PARIS (AP) — Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath said French authorities are seeking to deport him on the grounds that he is a threat to public security, accusing France of targeting him over his pro-Palestinian activism.
Shaath, 54, said in a May 14 video statement posted online that the move was part of what he described as a broader campaign to silence Palestinians and supporters of the Palestinian cause in France.
Shaath helped found the pro-Palestinian organization Urgence Palestine after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. He accused French authorities of targeting him after earlier legal proceedings failed.
France’s Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Shaath said in the video that the deportation move followed earlier difficulties renewing his French residency papers, despite his family ties in France. He also alleged that his bank account had been closed without warning and that his health insurance card had been suspended, saying the measures affected his ability to work, travel and receive care.
Shaath said he and his family would challenge the proceedings before French and European courts.
Shaath, who is Egyptian and Palestinian by birth, previously coordinated the Egyptian chapter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. He has long linked his Palestinian activism with opposition to authoritarian rule in the Arab world.
In a 2022 interview with The Associated Press after his release from an Egyptian jail, he described his activism — from Egypt’s 2011 pro-democracy uprising to his work with the Palestinian-led boycott movement against Israel — as “civil, nonviolent action against injustice, against inhumane treatment and against occupation as well as dictatorship.”
Shaath founded the Egyptian chapter of the BDS movement in 2014. He was arrested in Egypt in 2019 and released in January 2022, after more than 2 1/2 years in detention.
He said at the time that Egyptian authorities never formally charged him and that he had been held in a packed, bug-infested cell before later being isolated in a windowless room.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Shaath’s release from Egyptian detention in 2022.
Shaath is married to a French citizen and has a French-Palestinian daughter.
FILE - In this undated image from the Free Ramy Shaath Facebook page, Ramy Shaath poses for a photo Jan. 2, 2015, in Cairo, Egypt. (Free Ramy Shaath Facebook page via AP, File)
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — OG Anunoby practiced again Saturday with the New York Knicks and said the right hamstring injury he sustained in these playoffs wasn't as bad as one he suffered two years ago.
Anunoby was hurt late in the Knicks' victory over Philadelphia in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on May 6 and missed the final two games of that series. He returned to practice this week and has been a full participant the past two days, saying he feels good.
“It didn’t feel as bad as the past when it happened,” Anunoby said. “So knowing that, just trying to improve it day by day.”
The starting forward has the maximum amount of time to rest, given that the Knicks swept their series while Cleveland and Detroit will have to play a Game 7 on Sunday. So the Eastern Conference finals, which could have started Sunday, won't begin until Tuesday.
“I think everyone’s excited for the games to start, so just letting the other series play out,” Anunoby said. “So if it was tomorrow — it’s going to be Tuesday now — just be ready whenever it is.”
There was immediate concern when Anunoby limped off the court, given his importance to the Knicks and how well he's been playing. He is averaging 21.4 points in the postseason while shooting 61.9% from the field and 53.8% from 3-point range, and is regarded as the Knicks' top defensive player.
He said he felt a quick pain that he tried to play through, missing a dunk after first experiencing it. He called it weird more than painful.
Anunoby hurt his left hamstring late in a victory over Indiana in the 2024 East semis as the Knicks were taking a 2-0 lead. He missed the next four games before returning for Game 7, though clearly wasn't ready. The Knicks pulled him for good after just five minutes because of his clear lack of mobility.
This injury seemed less serious, with the Knicks listing Anunoby as questionable to play in both Games 3 and 4 before he was ruled out.
“He’s been back and he looks good to me,” guard Mikal Bridges said. “So I think maybe the crowd, maybe the fans and media worried a little bit more, but I know how OG works and how his body is, so I think he’ll be all right.”
Anunoby said he started with work in the pool and weight room before progressing to the court, where he said he is able to sprint.
Coach Mike Brown isn't sure if Anunoby will be ready for Game 1 but said he is encouraged by what he's seen in practice.
“To go through that is not fun during this time of the year, because a lot of things come into play,” Brown said. “We’re trying to get to the top of the mountain during this time of the year, and, you know, it needs luck. You need some skill. You need everybody to be healthy to a certain degree. So, all that stuff, you want, knock on wood, to be going the right way for you whenever game-time comes.”
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New York Knicks' Og Anunoby, right, drives past Philadelphia 76ers' Justin Edwards during the first half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
