France: Statement from the National Bureau of LJR and JR
We hereby share an unofficial translation of a statement from the National Bureau of Ligue de la Jeunesse Révolutionnaire [LJR] and Jeunes Revolutionnaires [JR].
Paris, February 13
Proletarians of all countries, unite!
60 arrests in one year: we are the youth of the crisis and of the Revolution
At the start of 2026, we believe it is important to look back on 2025 and draw political conclusions from what was a great year of struggle, repression, and harbinger of change. As we launch the struggle to hold the Communist Youth Reconstitution Congress in April 2026, this analysis seems essential to us. Indeed, our struggle in working-class neighborhoods, in universities, in social movements, against imperialism, for Palestine, has led to 60 arrests within the ranks of our organization over the past year. Nevertheless, this attack has only strengthened and developed us. Let us return here to the causes.
All over the world, fundamental contradictions are intensifying. First, there is the contradiction between the imperialist powers and the oppressed peoples and nations, which is the main contradiction in the world today. We can see this in the massive uprisings that shook all semi-colonial and semi-feudal countries and many colonies in 2025, notably in Kanaky, Morocco, Madagascar, Nepal, Peru, and many other places. But also through the People’s Wars that continue to raise the red flag high in India, Turkey, the Philippines, and Peru, or through the incendiary situation in Brazil. Of course, the Palestinian national liberation struggle, following the Al-Aqsa Flood, has profoundly shaken the world and mobilized the masses around the world in the struggle against imperialism.
Imperialist powers are facing increased resistance from peoples around the world, and in their desire to maintain and develop their positions, they are forced to become more aggressive. This pushes them to reveal their true colors and trample on the principles of their “liberal democracy.” This is achieved in particular through the strengthening of their colonial policies, the reinforcement of their control over territories and populations, and raw materials. This situation is therefore accompanied by increasingly crude external military interference and the development of increasingly reactionary policies against the proletariat and the popular masses on their own soil.
The contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, a fundamental contradiction that underlies all others, is only intensifying in various but irrefutable ways. Political crises are multiplying for the national bourgeoisies, particularly in the imperialist countries. Faced with the instability of their pre-carré in the colonies and semi-colonies, the imperialist powers are restructuring themselves to deal with the crisis in an increasingly frenzied process of reactionarization and are marching steadily towards war and fascism. Yet everywhere, protests, uprisings, and social movements are multiplying at ever-increasing frequency and intensity. The crisis for the bourgeoisie means an increase in the class struggle for the proletariat and the popular masses.
This development of class struggle in oppressed countries and in imperialist countries contributes to sharpening the contradiction that exists between imperialists. The “pie” is becoming increasingly difficult for the major powers to share, and all are preparing to reshuffle the deck with new wars of plunder and pillage. Ultimately, this means direct war between imperialist powers. This situation is particularly clear in France, with a government that is developing propaganda and policies promoting armament and preparing young people for high-intensity warfare.
These developments in contradictions are leading to an increasingly clear situation: the old order can no longer govern as before, and the masses no longer allow themselves to be governed as before. The acceleration and development of the class struggle since 2020 in France proves this to us. The current situation requires us to further develop our revolutionary work.
The current campaign for the Communist Youth Reconstitution Congress, launched nearly a year ago, is part of this effort. We urgently need a genuine Communist Youth, serving the proletariat. We can see sincere young people breaking away from the P“C”F., debates emerging in various revolutionary groups, and an expectation among young people, increasingly large sections of whom are claiming to be communists and demanding an organization and leadership for the combat whose objective will not be to win cushy seats on city councils or in town halls, but rather to organize young people as shock troops for the Revolution. Here, there is no compromise with municipal, legislative, or presidential elections. The only true revolutionary platform is that of struggle on the ground, alongside the masses, through revolutionary violence, and not behind a computer or a ballot.
We must therefore, more than ever, place the Communist Youth Reconstitution Congress at the service of the process of reconstituting the Communist Party of France.
The revolutionary situation, developing unevenly, is forcing the bourgeoisie to deploy an increasingly severe repressive apparatus against the revolutionary movement, and now even against broad democratic and progressive forces. The movement in defense of the Palestinian national liberation struggle, which spread throughout the country after the glorious counteroffensive of October 7, 2023, and the genocide that followed, served as a pretext for the French bourgeoisie to attack fundamental democratic freedoms and trample on its own laws. This allowed it to intensify its reactionary policies. Even before October 7, the pension reform, the June riots over Nahel, and the riots in Kanaky were all opportunities to attack and roll back the democratic rights of the working class, and to prepare for war abroad and counterinsurgency at home.
All this paves the way for war and fascism, and comrades, it is with great pride that we must say: we are the foremost enemy of war and fascism, and we will not back down!
In nearly a year, our organization has suffered more than 60 arrests, ranging from police custody to ongoing trials, for various reasons but ultimately for one reason: where there is oppression, there is resistance, and since Colonel Fabien, the Communist Youth has never stopped resisting!
We especially salute our comrades who have personally endured these arrests (sometimes several times in a row). We salute our comrades who have been injured during this year of struggle, particularly our young high school comrades from Limoges and Rennes who fought back every blow. We salute our comrades who have appeared in court this year. We salute those who have had to change their doors after raids. We salute them with great emotion, because among all these comrades, despite the threats, the days in cells, the waiting in courtrooms, the rallies in the rain, the fines and the beatings, none of them gave up!
We would also like to take this opportunity to commend the excellent work of the FSE, with whom we share this repression and our daily struggles.
We refuse to remain passive, and the best counteroffensive against these anti-democratic attacks is to make the Communist Youth Reconstitution Congress a great victory for the rebirth of a fighting organization!
We have said it before and we will say it again: we live only for the struggle, and no threat will make us bend. The reactionaries can bare their teeth all they want, but we will not tremble!
60 arrests in nearly a year, we will not give in!
Often in police custody, never at their service!
Let’s move forward without fear, it is right to rebel!
Join the Communist Youth Reconstitution Congress
NATIONAL BUREAU
OF ‘LIGUE DE LA JEUNESSE RÉVOLUTIONNAIRE’
AND ‘JEUNES REVOLUTIONNAIRES’
We include the original statement below:
