France

Trash has piled up high on many of the streets of Paris, barricades still burn in the night across France as French workers carry on the fight to overthrow their government’s attack on their pensions.  French President Emmanuel Macron’s government pushed a bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 through parliament without a vote in what he may proclaim that he wanted to be seen as a sign of his authority and determination to rule but in reality, showed only that he expected to lose any vote on the issue.  He has now stamped on the dragon’s tail and the ensuing flames of revolt may be impossible to put out while he remains in office. On many of the daily/nightly clashes, firefighters called out to douse the burning barricades, stand down and remove their h...

If properly directed, workers’ action has the power to sweep away not only the rule of Emmanuel Macron but of the entire French bourgeoisie. French communist orgs Subscribe to our  channel The true face of the French state has been clearly revealed in the way that it has responded to workers’ resistance to a renewed attack on their pensions. On the one hand, running battles between striking workers and tooled-up riot police have become a daily occurrence across the country, while on the other, the prime minister has shocked the country by invoking an emegency clause, article 49.3, in the French constitution in order to enact the hated ‘reform’ by decree when it became clear that the parliament could no longer be relied upon to pass it. https://w.soundcloud.com/player...

Trash has piled up high on many of the streets of Paris, barricades still burn in the night across France as French workers carry on the fight to overthrow their government’s attack on their pensions.  French President Emmanuel Macron’s government pushed a bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 through parliament without a vote in what he may proclaim that he wanted to be seen as a sign of his authority and determination to rule but in reality, showed only that he expected to lose any vote on the issue.  He has now stamped on the dragon’s tail and the ensuing flames of revolt may be impossible to put out while he remains in office. On many of the daily/nightly clashes, firefighters called out to douse the burning barricades, stand down and remove their h...

BY BINOY KAMPMARK Photograph Source: Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации – CC BY-SA 4.0 Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to China did not quite go according to plan, though much depends on what was planned to begin with.  In one sense, the French President was consistent, riding the hobbyhorse of Europe’s strategic autonomy, one hived off from the US imperium and free of Chinese influence. Europe’s third-way autonomy would be a mighty thing for the Elysée Palace, especially given French pretensions in steering it.  After all, Frau “Mutti” Merkel is no longer de facto European chief, presiding over the bloc with matronly care.  Her successor, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is finding himself caught in undergrowth, a difficult thing at times for the continen...

Why are French workers being forced to endlessly fight the same battles? Proletarian writers The militancy of French workers and their unions is often the subject of envy amongst the class-conscious in Britain. Yet even with the benefit of these splendid fighting organisations and a readiness to take to the streets in defence of their rights, the French working class finds that at best it can only slow down the pace of decline that is forced on it by relentless pressure from the exploiters. The wave of strikes paralysing France should be an inspiration to trade unions in Britain, demonstrating how powerful workers can be when they organise themselves in defence of their class interests. On 7 February, France effectively ground to a halt. Thre...

If properly directed, workers’ action has the power to sweep away not only the rule of Emmanuel Macron but of the entire French bourgeoisie. French communist orgs The true face of the French state has been clearly revealed in the way that it has responded to workers’ resistance to a renewed attack on their pensions. On the one hand, running battles between striking workers and tooled-up riot police have become a daily occurrence across the country, while on the other, the prime minister has shocked the country by invoking an emegency clause, article 49.3, in the French constitution in order to enact the hated ‘reform’ by decree when it became clear that the parliament could no longer be relied upon to pass it. The following joint statement was issued by French revolutionary commu...

France, like every other European nation is reeling under the combined weight of (1) self-inflicted financial meltdown as the Euro economies are throwing themselves and their workers to the wolves in a futile effort to save US hegemony, and (2) the ever-present cyclical crises of overproduction within the capitalist system which always lead to financial stagnation, destitution for many poorer people and wars of terrible ferocity, spoliation and brigandage on a massive scale. President Macron has fought battles with the French working class before, notably taking on transport workers, students and others in 2018 when he brought forward his road fuel tax that brought out onto the streets all over France thousands of Yellow Vests (gilets jaunes) – who kept up their highly militant...

Where is the force capable of harnessing the anger and militancy of the French working class? Lalkar writers The re-election of Emmanuel Macron as president of France, despite his huge unpopularity with French workers, rests principally on the effectiveness of capital’s media campaign to paint Marine Le Pen as the only racist running in the election. Putting a vote for her ‘beyond the pale’ for progressive workers ensured that the only remaining candidate who had the potential to upset the EU and Nato applecarts was kept out of office. If French workers want to get away from racism and war, they will need to create a really anti-imperialist, socialist organisation capable of taking the fight to French and European capital. News of Emmanuel Macron’s victory in the 2022 French...