Henri Jibrayel
Encyclopedia
Henri Jibrayel, is a French
politician with Lebanese
and Assyrian
roots.
His father was an Assyrian
survivor of the Assyrian genocide
who had taken refuge with his parents in a Beirut
slum. He married in 1938 a Maronite young woman from Bkassine (near Jezzine
), then joined the Free French Forces
after De Gaulle
's Appeal of 18 June. After the war, the family got the French naturalisation and was hosted by its new fatherland in a slum near Marseille. The father was sent in Madagascar
till 1950 to repress the anticolonial insurgency, then again in Indochina
in one of France's colonial wars. In 1963, the family, including 8 children, tries a come back in Lebanon
, and settle in Ain al-Remmane, but this attempt leads to a fiasco and two years later the family turns back to Marseilles, Henri leaves school at 15, becomes a crane driver, and afterwards enters the French Poste
.
After being a trade-unionist at the Poste, he becomes conseiller général for the Socialist Party
in a Marseille canton and maire-adjoint
in a Marseille secteur
in 2001, then he is elected member of the National Assembly of France on June 17, 2007 with 57.41% of votes (25.85% at the first round), so becoming one out of three metropolitan deputies with non European family roots.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
politician with Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
roots.
His father was an Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
survivor of the Assyrian genocide
Assyrian genocide
The Assyrian Genocide refers to the mass slaughter of the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac population of the Ottoman Empire during the 1890s, the First World War, and the period of 1922-1925...
who had taken refuge with his parents in a Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
slum. He married in 1938 a Maronite young woman from Bkassine (near Jezzine
Jezzine
Jezzine is a town in Lebanon, located from Sidon and south of Beirut. Surrounded by mountain peaks, pine forests, and at an average altitude of 950 m , it is the main summer resort and tourist destination of South Lebanon...
), then joined the Free French Forces
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
after De Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
's Appeal of 18 June. After the war, the family got the French naturalisation and was hosted by its new fatherland in a slum near Marseille. The father was sent in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
till 1950 to repress the anticolonial insurgency, then again in Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
in one of France's colonial wars. In 1963, the family, including 8 children, tries a come back in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, and settle in Ain al-Remmane, but this attempt leads to a fiasco and two years later the family turns back to Marseilles, Henri leaves school at 15, becomes a crane driver, and afterwards enters the French Poste
La Poste (France)
La Poste is the mail service of France, which also operates postal services in the French Overseas Departments of Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana, and the territorial collectivities of Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Mayotte...
.
After being a trade-unionist at the Poste, he becomes conseiller général for the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
in a Marseille canton and maire-adjoint
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
in a Marseille secteur
Municipal arrondissements of France
The municipal arrondissement is a subdivision of the commune, used in the three largest cities: Paris, Lyon and Marseille. It functions as an even lower administrative division, with its own mayor...
in 2001, then he is elected member of the National Assembly of France on June 17, 2007 with 57.41% of votes (25.85% at the first round), so becoming one out of three metropolitan deputies with non European family roots.