France: The Congress for the Reconstitution of the Communist Youth
Featured image: Hundreds attended the Congress for the Reconstitution of the Communist Youth in Paris.
The Congress for the Reconstitution of the Communist Youth took place during the weekend between the 3rd and the 6th of April, and consisted of two parts, one of them internal, where delegates from each city participated in discussions about amendments to the founding documents of the Communist Youth, and an open event for all members and friends that consisted of discussions, speeches, a movie screening, songs, food and festivities.
The Federation of Young Communists in France (FJCF), or the Communist Youth, was founded in 1920, and held 11 congresses between 1921 and 1945, with the last 11th congress in 1945 formalizing the dissolution of the organization. This congress thus marks the 12th congress of the Communist Youth.
Preceding the congress, local preparatory meetings in cities all over France had prepared their proposals for amendments to the founding documents proposed by the National Desk. For the Congress delegates from all over the country had traveled to participate in the debates. Each amendment was read out loud and the delegates had to present their position on why the amendment should be made, after which the amendment would be discussed within the delegates of each city. After discussing the amendment, everyone who wished to could voice their position, after which a vote by hand was made, either abstaining from, approving, or rejecting the amendment. If a majority could not be reached, the discussions had to continue until unity was reached by majority vote.
The internal part of the congress was also attended by members and other forces that did not participate in the debate, as well as international delegations, including the Committee for the Reconstitution of the Communist Party of Corsica, Red League of Germany, Red Front of Norway, Revolutionary Student Union and the Puget Sound Revolutionary Youth from the United States.
The founding documents to be discussed consisted of the General Political Line, the Statutes, and the Points of Unity. The delegates shared their positions enthusiastically, and it was clear that the goal of each delegation was to reach unity through the two-line struggle. After two long days of debate, and many discussions on a wide variety of different topics, unity was finally reached on the morning of the 5th of April.
After this the National Committee of the Communist Youth was elected through anonymous vote by the delegates present, concluding the internal part of the congress, marking, after 81 years, the long awaited reconstitution of the Communist Youth of France.
This momentous feat was saluted and congratulated by the tribunal overseeing the debate, and a standing ovation was made, after which the Internationale was enthusiastically sung by every person present in the proceedings.
With this the open part of the congress was initiated, and 600 people flooded into the Césure Hall of Paris, filling the lecture hall to the brim, with heroes of the proletarian youth of France adorning the walls, including Guy Moquet, Danielle Casanova, Colonel Fabien and Gilles Tautin.
Many organizations proceeded to take the floor, after an opening speech publicly reading the closing statement of the internal Congress. The organizations highlighted the importance of the reconstitution of the Communist Youth. A greeting was read from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), after which a greeting from the Communist Party of India (Maoist) [CPI (Maoist)] was read, which was met with great applause and bewilderment, followed by enthusiastic slogans.
(We include an unofficial translation of the greeting from CPI (Maoist) at the end of the article.)
An event hall was also opened to the public, filled with tables from various organizations, including Fédération Syndicale Étudiante (FSE), the Committee for the Reconstitution of the Communist Party of Corsica, Daughters of the Commune Publishing House, La Cause du Peuple and many more, featuring all kinds of political material, withrevolutionary literature, posters, stickers and clothing. There was even an arcade game made specifically for the event.
Roundtable discussions had been organized throughout the day, with various invited organizations participating in an exchange of ideas and discussion along with the Communist Youth, one such roundtable debate focused on the questions; What is anti-imperialism? What is the situation of french imperialism today? What are the tasks and the role of revolutionaries in the imperialist centers? After the positions of the various organizations, questions were taken from the audience, who participated enthusiastically and contributed to sharpen the discussions.
Concluding the days agenda were speeches held by the International Anti-imperialist League (AIL) as well as from Red Front of Norway, after which festivities took place, including dinner, musical performances, a DJ-table, and dancing, celebrating the momentous occasion.
The last day of the congress opened with a statement from the Red League of Germany, who after saluting the reconstitution of the Communist Youth, highlighted the fact that as this Congress is taking place, the Founding Congress of the AIL is taking place. The speech was met with enthusiastic slogans of “Hoch die internationale Solidarität!”.
