Koutsoumbas on French Elections: "The regroupment of the movement in France, Greece and across Europe is the only way that can generate hope to the people"

In a statement (here in Greek) concerning the result of the French legislative elections and the electoral victory of the "New Popular Front" (Nouveau Front Populaire), the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas, stresses out:

"(What we are witnessing is) a repetition of the same project, with the protagonists of the anti-popular governments of recent years who have been condemned in the consciousness of the French people, with the only thing being certain is that again - in the name of "democracy" and of the "lesser evil" - will fuel a new vicious cycle of frustrations and conservatism.

KKE on French elections: Only the workers-popular movement can stop the rise of the far-right

Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party led the first round of France’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, taking it closer to the gates of power than ever before.

After an unusually high turnout, the RN bloc clinched 33.15% of the vote, while the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition came second with 27.99% and President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble alliance slumped to a dismal third with 20.76%, according to final results published by the Interior Ministry on Monday. 

KKE's leader Dimitris Koutsoumbas on the far right and the “New Popular Front” in France

On 19^th June in an interview with the radio station “Real FM”, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, General Secretary of the CC of the KKE, referred to the results of the recent European elections held in Greece and the rest of the EU. 

Specifically for Greece, he noted that “there has been another significant electoral rise of the KKE, starting from the 2019 European elections (5.35%), the 2023 parliamentary elections of May (7.2%) and June (7.7%), and now the European elections (9.25%). This confirms that positive processes are taking place in society,in the struggles and the elections of the mass movement. I would say that a current disputing the dominant policy, i.e. that of the Commission, the EU and the New Democracy government, is being stabilized and strengthened; and, of course, this current is mainly expressed by the increase in the prestige of the KKE and in the rallying of broader forces around it.”

"Popular Front" in France: An old, bankrupt story

Article published in "Rizospastis" daily (here in Greek), Organ of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), on 20 June 2024:

"Popular Front" in France: An old, bankrupt story

"The multi-party cooperation established in France under the title “Popular Front” (Front Populaire) in order- as they say- to put obstacles to the election of a far-right Prime Minister, is presented as an example to follow in our country as well.

PCRF: Macron, Le Pen and the role of the revolutionary Communist Party

Same cause, same effects: capitalism and its bourgeois state, are the culprits!

On the evening of June 9, 2024, a verdict fell, with the results of the European ballot: electoral bankruptcy of the Macron/Attal government, with less than 15% of votes cast for the Macronist list (less than 8% of registered voters, taking into account the still strong abstention); new surge of the Rassemblement national, to over 31% (also to be put into perspective, with 16% of registered voters). You can find a fuller analysis on our website.

Justified popular anger, illusions to be dismantled

Communist Revolutionary Party of France: "We must combat the neo-Kautskyist viewpoint of the PCF"

The contribution of the Communist Revolutionary Party of France (Parti Communiste Révolutionnaire de France - PCRF) in the meeting of the European Communist Action, on 12 April 2024 in Athens, under the subject “On the situation of workers' rights in Europe and the experiences of the communists’ struggle”:

French monopoly capitalism has a dual character: it is despoiling and rapacious on the international stage, but dependent on American, German, Japanese and Chinese capital in France. France is regularly the champion of foreign direct investment (FDI) received in the EU, as well as the EU champion of French FDI invested worldwide. 

PAME: Solidarity with the workers of France against trade union persecutions

The All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) denounces the new attempt of the French Government to intimidate workers and criminalise workers’ struggles, by calling the General Secretary of the CGT Energy Federation, Sébastien Menesplier to give statement to the police for the militant initiatives developed by the trade unions in the past months against Macron’s pension reform.

The great months-long struggle of French workers has succeeded, through the huge mobilisations of millions of workers, in showing that the French people have rejected the French government’s anti-workers’ reforms. 

 

Revolutionary Communist Party of France (PCRF): On the situation in Niger and the issues at stake

In a communique about the developments in Niger, following the military coup of 26 July, the Revolutionary Communist Party of France (PCRF) stresses out the following:

On July 26, 2023, in Niamey, Niger, President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by Abourahamane Tiani, the former head of the presidential guard who had served him for 10 years, with the help of part of the Nigerien military apparatus and the active support of a large part of the Nigerien masses, as witnessed by the demonstration on Sunday July 30, which brought together thousands of demonstrators in front of the French embassy.

Niger coup: Why West Africa has become the center of inter-imperialist standoff

By Nikos Mottas.

The military coup d'etat of July 26th in Niger, which deposed pro-French President Mohammad Bazoum, is part of the broader imperialist confrontation of the Western powers (USA, NATO, EU) with Russia and China. This time, the imperialist standoff is focused on the resource-rich region of Sahel, activating the decades-old political divisions in West Africa. 

