France: “far-left” LCR refuses to take a stand on police repression

The meeting, held at the LCR’s bookshop, discussed the wording of a leaflet to be distributed to the national demonstration and protest strike November 8 called by the trade unions and the Left parties in opposition to the government’s sweeping programme of privatisation, ongoing and planned.

For 10 days, youth in the working class suburbs, at first in the capital and now all over France, have been fighting against the massive intervention of heavily equipped riot police, the CRS (Republican Security Companies), on their estates in a movement sparked by the death of two teenagers fleeing police October 27. The leading spokesman of the LCR, Alain Krivine, in a communiqué on the party’s web site, had invited “progressive forces” to meet with his party to respond to the situation. WSWS reporters covered the meeting.

In the course of the meeting—led by Piquet, a leading member and journalist for the LCR weekly newspaper, Rouge—members of the LCR’s youth section, the JCR (Revolutionary Communist Youth), proposed that the appeal should call for the withdrawal of the riot police from the housing estates. Some of the delegates agreed that this was the principal demand coming from the youth and residents on the estates.

Piquet said, “I agree with the call to withdraw the riot police. I’m not sure that the PCF [French Communist Party] or the LDH [League for Human Rights] would agree.” Others pointed out that it would not just be the PCF. Additional organisations, they said, particularly the Stalinist-dominated CGT (General Confederation of Labour) and other trade unions, would also refuse to sign the appeal if this demand was included.

Piquet agreed to include the demand temporarily but he firmly asserted, “If this causes the withdrawal of organisations, then we will have to remove the demand from the text.” Everyone present was fully aware that this was tantamount to the LCR opposing the demand itself.

This reporter asked Piquet to confirm his statement, which he did, and then asked all those present if they supported the demand for the withdrawal of the CRS from the estates. Most nodded and gave signs of assent. None indicated that they opposed the demand.

Some argued, in order to justify their acceptance of Piquet’s position, that the broadest possible unity was essential. Following the meeting, this reporter asked participants if they were prepared to unite with organisations that accepted the presence of the riot police on the estates. None wanted to press the issue, in the interests of “unity.” The JCR youth, who had also unsuccessfully raised the question of a demand for amnesty for youth jailed in responding to police provocation, were unable to answer when asked how they felt about their propositions being overridden.

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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/nov2005/lcr-n08.shtml