Public meeting with Peter Schwarz of the Partei für Soziale Gleichheit (Socialist Equality Party—Germany)

Sunday May 11, 3 pm
AGECA
177 rue de Charonne
75011 Paris
Métro Alexandre Dumas (line 2), Bus 76

The International Committee of the Fourth International will present its programme for the European elections on May 11 in Paris. Speakers from the Partei für Soziale Gleichheit in Germany and the Socialist Equality Party in the UK will address the most burning questions confronting European workers: social counter-revolution and the danger of war.

In Germany, the ruling class is systematically reviving militarism behind the backs of the people. In February, the German government played a leading role in organising the coup in Kiev. In close collaboration with fascist parties and militia groups, it brought a right-wing, anti-Russian regime to power. It was a deliberate provocation. Russia’s reaction was predictable and had been taken into account in advance. Since then, NATO has used the crisis in Ukraine to rearm and encircle Russia militarily, risking nuclear war.

All European governments, including the government of President François Hollande in France, are supporting this dangerous political course. They have the backing of pseudo-left parties like the Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste (NPA), which is glorifying the fascist-led coup in Kiev as a “democratic revolution”.

Like 100 years ago, when the German, French and British bourgeoisie plunged humanity into the first of two devastating World Wars, militarism is the answer of the ruling class to the deepening crisis of world capitalism. It is accompanied by a social counter-revolution destroying decades of gains won by the working class. Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal have already been destroyed by austerity dictated by Brussels and Berlin. Now it is Italy and France's turn.

To attack the working class, the governments are resorting to authoritarian forms of rule. In France, the Socialist Party government of Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls adopts racist and law-and-order policies to divide the working class. This will inevitably strengthen Le Pen and the National Front.

Only a broad movement of the international working class can counter the danger of war and fascism. The large majority of the working class is deeply hostile to official politics. What they lack is a party that calls things by their right names, declares war on the ruling class, and provides the resistance to war with a clear socialist and internationalist orientation.

The construction of such a party is at the heart of the European election campaign of the International Committee of the Fourth International. The ICFI embodies the historical traditions of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International, which defended the programme and perspective of world socialist revolution against Stalinism. Since its foundation in 1953 the ICFI has conducted an irreconcilable political struggle against pseudo-left forces like the Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste, Lutte Ouvrière (LO) and the Parti ouvrier indépendant (POI), who have abused the name of Trotskyism to adapt to Socials Democrats, Stalinists, Trade Union bureaucrats and other lackeys of capitalism.

These forces do not speak for the working class, but for affluent sections of the middle class. They have pocketed huge incomes oppressing the class struggle and subordinating the working class to Social Democracy and Stalinism. Now that a social compromise is no longer possible, they move unambigously into the camp of imperialism.

The ICFI calls upon working people throughout Europe, including Ukraine and Russia, to build a broad, international anti-war movement. We reject NATO and the EU. Our goal is the establishment of the United Socialist States of Europe. Only the creation of workers’ governments in each country and the unification of Europe on a socialist basis can prevent the relapse of the continent into nationalism and war, and create the conditions for its rich resources and productive forces to be used and developed for the benefit of society as a whole.

Attend our meeting on May 11 and help build sections of the ICFI in France and throughout Europe.

All those wishing to participate in our campaign and know more about the ICFI click here.