Communist Youth of Greece condemns the murder of 17-year-old Nahel by police in France

In a statement the International Relations Committee of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE), the youth wing of the KKE, refers to the murder of 17-year-old Nahel M. in Nanterre, France and the subsequent mass demonstrations throughout the country. The statement reads:

“The Communist Youth of  Greece condemns the murder of Nahel, a 17-year old boy of Algerian origin, on Tuesday 27 June 2023 in Nanterre, Paris, who was shot at point-blank range by a police officer because he... “refused to comply” during a traffic control. 

PAME: Long Live the Struggle of the Workers of France

PAME, expresses its solidarity with the working class of France and the new General Strike on March 23 and the big daily mobilisations of the workers.

The working class, the youth and the people of France, with the militant trade unions in the front line, flood the streets of all French cities every day and carry out massive, militant strikes and multiform actions to prevent the imposition of the anti-workers pension reform of the Macron government. They clearly state that they do not accept to work til death.

France vs Macron: The struggle against the pension reform from a communist perspective

On March 7, millions of people took to the streets throughout France participating in a nationwide strike against the anti-popular pension reform by Emmanuel Macrons' government that plans to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old. 

 

That was the sixth strike against the reform this year, following large mobilizations in January and February. Over 260 demonstrations were reported in the country, with the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) talking about 700,000 protesters in Paris. 

France: Workers protest against government's pension reform in the largest mobilizations of the last 20 years

Huge crowds marched across France on Tuesday to say "non" to President Emmanuel Macron's plan to make people work longer before retirement. 

According to the estimations of Trade Unions, yesterday's mobilization in Paris is the largest since 2000. 

The French Interior ministry said that a total of 1.272 million people took part in the protests nationwide, up slightly from the first nationwide demonstration on Jan 19. In Paris, a total of 87,000 people marched, compared to 80,000 on Jan. 19, it added.

PAME’s greeting at the 58th Congress of the UD CGT13 in Marseilles: "Our future is not to become slaves of the 21st century"

A delegation of the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) Secretariat and the Union of Piraeus' Port Dockers of COSCO arrived in France to participate in the Congress of UD CGT 13 and express solidarity with the strike actions of the working class of France. The following greeting speech was delivered by George Perros, member of the Secretariat of PAME:

"Comrades,

Workers of UD CGT13 Bouches duRhones, of the historic Marseille.

WFTU-PAME: Solidarity with the big strike of the workers in the French Refineries #SoutienRaffineurs

The World Federation of Trade Unions, representing 105 million workers in 130 countries around the world, expresses its support for the strikers in the refineries of France and for the FNIC CGT, affiliated to the WFTU, which has been leading this heroic struggle for 3 weeks against the big monopolies Total and Exxon mobile.

Refinery workers in France are waging a powerful and exemplary struggle, at a time when these big oil monopolies are paying billions of Euros in dividends to their shareholders, while refusing to raise wages: refiners are showing that only the way of the strike and the struggle can force the employers to satisfy the demands of the workers.

Gustavo Petro, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the fairytale of “left governments”

By Nikos Mottas.

The same old fairytale of “left-progressive governments” is back in the news following the electoral victory of social democrat Gustavo Petro in Colombia, as well as the performance of leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon in French parliamentary elections.

As it happened last December with Gabriel Boric' victory in Chile, a number of left-wing, opportunist forces in Greece and abroad celebrate the recent results, presenting them as a “triumph of the left” which can allegedly bring positive developments for the working people. 

KKE on French election: Popular discontent for Macron — Mélenchon and Le Pen are capital's reserves

“The actual, pro-people way out, in France, in Greece and in every country, is the intensification of the struggle against capitalist barbarism and its- every time- governmental administrator”, underlines a comment by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) on the results of the French legislative elections.

More specifically, the statement (here in Greek) issued by the Press Office of the CC of the KKE reads:

KKE: Comment on Macron's re-election in France

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes.

Emmanuel Macron has won France's presidential election, fending off a historic challenge from far-right candidate Marine Le Pen during Sunday's runoff vote.

Macron took 58.5% of Sunday's vote, making him the first French leader to be reelected in 20 years. He and Le Pen advanced to the runoff after finishing in first and second place, respectively, among 12 candidates who ran in the first round on April 10.

Commenting on the outcome of the election and the victory of Emmanuel Macron, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) points out (here in Greek):

Is the French communist movement dead?

By Nikos Mottas

Macron vs Le Pen and Le Pen vs Macron. Once again the French people are called to choose between “Scylla” and “Charybdis”, being entrapped in the notion of the “less evil”. 

We've seen this play in the past: In 2017, when Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen were again the two contestants in the second round of the presidential elections, as well as in 2002 when Jacques Chirac faced Jean-Marie Le Pen who came second leaving behind social democrat Lionel Jospin. 

KKE: Statement on the French elections' result

Commenting on the result of the first round of the French presidential elections, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) stresses out (read here in Greek):

“The result of the French elections, with the once again high percentage of far-right Le Pen, is the tragic consequence on the one hand of the timeless anti-people policy implemented by all governments in the name of “democracy” and “progress” and, on the other, of the compromise and degeneration that has prevailed in the labor and communist movement in France.