France blocks Palestinian children’s book, cops raid bookshop
French authorities have triggered a major censorship controversy after moving to block the distribution of a Palestinian children’s colouring book and sending police to raid a Paris bookshop to seize copies, actions that the publisher and booksellers have called “an unprecedented attack on freedom of expression.”
Social Bandit Media, the publisher of “From the River to the Sea: A Colouring Book,”has accused French authorities of censorship after the children’s book was effectively blocked from distribution in France following an adverse opinion issued by a government body.
“From the River to the Sea,” by South African author and illustrator Nathi Ngubane, is an educational colouring book that offers young readers a gateway into the story of Palestine.
Through a series of striking illustrations, the Soweto-based artist explores Palestinian history and culture, addresses the injustice of the Nakba, examines the ongoing Israeli occupation, and introduces key ideas that have shaped and sustained Palestinian resistance.
In a press release, the publisher said it was informed on January 8, 2026, that the Commission for the Surveillance and Control of Publications for Youth (CSJP) had issued an “unfavourable opinion” on October 16, 2025, regarding the import and distribution of the book in France.
While no formal ban order has yet been issued by the French Interior Ministry, Social Bandit Media said the opinion has been used to initiate what it called “a criminal procedure aimed at censoring, in fact, a book which has not given rise to any formal ban on sale or distribution to date.”
The commission reportedly claimed that the book was “likely to incite hatred towards a group of people, namely the Israeli population, and to harm the moral development of young people,” an allegation the publisher has “categorically” rejected.
“We categorically reject these accusations,” Social Bandit Media said, adding that claims of antisemitism made by pressure groups and far-right forces since the summer of 2025 are “completely unfounded.”
The publisher also said it was never informed of the commission’s decision at the time it was taken. “We were not informed, as of October 16, 2025, that the Commission had chosen to censor the book,” the statement said.
Expressing solidarity with Paris bookstore Violette & Co, which was recently searched by authorities, the publisher said the action was “unworthy of the rule of law” and warned that “any attack on the freedom of artistic creation and dissemination constitutes an act of censorship.”
The statement recalled that freedom of artistic creation and distribution is protected under French law, and said it supported the “courageous approach” of the bookseller in defending these rights.
Social Bandit Media stressed that the book is an “educational and interactive tool” that has been widely used by children across the world. According to the publisher, at least 22,000 copies have been sold in countries including South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands, India, and Pakistan.
“The continued censorship, in France, of a children’s coloring book disregards the basic rules protecting the freedom of artistic creation and dissemination and constitutes a serious violation of democratic principles,” the statement said.
Calling the move “unacceptable and scandalous,” the publisher said, “That the French authorities have chosen to censor a children’s book about Palestine when children were among the worst affected victims in Gaza is simply unacceptable.”
“The silencing of Palestinian stories, especially those aimed at children, is unacceptable,” the statement said, adding that the company would “continue to defend the right to publish, read, and tell Palestinian stories without intimidation or pressure of any kind.”
Since the book has now been deemed illegal in France, Social Bandit Media said it is making the French-language edition available as a free download and appealed for donations to support its work.
“Censorship will not work. We refuse to accept it,” the statement emphasised.
French police also raided a Paris bookshop earlier this month in an operation targeting the book, triggering outrage and accusations of censorship from the shop’s owners and free expression advocates.
On January 7, five uniformed police officers accompanied by a public prosecutor searched Violette and Co, a well-known bookshop in Paris, in an attempt to seize copies of the book.
In a statement, the bookshop said the raid was “unprecedented and deeply worrying” and described it as “a disproportionate police operation in a cultural space” that raises serious concerns about fundamental freedoms.
“On January 7, 2026, the Violette and Co bookshop-café was subjected to an irregular search aimed at seizing books. This is unprecedented in France and extremely worrying for the fundamental freedoms of bookshops,” the statement said.
According to the shop, officers spent 45 minutes conducting a meticulous search of the premises. “Shelves were inspected, boxes of books opened one by one, storage rooms and the staff break room were searched,” it said, adding that the employees present were “shocked and powerless.”
Describing the scene, the statement said, “Uniformed police officers, weapons at their belts, were filming the premises with body cameras and checking around thirty boxes of books in search of a title that was no longer in stock.”
The shop also said two police officers, one of them masked, remained stationed at the entrance, preventing customers from entering during the search.
The raid did not result in the seizure of any books. However, the prosecutor informed the shop that its staff have been summoned to the 11th arrondissement police station on January 22 for questioning as part of a preliminary investigation.
The bookshop also said it had asked authorities about a complaint it filed last year over threats and vandalism. “We were told a few hours later by phone that our complaint had been ‘lost’,” the statement said.
