Wounded Knee and its commemoration in I was particularly touched by the strength of your people shown in the book. Even if it was a massacre I find that it is an act of strength to come back there ; even after a century your people have been ready to die to defend their honor. Just your person in this world shows that even with time you can keep strength and honor. The strength of your people reminds me of the strength that my father gives to Algeria during the football World Cups, no matter which players are chosen, he is there in front of the TV in France, with the flag of his origins on his shoulders, and he shouts with pleasure for each scored goal. Even if for me it's only a game, football makes it possible to give strength to our people, as with you and the strength that you give to your people by standing up straight after all these years of prison. Samy Belkaci

14 Dear Leonard Peltier, We are students of Première Systèmes Numériques at the Lycée Paul Bert de Maisons-Alfort in the Val-de- Marne region of Paris (France). There are two of us writing to you, Terry and Jacques. We had the chance to study your story with our French teacher and our librarian. Your story affects us immensely because what you are experiencing now and what you have experienced in the past is really unfair: you have been wrongly accused because of your colour, your lifestyle and your beliefs more generally because of your culture. In fact, you were imprisoned because you wanted to keep your values and respect yourself and your people, despite the determination of the Americans who are trying to exterminate you. This so-called JUSTICE has set up a whole ambush to harm you! Despite all that, you're still there...brave, resistant. You are certainly not fully happy, but many of us support and admire you and we truly hope that justice will be done to you.

15 In the hope that justice will be done to you we will remain behind you to support you. Terry Amireille Jacques Cotrie

16 Hi, dear Leonard Peltier. My name is Tony Epron, I am a junior high student at Paul Bert in a high school located in Maisons-Alfort in the suburb of Paris, France. I'm writing to you because I discovered your story. Your life has touched me deeply because you have been the victim of some terrible injustice that has led you to prison. I sincerely hope that you will get out of prison as soon as possible to be back with your family. You must keep on hoping, because I have the strong feeling that you will not die in prison. I can't find the words to tell you how much I admire you because I, for my part, wouldn t have been able to bear to be the victim of such an injustice and I would like to be able to bring you courage. If I had been in your shoes, even knowing that my family was supporting me outside, I can t tell if I would have been strong enough to survive this ordeal. Tony Epron