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Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath says France is seeking to deport him

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Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath says France is seeking to deport him
News

News

Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath says France is seeking to deport him

2026-05-17 02:06 Last Updated At:02:10

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)

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)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Conn Smythe favorite Mitch Marner had a natural hat trick in the second period to help Vegas build a four-goal lead over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night in the Golden Knights’ 5-4, double-overtime victory in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The 4-0 advantage didn’t last, as Carolina answered with four goals in the third period to force overtime for the second straight game. Carolina overcame a 2-0 deficit and won Game 2 in overtime when Seth Jarvis scored during a power play 3:56 into the extra frame.

“The game’s changed so much to where there’s no lead safe,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “There are so many different types of mistakes made, so many great plays made. You just never know where it’s going to go.

“I’ve experienced a lot of games and playoffs. I haven’t experienced one like this, in where, I mean, we could do nothing wrong in the second period and probably did everything wrong in the third period.”

Vegas goalie Carter Hart stopped six shots and Carolina’s Brandon Bussi made seven saves in the first overtime. Then, it was Shea Theodore playing the role of hero 5:38 into the second overtime when his shot off the end board caromed off Bussi's skate and gave Vegas a 2-1 series lead.

Theodore’s goal also prevented Marner’s monumental night from going to waste.

“Obviously, not how you envision the third in a way, but just really happy with how our group responded, just staying calm in the moment, coming back in between periods, or going into overtime there, just having the trust,” Marner said.

It was Carolina’s seventh overtime game of the playoffs, and Vegas’ fifth trip to extra time.

Tomas Hertl broke a scoreless tie midway through the second, after Vegas opened the stanza by having two goals overturned by challenges.

Marner’s first goal came when he gathered a loose puck near the boards and fired a backhander into the crease, where Carolina defenseman Sean Walker accidentally deflected the puck past Frederik Andersen.

Less than four minutes later, Marner gracefully deked around Andersen and slipped the puck into the net with relative ease to make it 3-0.

Then, with a little more than three minutes left in the period, the 10-year veteran blasted a shot from the right circle, triggering throngs of hats being thrown on the ice. It was the fastest natural hat trick in Stanley Cup history at 6:10.

“I think a lot of guys made great plays to set me up in that area,” Marner said. “I think you need five guys in the ice to all be on the same page, and I thought our line did a really good job of that throughout the entire night.”

Marner had a chance for a fourth goal when he was awarded a penalty shot in the third period after being slashed by Sebastian Aho on a breakaway, but was stymied by Bussi.

Marner also assisted on Hertl’s goal. His four points are tied for the most in a single period since 1919.

Marner’s 28 points are the most by any player in NHL history in his first postseason with a new team.

The 29-year-old has 10 goals in 19 playoff games with the Golden Knights. He had 13 goals in 70 playoff games during his nine years with Toronto.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, left, celebrates his goal as Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, right, skates behind during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, left, celebrates his goal as Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, right, skates behind during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, right, scores on Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, right, scores on Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner celebrates his goal with defenseman Shea Theodore, an own goal by the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner celebrates his goal with defenseman Shea Theodore, an own goal by the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, right, stops a shot by Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, right, stops a shot by Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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