FSE also held a speech, announcing that through the historic occasion of this reconstitution, the Communist Youth’s name will never be dragged through the mud again, alluding to the formation of the revisionist French Communist Youth Movement (MJCF) in 1956. The FSE also highlighted the importance of unity, stating that: “ […] we cannot afford dispersion, hesitation, or a refusal to engage in debate. […] unity is more necessary than ever. But not just any unity. A unity built through political confrontation, through the struggle over principles, through clarification. A unity that rejects the inertia of certain organizations that prefer to avoid debates rather than resolve them.”.
A greeting was read from Partizan of and a speech was held by Platform for the Unity of Workers and Fraternity Among Peoples (BIR-KAR) of Turkey, after which a documentary film on the Yellow Vest Movement, “A Country that Behaves”, was shown. After the movie two members of the Communist Youth who had participated in the Yellow Vest Movement initiated the discussion with a statement, stating: “Among the lessons we draw from this today, one of the most important is developing the central question that addresses the organizational needs of the class for seizing power. This is the question of reconstituting the Communist Party in France.”
One participant spoke outabout how they would come home from school and see this kind of footage of the police brutalizing people, and how abnormal it was thatthey knew at the age of 15 the names of the weapons the police used to shoot protesters with, highlighting that footage of open police repression like this radicalized them growing up.
The final speaker of the Congress, the guest of honor and niece of the communist Danielle Casanova, Isaline Choury, spoke about the life of her aunt, how she joined the Communist Youth before the war and how she was the driving force and organizer of the Women’s Youth Union of France (UJFF) as well as the women’s committees of the Resistance. She also spoke about how Danielle organized politically the prisoners at Auschwitz, to which she was one of 230 communist women to be sent, due to her being deemed “too dangerous” by the Nazi authorities due to her affinity for political organizing.
A moving passage was read of her last letter sent before being sent to Auschwitz, highlighting her truly unbreakable spirit and dedication to the communist struggle: “I know suffering but not sadness, and I find life so grand and so beautiful. […] We are proud to be French and communist. We will never bow our heads. We live only for the struggle. The times we are living in are magnificent. I bid you farewell. I embrace all those I love. Never let your heart ache when you think of me. I am happy that I have never faltered and that I feel impetuous and youthful blood in my veins. Our beautiful France will be free, and our ideal will triumph.”
Isaline also spoke about her own experience as an activist participating in the Freedom Flotilla for Palestine, and how she was kidnapped in international waters and tortured by the State of Israel. She emphasized that the torture did not break her will, but quite the contrary it further cemented her resolve as an activist and her support for the Palestinian cause.
She concluded her speech with a salute to the reconstitution of the Communist Youth, saying that if Danielle Casanova would be here today she would be greatly comforted, reiterating the need of organizing and rallying the people, finishing with the assertion that “We will never bow our heads; we live only for the struggle!”
After a very successful conclusion to the eventful 12th Congress of the Communist Youth, the audience broke out into applause and the slogan “Our heroes are immortal—let’s set out once more to stormthe heavens!”. To conclude the congress, everyone present gathered on the stage for a group picture, displaying a banner denouncing Operation Kagaar in front, as the Warscawianka (Whirlwinds of Danger), the Anthem of the Comintern, and finally the Internationale was sung with great passion by everyone present.
Without doubt, the level of development of the revolutionary Youth Movement in France is impressive, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. It illustrates how the struggle for politicization and mobilization of the potential forces of the Revolution develops through leaps. A couple of years ago it would be great if you could have counted the participants at a Maoist Youth meeting in France in the dozens, at the Congress we report upon here they could be counted in the hundreds. A proof that the leaders of the new generation of revolutionary fighters in France have been able to transform potential into reality. Now they have created a new form of organization and we look forward to report upon the new leaps this will bring about.
We include here an unofficial translation made by Red Flag News of the greeting received by the Congress for the Reconstitution of the Communist Youth from the Communist Party of India (Maoist) [CPI (Maoist)]:
Dear comrades,
Red salute
To begin, we would like to extend our warmest greetings to all the revolutionary comrades who are organizing the Congress of Communist Youth in France.
