The 2019 and 2020 general assemblies were held on Saturday, March 27, 2021 by videoconference. Here is a report of the information exchanged during this important time for our young association which has just celebrated its third anniversary.
2019 General Assembly
2019 Moral Report of Dr. Marc Arazi
The outbreak of the Covid 19 epidemic has considerably delayed the setting up of our 2019 General Assembly. It will therefore be held by videoconference.
We can say right away that our action and our association have greatly gained visibility during the year 2019. This is a great encouragement for all those who have actively participated in the recognition of this international industrial and health scandal.
We lack, however, the human and financial resources to face in a structured way all the challenges that lie ahead. It is worth noting the numerous grants that have enabled us to travel internationally and which do not appear in our financial statement.
Investments
With the support of our donors, we have been able to set up:
- A website available in French and English allowing us to easily relay all our information. This has been the main investment of 2019
- And continue to pay for some national (Lyon) and European (Barcelona) trips.
International development
2019 is clearly marked by a notable acceleration of our international travel, at the invitation of several organizations:
- Presence, at our initiative, with the association Robin des Toits at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. We would like to thank the Spanish association Electro y Quimico Sensible for its active support which allowed the organization of this event.
- Trip to Lyon in June for a meeting with our partner V pour Verdict and the lawyers of the association.
- In June, participation in England, at the initiative of “EMF aware Sussex” in a medical conference in tribute to Jenny Fry, with speakers Prof. Belpomme, Dr. Mallery-Blythe and Dr. Arazi
- Invitation to participate in the Press Conference and a working meeting organized on October 1, 2019 at the European Parliament by MEPs Philippe Lamberts, Michèle Rivasi and Klaus Buchner of the Greens/EFA on the topic of 5G and Phonegate. Speakers: Martin Pall, Maurizio Martucci and Dr. Arazi
- In October 2019, participation in the Mainz international scientific conference in Germany to hear the interventions of some of the leading independent experts who came to report on their work on health, technological and legal risks related to mobile phone waves.
- In November, the European Alliance Stop5G and its main animator, Maurizio Martucci, invited us to an international scientific conference that was held in Rome at the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
Throughout 2019 we have continued to expand our network with organizations and individuals in over fifty countries. It is important to note, however, a complete lack of connections and development throughout Asia.
The development of these relationships has led to more or less extensive media coverage in about 20 countries. Unlike in 2018, the welcome surprise came from the United States, and the publication in August 2019 of the investigative article by journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Sam Roe in the Chicago Tribune, work that followed numerous exchanges with our association.
The choice of the Chicago Tribune was to independently test 11 models of some of the most popular cell phones, including the iPhone 7 and 8 of Apple, the Galaxy S8, S9, J3 of the Korean manufacturer Samsung and the Motoe5 Play of Motorola.
This article will have a strong impact in America and Canada but will hardly be picked up in France and Europe.
Legal actions
France
The year 2019 marks an important turning point in the implementation of our legal actions. Following an agreement with Elias Bourran to oversee the association’s criminal actions in a pro bono manner, two criminal complaints will be filed against two manufacturers, the Chinese Xiaomi in April and the Finnish HMD GLOBAL OY (Nokia) in June, one before the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Paris and the second before the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Lyon.
At the same time, two class actions against the same manufacturers are organized with the support of the legal action platform V pour Verdict.
Several requests for information targeting ANFR are refused by the Commission for Access to Administrative Documents (CADA), thus limiting our access to some important information for the recognition of the scandal.
For information, the Council of State will refuse to examine Dr. Arazi’s request for access to the full and original test reports.
United States-Canada
Following the revelations of the Chicago Tribune, several legal actions have been filed in the United States and Canada against the manufacturers Apple and Samsung. A summary of the actions is available on our website: https://www.phonegatealert.org/actions-collectives-phonegate
As a result, with several American organizations including the Environmental Health Trust (EHT), we have referred the matter to several committees of the American Congress in order to request the opening of a commission of inquiry.
Update on cell phone withdrawals and upgrades
At the end of 2019, 20 models have either been removed from the market or updated by the manufacturer through a software update. The updated list is available via our website: https://www.phonegatealert.org/france-liste-des-telephones-portables-retires-ou-mis-a-jour-pour-tromperie-et-mise-en-danger-des-utilisateurs
Following the publication of the ANSES report, “Mobile telephones carried close to the body and health,” in October 2019, several recommendations to public authorities have been made:
- All local SAR measurements should be made at zero millimeters from the skin
- Cell phones put on the market before June 2017 and controlled by ANFR with body SAR levels above 2 W/kg must be withdrawn from the market or updated. According to our estimate, this represents more than 250 models.
The French government has responded in the wake with a number of proposals. Considered insufficient, we have reacted publicly with several associations by publishing a joint statement in November 2019.
In conclusion
We would like to express our sincere thanks to all those who have supported us during 2019 to increase awareness and recognition of the Phonegate scandal on all levels.
The progress made in just two years shows how helpful the creation of our organization has been in the recognition of the scandal.
We note with regret, however, that there is a certain dispersion of forces, both in France and internationally, which represents a hindrance in the face of this over-powerful industry. This is especially true when it comes to the action against 5G, which does not sufficiently take into account the data and information of Phonegate. This will be one of the challenges for our association in 2020!
