No. 635 15 December 1995 Tion for More Than Two Years and the Them Stay Here!
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WfJlIllElI1 '."'fI.1I1) soC!: ~X.523 No. 635 ~ 15 December 1995 Explosive Strike· Wave Rocks France AFP Mass demonstration of striking workers in Paris, December 5. Burgeoning strike wave of railway workers and other public employees has virtually shut down France for weeks. DECEMBER 12-A cr~scendo of mili finalize the NATO-dictated "peace" divide-and-conquer strategy, offering against the unions, which would set the tant strikes and workers mobilizations accords for Bosnia. The site of the con concessions to the rail workers who have stage for a broader onslaught against the has virtually paralyzed France. The rail ference has now been moved outside the been the backbone of the strikes. Over working class, as was the case with Rea- roads have been shut down for almost strikebound French capiial. the weekend, Fa and CGT union leaders . gan's destruction of the PATCO air traf three weeks as part of the protests against Barely six months after the over signaled their willingness to accept a fic controllers in 1981 and Thatcher's attacks by the government of conserva whelming victory of a right-wing gov compromise, dropping any precondi assault on the British miners in 1984-85. tive prime minister Alain Juppe on the ernment, which holds an 80 percent tions for negotiations with Juppe. Now So far, Chirac/Juppe have been stymied. social service system. Mass transit in majority in parliament, today large num it is reported that leaders of some rail But if the workers do not break out of Paris and other major cities has ground bers of workers and youth sense that they unions are going for Juppe's ploy, saying the stranglehold of the reformist mis to a halt. Last week there were two one can stop the government in its tracks. they are ready to settle. leaders, then the bureaucracy acting in day general strikes, centered in the pub But their leaders are moving to behead The present situation cannot long con collusion with the bourgeoisie will either lic sector, called by the CGT and Fa the struggle. After trying for weeks to tinue. What is at stake here is not simply dissipate the militancy or betray the trade-union' federations. Even official ram through a slew of budget-slashing union retirement funds. The French bour strike outright. There will undoubtedly be estimates put the number of demonstra measures, Juppe has switched to a geoisie is out to inflict a decisive blow "modifications" to the massive takebacks, tors on Thursday, December 7 at more and Juppe could w~ll be sacrificed by than one million nationwide. the bourgeoisie as a, sop to the workers' Today, close to two million came anger. But even if the government grants out at the unions' call. In Paris, a concessions, the capitalists will use other mile-long stretch beginning from the means-like devaluation of the franc and Place de la Republique concomitant inflationary devaluation of o was packed wall-to- wages-to try to take back everything lf' wall with demonstra- they have granted. =====,... tors chanting, "Jupp The destruction of the Soviet Union resign!" Over 200,000 has sharply intensified a worldwide cap o "., marched in Marseille. italist assault on the living standards o The current workers' and organizations of the working class, ~ co protests have come at a while e'xacerbating economic competi ~ particularly embarrass tion among the imperialist powers. The ~ ing time for President French bourgeoisie is under relentless ~ Jacques Chirac, as Paris pressure from Germany to slash social was to host a summit welfare programs and drastically' cut the ,... conference this week to continued on page 8 Spartacists Protest Imperialist Occupation of Bosnia As the first of 60,000 NATO troops, screams out for socialist revolution." including 20,000 from the U.S., began The same theme was underlined by to descend on Bosnia, the Spartacist Spartacist speakers in the Bay Area, as League held protest demonstrations 70 protesters turned out December 9 for demanding, "U.S./NATO Get Your a demonstration in downtown San Fran Bloody Hands Off the Balkans!" For cisco which was covered by three local Marxist revolutionaries, it is an elemen television stations as well as KCBS tary duty to mobilize opposition to this and KPF A radio. SL speaker Barbara imperialist occupation force. Yet these Francis pointed to the explosive strike were tbe first organi.zed protests in the wave rocking France, where 'the Bal U.S. :against the NATO expeditionary kans "peace" deal is slated to be signed force. Three months earlier, the SLIU.S. December 14: "In France, the biggest and other sections of the International class battles in 30 years are being waged Communist League organized emer just as French imperialism prepares to gency protests against the massive NATO clean out 120,000 Bosnian Serbs from terror bombing of the Bosnian Serbs Sarajevo. We