A-Infos (en) France, OCL CA #362 - CURSED BE WAR, by Pierre Douillard-Lefèvre -- A WELCOME MANUAL FOR RESISTING MILITARIZATION (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Pierre Douillard-Lefèvre, who at 16 was struck by a flash-ball round 
during a demonstration in Nantes in 2007, wanted to investigate this 
weapon of war, which at the time was newly in the hands of the police. 
Then, observing that the line between police operations and military 
operations was blurring, he closely analyzed how weaponry and war are 
intertwined with the development of capitalism and the strengthening of 
state authoritarianism. *Cursed Be War* was published in September 2025, 
receiving very little media attention at the time; two months later, the 
government released an online "Survival Guide," claiming to "prepare" 
the population for climate and health crises and the threat of war. As 
if these "crises" and war were unpredictable events, independent of the 
policies of those in power. Faced with the rise of a widespread 
offensive of militarist propaganda, *Cursed Be War* presents itself as a 
resistance manual intended to be as accessible as possible. Its 
objective is to provide tools to "rearm" resistance against bellicose 
rhetoric and actions.

This book does not aim to reinvent a new antimilitarist framework.

The author observes that collective antimilitarist movements have 
weakened considerably since the 1990s: demonstrations against the Iraq 
War, actions against compulsory military service, the fight against the 
Larzac military camp, and criticism of arms dealers once mobilized 
millions of people in France and around the world. He therefore finds it 
urgent to participate in the reconstruction of a broad and popular 
antimilitarism.
In his book, he draws on historical data, as antimilitarism is rich in 
the legacy of internationalist socialist, communist, and anarchist 
movements. It also draws on the present, analyzing what contributes to 
the current militarization of power and society. It challenges received 
ideas by attacking the slogans used by those in power. For example, this 
call by Macron, a wartime leader, for the "rearmament of France," when 
there has never been any disarmament, when France, a nuclear power, is 
also the world's second-largest arms exporter, and when the budget 
allocated to military spending reaches staggering sums...

The manual can be read out of order; the chapters are short and 
well-structured. The reading is facilitated by a knack for concise 
phrasing that provides clear conclusions to the arguments.

"France, the eldest daughter of the army," is steeped, throughout 
history, in an obsessive militarism. "War, a process of extreme mass 
violence, disciplined and institutionalized," is the product of 
centralized power, of the State.

"War and fascism" go hand in hand. A fascist network exploits conflicts 
to organize itself with the stated objective of imposing authoritarian 
regimes.

"War, labor, and capital" are linked. Wars aim for the insatiable 
accumulation of goods and wealth. Destruction and reconstruction are 
equally lucrative.

"War is ecocidal": seizing land and resources, destroying entire ecosystems.

It is accompanied by "massive propaganda" to manufacture consent to 
militarism. The indoctrination of young people begins in school, with 
"defense and global security classes" designed to "create a spirit of 
defense" and offering the opportunity for "voluntary" military service.
War is both a source and a user of "new technologies," with an 
escalation of limitless innovations. "A confrontation between states is 
nothing more than two industrial and technological machines thrown 
against each other, with human flesh in the middle." "War is a pillar of 
patriarchy. Women are the first victims of militarism and wars" 
(systematic mass rapes)... but they are also at the forefront of 
mobilizations against wars and armies.

The author asks: "Down with all armies?" in a paragraph entitled "Hating 
War Without Laying Down Arms." He distinguishes between antimilitarism 
and pacifism, "army" and "people in arms," and highlights the difference 
between war and self-defense. The priority, he concludes, is to fight as 
strongly and massively as possible to prevent militarization from 
spreading and war from occurring.

At the end of the book, avenues for debate and action are presented.
The author cites examples of powerful and victorious struggles against 
war in several countries, dating back to the late 19th century, as well 
as more recent ones. He then proposes concrete, current strategies for 
confronting the military tide and for creating or strengthening 
anti-militarist movements: denouncing arms manufacturers and their 
numerous subcontractors throughout France, as with the Stop Arming 
Israel collective; carrying out acts of sabotage; slowing down arms 
production through strikes (see the STMicroelectronics employees near 
Grenoble); blocking shipments to Israel, as in Marseille, Genoa, and 
Barcelona; supporting deserters; and subverting military propaganda to 
ridicule it. to intervene against the presence of the military in 
schools and at career fairs... The book ends with a call to join the War 
on War (GAG) movement, a coalition of anti-racist, environmental, 
anti-colonialist, and autonomous organizations present in several 
European countries, which mobilized several thousand people against the 
Paris Air Show at Le Bourget in June 2025.

It is a shame, however, that no reference is made to other groups such 
as the Regional Coordination Against Armament and Militarism (CRAAM), 
based in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, which conducts information 
campaigns and connects the various anti-militarist initiatives in the 
region.

Kris, June 9

http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4763
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