A-Infos (en) France, OCL CA #353 - Editorial - "Faced with the misfortunes afflicting the world, brooding serves no purpose. We must be on the lookout for possibilities."[Noam Chomsky] (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

One of the most terrible massacres of our civilization is that 
perpetrated by the State of Israel in Gaza and the West Bank. Zionism is 
a political ideology born at the end of the 19th century, whose goal is 
the creation of an independent Jewish state in Palestine. The Zionist 
project involves emptying the territory of its inhabitants in order to 
settle its own population, hence the current genocide. Zionist 
colonization was followed by apartheid and now genocide. But this 
genocide is only possible if carried out by a capitalist state, a beacon 
of "democracy" and the market in the Middle East, an exporter of deadly 
weapons throughout the world. The State of Israel can only exist through 
and for war throughout the world. That the far right is in power in 
Israel through "democratic" elections is therefore no coincidence, and 
we have no illusions about the demonstrations, whether they take place 
in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, demanding the release of the hostages (where 
no Palestinian flag is seen), while the vast majority of Jewish-Israelis 
are Zionists. Let us recall here that Israel has always ignored 
international law, the UN, the International Courts of Justice, and so 
on, thanks to the United States, of which it is virtually the 51st state.

As we wrote in our last editorial, "all state leaders are holding each 
other by the beard and are as alike as two peas in a pod (embezzlement, 
embezzlement, oil and mining interests to defend, with massacres, wars, 
torture, etc.)."

So? No more hope?
Yes! There are already tens, even hundreds of thousands of people 
mobilizing in all capitals against the genocide in Gaza, for economic, 
sporting, cultural, and other boycotts of Israel, and against the 
resumption of arms production in all countries around the world. For 
nearly a year now, there has also been a large-scale social movement in 
Serbia[1]that can only give us renewed hope, as we see a real 
convergence of struggles, a refusal to personalize their struggle, and a 
concrete search for direct democracy.

And elsewhere? Perhaps the return of something possible will take place 
in France?
Here, the last victory on the social front dates back to 2006 against 
the government's plan (led by de Villepin, let's not forget) for the 
First Job Contract (CPE), a work contract for young people under 26 that 
called into question permanent and fixed-term contracts. "This victory 
lay in the ability of young people to engage in politics by reclaiming 
their lives, taking back control of their affairs, and assuming direct 
control during the struggle. Certainly, with hesitation, but also with 
confidence and awareness."[2]

Then, for 20 years, all the social movements, some of which saw 
mobilizations equivalent in number to those of 2006, ended in failure. 
They all had the same classic format: inter-union, demonstration, 
strike, thank you, good evening, and see you next time...

Fortunately, we had the Yellow Vest movement, which "radicalized in its 
form (scattered blockades, direct actions in major cities such as the 
marches on Paris), generating violent clashes and in its political 
expression. It was the first time the state showed a certain fear in 
several decades."[3]

So, when the Bayrou government proposed its 2026 budget, deep anger 
emerged. This budget picked the pockets of those who don't have much in 
it, it took away two public holidays, attacked social security 
reimbursements, sick leave, etc., etc.
A call appeared under the name "Block everything on September 10th," 
straight from social media, meaning from who knows where. No matter! In 
the speeches of the leaders, there was a real continuity with the 
"yellow vest" protests: a rejection of the elites, a deep distrust of 
institutions, a rejection of any representative, whether political or 
union. It's about being outraged, exasperated, and blocking, but not 
necessarily preparing for the "big night."

The government was scared! It mobilized 80,000 police officers, for, it 
announced, 100,000 demonstrators. In the end, there were indeed 80,000 
police officers, but at least 2 to 3 times as many protesters. Of 
course, as was predictable, we failed to block the country. We were 
starting from too far back, twenty years of social defeats, to arrive at 
a revolutionary social moment following a call on social networks, even 
if "we're fed up with being fed up"! Thousands of people, including many 
first-time protesters and young people, experienced their first general 
assembly, their first demonstration, their first direct action... A 
breath of fresh air for the social movement!

But politicians and their elections are waiting for us at the turning 
point. We risk experiencing "electoral anti-fascism" as a synonym for 
anti-right, where it has become interchangeable to speak of "the rise of 
fascism," "the right," or "liberalism." The risk will be the call for 
unity to ultimately defend capitalism and its democracy, typical of 
historical anti-fascism. But we are not there yet! Let us live intensely 
in the present moment!

http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4519
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