stand with the French which paved the way for the current workers in struggle to bring down the imperialist-dictated "peace" deal. bloodthirsty French imperialists, while At the December 5 NYC protest out in the U.S. we fight to bring down our side the UN building, demonstrators own racist rulers." carried signs reading "United Nations The Bay Area protest also drew a Fig Leaf for Imperialist Slaughter." SL handful of representatives of other leftist spokesman Len Meyers pointed to other groups, including the Freedom Socialist recent imperialist interventions in the SL protest outside United Nations, New York City, December 5. Party. An FSP supporter who addressed name of "peace," "democracy" or "hu the Bay Area demo moaned about how manitarianism," including the racist, co Meyers declared: "What this deal prom Speaking a day later at a Chicago pro "peace groups and activists are confused lonialist invasions of Somalia and Haiti, ises is more killing, more imperialist test outside the Federal Building, SLer and divided over whether to support or the 1991 attack on Iraq and the contin slaughter and more of the same kind of Lisa Br09ks pointed to the imperialist oppose Clinton's plan to send U.S. uing starvation embargo which has led 'ethnic cleansing' that was hypocritically instigated capitalist counterrevolution troops to Bosnia." In fact, as a Spartacus to the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children. denounced a short time ago." which destroyed the former Yugoslav Youth Club spokesman pointed out in deformed workers state and unleashed reply, the FSP itself was "confused" on the nationalist wars that have ripped this fundamental question. Our comrade apart the Balkans. She stated, "Lasting noted that the FSP's paper castigated France: Revolutionary peace and national equality for all the Washington for not siding "with the Bos Leadership Is Key peoples of the region will only come nian resistance fighting for a pluralistic The continuing wave of strikes which has through' proletarian revolutions leading' society" and for the phony arms embargo paralyzed France in recent weeks points to a socialist federation of the Balkans which left the Sarajevo regime "almost ever more directly toward the question of as part of a Socialist United States of defenseless." This was the line as well power: who will rule, the bourgeoisie or the Europe." Spartacist signs called "For of the "Workers Aid" campaign in West proletariat? The reformist misleaders-the Workers Revolution to Overthrow All Europe, supported by various fake Trot Communist and Socialist parties and the the Bloody Nationalist Regimes!" skyists, which ran convoys under UN heads of the various labor federations--are Emboldened by the restoration of cap "protection" to the Bosnian city of Tuzla: the main obstacle to victory. They seek to italism in the former Soviet Union and Now Tuzla is to be the base for 20,000 TROTSKY impose a "solution" compatible with the LENIN East Europe, the imperialist rulers in the American troops. interests of French capitalism, pleading for U.S. and West Europe have unleashed As the New York SL speaker con piecemeal concessions which even if granted today will be taken back tomorrow. all-out assaults on social welfare and cluded, underscoring the urgency of the Writing at the time of the 1936 French general strike, Leon Trotsky underscored the education programs while scapegoating ICL's fight for revolutionary leadership: urgency offorging an internationalist Bolshevik Party to lead the proletariat to power. minority and immigrant workers for epi "The International Communist League Contrary to the assertions of the leaders of the Second and Third Internationals, demic levels of unemployment. At an SL fights to reforge the Fourth International present-day capitalism is already incapable of either giving work to all workers or speakout at the College Park campus of of Leon Trotsky. This is the fight for raising the standard of living of the workers. Finance capital passes the costs of the University of Maryland on Decem workers revolution around the planet, to social reform onto the shoulders of the workers themselves and of the petty bour ber 7, a Spartacus Youth Club member put an end, once and for all, to racist told students: "With such a bleak future geoisie by means of rising prices, open or concealed inflation, taxes, etc. The essence terror, to imperialist war, to imperialist of the present "statism," of state interference-in both "democratic" and fascist for today's youth, this is a time which exploitation. Join us in that fight!". countries-consists in saving rotting capitalism at the price of lowering the living and cultural standards of the people. No other method is possible ~n the basis of private property.... < The mass organizations of the working class remain powerless, undecided, and Free" Chinese Immigrants lost, if they are not inspired and led forward by a firmly welded-together vanguard.