Jean-Claude Lefort

Jean-Claude Lefort (; 15 December 1944 – 19 June 2024) was a French politician. He was a French Communist Party deputy from Val-de-Marne from 1988 to 2007. Beyond his legislative function, however, he also engaged in many activities relating to France's foreign affairs, and also fought for social justice, evincing solidarity with both the Palestinian people and also the Romani people.

Early life Born in Paris, Lefort spent his childhood and youth in Bagnolet, Seine-Saint-Denis, in modest circumstances. His father, a workman, had taken up arms alongside the Republican faction in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, while his mother was a childcare staffer at a school. ).

Political office and activities Lefort was elected deputy from Val-de-Marne's 10th constituency, a seat that he held from 1988 to 2007.

In memory of the struggle against fascism in Spain, Lefort was a founding co-chairman of the Association of Friends of Combatants in Republican Spain (Association des amis des combattants en Espagne républicaine; Acer), with José Fort and François Asensi. Thanks to his prerogatives within the Foreign Affairs Committee, he was able to recover part of the International Brigades' archives that had been deposited in Moscow.

Beginning in 2007, Lefort was the honorary chairman of Appui Rwanda, a support association for survivors of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

In May 2009, Lefort was elected chairman of the (AFPS), after the movement's second congress. He succeeded Bernard Ravenel. He was the coordinator of the National Support Committee for Salah Hamouri, who would become Lefort's son-in-law in 2014.

In October 2013, Lefort called for Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls to resign over his policies towards the Romani people. He reminded the Socialist minister of his own emigration from Spain to flee Francisco Franco's régime, and compared it to the Romani people's situation, suffering discrimination in their countries of origin. He referred to himself as "Jean-Claude Lefort, fils de Manouche" ("Jean-Claude Lefort, Gipsy's son").

In June 2015, he warned Muslims against Israeli products, a warning that the press commented on. Gilles-William Goldnadel filed a complaint against him in the name of the association France-Israël.

Lefort quit the French Communist Party on 19 January 2024 "with great pain" following a dispute with his secretary general, Fabien Roussel over the Gaza war.

Awards By presidential decree dated 31 December 2010, Lefort was to be decorated with the knight's insignia of the Legion of Honour. The ceremony was held on 7 December 2011, at which Lefort was decorated by Cécile Rol-Tanguy, herself Commander of the Legion of Honour and a recipient of the Resistance Medal, in the presence of the Ambassador of Palestine to France, Hael Al Fahoum, and Pierre Gosnat. – 19 June 2007: reelected