Several weeks ago, a movement of anger as we have not seen in a longtime appeared in France, totally disorienting the state power. It is understandable and legitimate in regard to the suffered social violence; the diversity of its participants is an indication of how much people are fed up with the successive, more or less hidden, austerity politics. Even if impressive, this revolt is only adding to the recent social movements taking place throughout France in the hospitals, the rail company, universities, high-schools etc.
The main characteristic of this movement is the rejection of representation by politicians and of self-proclaimed leaders. On the occupied roundabouts, new modes of social interaction are being invented. Anarchists approve of this attitude which has always been theirs. However, the revolt will be in vain if it is not followed by proposals. They exist, for example in Saint-Nazaire or Commercy, and even if they don’t fully satisfy the anarchists, they deserve to be supported as long as they are moving toward emancipation.
We are condemning and denouncing the many cases of violent State repression (arbitrary arrests, flash trials, mutilations from police ‘non-lethal’ rounds and other offensive police weapons) as the only answer to the protests.
The victory of this movement will not be the dissolution of the Assemblée nationale (editor’s note: French Parliament) in order to fill it with demagogues/populists and/or nationalists who themselves would not tolerate such demonstrations, but in its disruption through the establishment of self-organising and anarchist federalism.
Fédération Anarchiste
