We publish the statement by Tendency Claire, of the French NPA, about the protests shaking Paris.
Mobilization has overcome one step today. Despite repression and rain, the yellow vests have extended throughout France. Anger and rage are enormous. The government evidently lies about the number of protesters: 75,000 in France, 5,500 in Paris! In other words, there was one police for each protester! This is ridiculous. Over 5,000 were present in the Opera Plaza at 14h. We only represented a part of the protestors present. We were tenths of thousands in the streets of Paris. And several hundreds of thousands in France.
The police operation was gigantic in Paris and it managed to avoid the deployment in Champs Elysées. However, this did not stop anger spreading: barricades, turned over vehicles, attacks on banks, and luxury stores robbed. Everywhere, the firm will not to yield ground. In Rivoli Street, Foch Avenue, in Bastille, determined yellow vests occupied all accesses to Champs Elysées. As on May 24, 1968, the old headquarter of the Paris Stock Market (Brongniart Palace) was attacked. The environment was insurrectional in Paris.
The great communication means persist in wanting to separate the good yellow vests from the bad troublemakers. They are incapable of understanding what is going on: the great mass of yellow vests showed solidarity with them. They are incapable of expressing anything but what their masters dictate. As if the confrontations caused by the police where separated from the yellow vest demonstrations! Violence by the exploited is legitimate and healthy. Violence by the exploiters is obscene. The media show is oriented to disseminate fear and avoid insurrection spreading and organizing. However, this does not work. We stand in solidarity and we are willing to go back each Saturday. The next action is already programed for next Saturday and we will be present: https://www.facebook.com/events/2129652087298099/.
The retired General Philippe Martínez (General Secretary of the CGT) had organized an operation against the yellow vests this Saturday in Paris. (https://tendanceclaire.org/article.php?id=1471).
The result has been regrettable: around 2,000 people left the Republic Plaza following Martínez, surrounded by SP and CPF bureaucrats. Many members of the union participated to the savage events around the Champs Elysées.
In the regions, repression was equally tense in many places. However, determination was too strong. City Halls were assaulted. The one in Puy-en-Velay was partially set on fire this evening.
The bourgeoisie begins to worry about the consequences on their profits. As Christmas comes near, the pressure increases: can we afford to live other Saturdays like this one? Some Parliamentary Representatives of the LREM (Macron’s party) are already beginning to abandon Macron, and they are suggesting moratorium on the increase in taxes on fuel for January. Above, things become feverish. The government lies each time more and it will be forced to multiply provocations. On the contrary, we must now organize so that the movement does not escape our control.
For this we propose to all who participate in these mobilizations to create committees everywhere to debate, to determine the callings, to designate and to control our spokespersons and to set up a structure in each department and region.
These committees will also be an instrument to broaden our movement towards new wage earners, precarious employees and unemployed, who will be tranquilized by the fact that they decide everything for which they mobilize. This is the only way to build a mass movement capable of freeing us, in our struggle and our barricades, in the long term from the far right wing.
What would allow the movement a qualitative and quantitative leap is the entrance in strike of important sectors of the working class. To broaden the balance of power, it is necessary to block economy and, therefore, to pose the matter of a general strike. It is necessary to carry out a battle in our unions so that our organizations enter struggle, summoning a strike and organizing the blockages along with the yellow vests.
Uprising in all of France! Let us broaden and organize mobilization!