The moral report was adopted unanimously by those present and represented.
The financial report presented by our treasurer, Lysiane Brasset, was adopted unanimously by those present and represented.
2020 General Assembly
2020 Moral Report of Dr Marc Arazi
The year 2020 as a whole has been strongly marked by the expansion in France and internationally of the Covid 19 epidemic. Its various consequences, health, social distancing, travel restrictions, economic, media have largely impacted the work of our organization.
This is the first observation that we can draw, after 2019, a year which had allowed a vast mobilization, in particular outside our borders.
The impact on the collection of donations was also felt, especially from donors outside France.
A positive development in this year troubled by the COVID epidemic, was the publication in November of the book “Phonegate”, all overexposed, all deceived, all endangered by our cell phones, and the broadcast of the documentary “Complément d’enquête” directed by the journalist Nicolas Vescovacci.
Investments
With the support of our donors, we were able to set up:
– Our first campaign to raise awareness about the proper use of cell phones for distribution via our website and social networks (3 visuals and 3 animated videos). See the campaign available here in English and in French.
International development
The two planned trips, to the United States in February to meet members of Congress, lawyers and our partner organizations in the presence of the journalist of “Complément d’enquête” and to Oceania in the middle of the year, have been cancelled.
No international meeting could be realized. Thus, events we wanted to attend were also cancelled (Mobile World Congress in Barcelona).
The invitation in Israel took place but by videoconference. Dr. Arazi spoke in February at Tel Aviv University (Department of Public Policy) at the “2020 Expert Forum” at the initiative of Dr. Paul Ben Ishaï on the topic: “Mobile and Wireless Radiation and Public Policy”.
Legal actions
France
At the beginning of July, our collective action against the manufacturer Xiaomi, with 60 plaintiffs, is filed by Elias Bourran before the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Paris. https://www.phonegatealert.org/en/press-release-phonegate-60-plaintiffs-file-class-action-against-xiaomi
At the end of September, we learn, with two months delay, from Bourran that the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Paris wrote to him at the end of July to close all our complaints against Xiaomi (criminal and collective complaint) and HMD GLOBAL OY (Nokia). The Health Unit of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office gave as its main justification for this dismissal, the existence in French and European texts of a safety factor of 50 concerning local SAR (no health risk before 100 W/kg).
This was followed by a period of silence from our lawyer, who, after several reminders, announced at the end of the year that he was withdrawing from our case.
United States
The action carried out in the United States against the manufacturer Apple will also undergo the same fate. The judgment will use, among other things, the safety factor of 50 to prevent any conviction of the Californian manufacturer. It is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which introduces this information before the American court.
For its part, our American partner Environmental Health Trust (EHT) has decided to launch an action against the FCC to review all regulatory standards governing the marketing of cell phones and other connected objects. This action is under way.
Update on cell phone withdrawals and updates
France
At the end of 2020, 26 models have been removed or updated since the launch of our alert action. It is worth noting the withdrawal of the Razer Phone 2. The updated list is available on our website: https://www.phonegatealert.org/en/list-of-mobile-phones-with-non-compliant-sars-removed-or-updated-in-france
We were received with other organizations at the beginning of the year at the Ministry of Economy and Finance with several partner organizations (Robin des toits, CRIIREM, SERA,…) to review the government announcements (withdrawal and update of cell phones put on the market before June 2017). This meeting will not lead to any concrete action. The cell phone manufacturers refused to participate in the round table. In addition, to our knowledge, there has been no progress at the level of the European Commission on the measurement at zero millimeters of the trunk SAR.
Europe
Thanks to the joint work with the independent Danish journalist David Wedege, at the end of October, Denmark becomes the first European country to withdraw a cell phone that has been withdrawn from France. This will be the case for the Razer Phone 2: https://www.phonegatealert.org/en/phonegate-denmark-first-withdrawal-of-a-smartphone-razer-phone-2-and-intervention-of-the-health-authorities
5G actions
With several French partner associations, we have issued a press release contesting ordinance n° 2020-320 of March 25, 2020, published on March 26, by which the government has given full power to operators to install new relay antennas: suspension of the obligation to transmit a file to the mayor or the president of the inter-communality, decision to set up without prior agreement of the National Frequency Agency, exemption from planning permission for construction (building permit or declaration of work) by the planning departments of the municipalities.
This press release has been, and this is a record, shared nearly 20,000 times on our site alone.
In conclusion
We would like to warmly thank all those who, in spite of this most difficult general context, have continued to support our actions to protect public health.
We end the year on a positive note, with the perspectives of media coverage around the documentaries (“66 minutes”, “Complément d’enquête”) and the publication of the book “Phonegate” by Massot éditions.
We would also like to thank the journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Sam Roe who agreed to participate in an interview with Dr. Arazi for the M6 program at the end of August. An excerpt of their exchange is available on our website: https://www.phonegatealert.org/entretien-entre-le-journaliste-sam-roe-prix-pulitzer-et-le-dr-marc-arazi
The moral report was adopted unanimously by those present and represented.
The financial report presented by our treasurer, Lysiane Brasset, was adopted unanimously minus one abstention by those present and represented.
The members of the Board of Directors of the association asked to be renewed for a period of three years, and two new members were elected, Jacques Landauer and Pierre-Marie Théveniaud. See here the composition of the new board.