Leaflet - How can the far right be stopped?

Alex Rouillard of Gauche Révolutionnaire, the French sister-organisation of the Socialist Party, reports on the momentous demonstrations of the 1st of May in France:

"In most towns and cities, demonstrators are calling for a vote for Chirac. 'Rather the crook than the fascist' is the slogan that many are chanting. Gauche Révolutionnaire on the other hand, is mobilising around the slogan, 'neither the facsist nor the crook'.

"Chirac is undoubtedly preparing to govern 'a lá Berlusconi', the right-wing, anti-worker prime minister of Italy. The real reason for the vote for Le Pen and the FN is the unemployment, poverty created by, and the arrogant and corrupt nature of, the 'neo-liberal' politicians and their anti-working class agenda."

Come to the Public Meeting... All Welcome!
Speaker: Leila Massoudi (French anti-racist activist)
@ 8pm Thursday 25th July, Wynns Hotel, Dublin

Far right on the rise?

The vote for Le Pen in France and the List Pim Fortuyn in Holland comes two years after the success of Jorg Haider's Freedom Party in Austria and the formation of a government in Italy that includes teh former fascist MSI, now re-named the National Alliance. Elsewhere in Denmark, Belguim, Germany and Switzerland the far right have made electoral gains.

Establishment political parties and governments across Europe are pursuing a viscious right-wing and neo-liberal agenda. Public services are being privatised, resulting in massive lay-offs of workers and poorer services working class people. The former Labour and socialis democratic parties have embraced neo-liberalism and moved significantly to the right. Governments and right-wing politicians across Europe are using immigrants and refugees as scapegoats. They are introducing new draconian powers not only against workers who go on strike, anti-capitalist protestores, etc. There is a shift to the right of the political establishment leaving a vacuum in society. In the absence of a credible alternative, the parties of the far right can garner support. They hide the extremist side of their ideas and pose as 'anti-establishment' and use crude, populist arguments to gain electoral support.

France saw a massive movement of millions of youth and workers against Le Pen's short-lived 'victory' in the first round of the presidential elections. In countries like Italy and Spain new and increasingly poweful movements are developing against the right-wing policies of neo-liberalism as a whole. Waht is needed is a Europe-wide movement of working class people and young people against the neo-liberal slaughter of jobs, conditions and services. Only a united struggle for a decent future for all can provide a real alternative to the twisted ideas of the far right anf the dead end of capitalism.

Lelia is on a speaking tour of Ireland this week to talk about the struggle against right-wing racist ideas in France and Europe.

Why did people vote for Le Pen and his Front Nationale (FN)? How significant are the ant-racist protests that developed out of the election? How can anti-racists take this movement forward and cut across the anti-immigrant and racist ideas of the far right?

She has been an anti-racist activist for 12 years and was a key organiser of the recent protests against Le Pen. She is also a member of Gauche Revolutionnaire, the French section of the CWI. The Socialist Party is the CWI section in Ireland, and the CWI has members in over 35 countries around the world.