“What Is Brewing in France?”

“Liberty, beloved liberty,” are words from “La Marseillaise,” France’s national anthem. Without a doubt, liberty is something to be valued. Yet, recent events in France are causing concern that basic freedoms are being undermined. That is why, on Friday, November 3, 2000, tens of thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses distributed a total of 12 million copies of a special tract entitled “What Is Brewing in France? Could Freedom Regress?”

FOR several years now, Jehovah’s Witnesses in France have been under attack by various politicians and antisect groups. This has led to difficulties for Witnesses on an individual, congregational, and national level. However, on June 23, 2000, the Conseil d’État, France’s highest administrative court, rendered a landmark decision that confirmed the prevailing opinion of 31 lower courts in over 1,100 cases. The high court confirmed that the worship practiced by Jehovah’s Witnesses is entirely in harmony with French law and that their Kingdom Halls are entitled to the same fiscal exemptions accorded to other religions.

However, in total disregard of this decision, the French Ministry of Finance continues to refuse Jehovah’s Witnesses the tax exemption provided for by law to religious organizations. The Ministry has imposed a 60-percent tax on the contributions made by Witnesses and friends associated with the 1,500 local congregations in France. This case is under litigation at present.

The aim of the aforementioned campaign was to expose this paradox and to  highlight the risks implicit in such arbitrary taxation and in proposed laws that would undermine religious freedom for all. *

A Long Day

At two o’clock in the morning, Witnesses in some congregations begin the distribution outside train stations and factories and then at airports. At six, Paris comes to life. Some 6,000 volunteers are posted at strategic points to meet commuters on their way to work. One young woman comments: “What you are doing for religious freedom is good. It’s not just Jehovah’s Witnesses who are involved.” In Marseilles, over 350 Witnesses hand out the tract at metro stations and on the street. Within one hour, national radio announces the campaign, telling its listeners not to be surprised if they are approached by Jehovah’s Witnesses. In Strasbourg, home of the European Court of Human Rights, travelers at the central station line up patiently to receive their copy. A lawyer comments that, while not sharing our convictions, he is following our case with interest, since our struggle is important and just.

At eight o’clock, in spite of heavy rain, 507 Witnesses in the Alpine city of Grenoble comb the streets or put the tract in letter boxes. Car and tram drivers, seeing that something is going on, stop their vehicles to ask for a tract. In the western city of Poitiers, travelers arriving by train at nine have already received the tract at their point of departure. In Mulhouse, near the German border, 40,000 copies have already been handed out.

By ten o’clock, many congregations have distributed over half of their tracts. As the morning progresses, very few people refuse, and a number of interesting conversations have resulted. In Besançon, just over 50 miles [80 km] from the Swiss border, a young man expresses interest in the Bible and asks why God permits suffering. The Witness invites him to continue the discussion at the nearby Kingdom Hall, where a Bible study is immediately started in the brochure What Does God Require of Us?

At noon many Witnesses use their lunch break to preach for one or two hours. Throughout the afternoon, the distribution continues, with numerous congregations finishing by three or four that afternoon. In the champagne capital of Reims, some people who have studied or associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses in the past express their desire to renew contact with the congregation. In Bordeaux three home Bible studies are started. In the same city, a Witness enters a shop to buy a newspaper and sees a pile of tracts on the counter. The shopkeeper, a former Witness, had received the tract and, realizing its importance, had made photocopies to hand out herself.

In Le Havre, Normandy, a Protestant lady who heard on the radio that Jehovah’s Witnesses’ contributions are being taxed is shocked. She eagerly accepts the tract and congratulates the Witnesses for speaking out  against such an injustice. At 7:20 p.m., regional TV news in Lyons comments on the distribution, saying: “This morning it was easier to dodge between the raindrops than to avoid the tracts of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Two Witnesses are interviewed and explain the reasons for the campaign.

Witnesses wanting to have a share after their secular work distribute some tracts to returning commuters and place others in letter boxes. In such towns as Brest and Limoges​—famous for its porcelain—​people leaving the cinema at 11:00 p.m. are among the last of the day to receive the document. Remaining tracts are collected and distributed the following morning.

Results

One Witness wrote: “Our adversaries think that they are weakening us. In fact, the opposite is taking place.” In most congregations, over 75 percent of the Witnesses had a share that day, some spending 10, 12, or 14 hours in this activity. In Hem, in the north of France, after working a night shift, one Witness distributed the tract from five in the morning until three in the afternoon. In nearby Denain, where there has been a congregation since 1906, 75 Witnesses spent 200 hours distributing the tract on Friday. Others, in spite of old age, infirmity, and bad weather, were also determined to have a share. In Le Mans, for example, a trio in their 80’s spent two hours putting the tract into letter boxes, and a Witness in a wheelchair handed out the tract in front of the train station. And how encouraging it was to see numerous previously inactive Witnesses taking part in this special activity!

Without a doubt, this distribution resulted in a great witness. People from all walks of life, many of whom are rarely contacted in their homes, received a copy of the tract. Numerous individuals felt that this action accomplished far more than the protection of the Witnesses’ interests. Many viewed it as a defense of freedom of conscience and worship for all Frenchmen. As evidence of this, members of the public asked for additional copies of the tract to give to friends, colleagues, or relatives.

Yes, Jehovah’s Witnesses in France are proud to make known Jehovah’s name and to defend Kingdom interests. (1 Peter 3:15) It is their sincere hope that they can “go on leading a calm and quiet life with full godly devotion and seriousness” and that thousands more will join them in praising their heavenly Father, Jehovah.​—1 Timothy 2:2.

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