Tributes to Comrade Basavaraju, Comrade Hidma, Comrade Vivek, Comrade Raju, Comrade Kosa, Comrade Anuj, Comrade Ganesh, Comrade Bhaskar, Comrade Uday, Comrade Chalapathy, Comrade Anal and the hundreds of ardent sons and daughters of our land who fell as martyrs in Operation Kagar launched by the Indian State since January 2024.
Tributes also to all the revolutionary comrades who fell as martyrs in the Philippines, Turkey, Peru, Brazil, France and in all countries of the world for the socialist revolution.
We are delighted by the news of the Communist Youth Congress, which is taking place at one of the most important turning points in history. We regret not being able to attend in person this time due to the intense repression and state surveillance currently in place, but we share with you our deepest solidarity and enthusiasm.
Today, reactionary forces are growing throughout the world. They are tightening their grip on the chains that oppress the world’s working masses. At a time when imperialism is deepening its global offensive through unjust wars of aggression, economic plunder, militarization, and the intensification of neo-colonial domination, your congress assumes historical significance. The US-European imperialist bloc, along with the Russo-Chinese imperialist bloc, continues to inflict immense suffering on the peoples of the world, from West Asia to Latin America, from Africa to South and Southeast Asia. The threat of a third world war is ever-present.
At the same time, there is a resurgence of rebellion everywhere. News of resistance movements is coming in from all over the world. The recent movements in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar are living proof that the class struggle is intensifying. While the impact of imperialist penetration and regime change policies cannot be ignored in these movements, the struggle of the masses against oppression and their rage and hatred toward the ruling classes are undeniable.
From anti-war movements in support of the people of Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Palestine to revolutionary movements like the Paris Commune, the October Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, and the Naxalbari Revolution, students and youth have always played a significant historical role in the struggle for justice. Young people resist everywhere in the world—on campuses, in the streets, in peasant and workers’ struggles. They refuse to surrender their future to imperialist war and exploitation.
We firmly believe that the task of revolutionary student and youth organizations is to transform spontaneous resistance into organized resistance, into a conscious and militant class struggle. We have closely followed the rapid developments and actions taking place in France in recent years. The organizational work carried out by revolutionary student and youth organizations is a testament to the development of the class struggle in the country. The comrades in France are heirs to the revolutionary legacy of the Paris Commune, the May ’68 movement, and the militant revolts throughout the country’s history. The popular uprisings of 2025, leading to nationwide blockades, are proof of the progress of the comrades in France and an inspiration to us all.
In our country, the Hindutva Brahmanic fascists are pursuing their policy of total annihilation against our party and the revolutionary masses. The war criminals Modi and Shah have proudly declared that the Maoist movement will be over by March 31, 2026. The Indian state’s genocidal military campaign—Operation Kagar—has taken the lives of hundreds of our revolutionary comrades, from the highest leadership to the unarmed masses. Through a strategy of low-intensity conflict, the state has convinced some traitors to surrender, while these traitors have harassed and mistreated many comrades into abandoning hope for the revolution. Thousands of comrades are suffering in prison. But like their predecessors, Modi and Shah have had to postpone their objectives, saying that eliminating the Maoists will take them another two or three years. Every drop of blood shed by our comrades plants the seeds of new revolutionary forces throughout the country. As our comrade Secretary General Ganapathy said during an interview, “Our Party always pays its debts in blood”.
The revolutionary masses of India are fighting against the fascist plans of the BJP-RSS. Popular movements are growing throughout the country against anti-people fascist policies. Our country’s student and youth revolutionaries have been at the forefront of many of these struggles, countering the fascist offensive.
Comrade Mao Zedong told the students and young people, “The world is yours, as well as ours, but in the last analysis, it is yours. You young people, full of vigor and vitality, are in the bloom of life, like the sun at eight or nine in the morning. Our hope is placed on you. The world belongs to you.” Claim your world, comrades. Dare to storm the heavens. Dare to struggle, dare to win.
Long live proletarian internationalism!
Long live Marxism-Leninism-Maoism!
Long live the World Socialist Revolution!
Revolutionary greetings,
The Communist Party of India (Maoist)
La Cause du Peuple made reports from each day of the congress and also published the greeting received from the Communist Party of India (Maoist), you can read them here:
