Zelenskyy to visit Armenia and possibly Azerbaijan at the beginning of next week
The information about a possible visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Armenia, which was first reported last week, was confirmed on 26 February by a diplomatic source of Radio Azatutyun.
Source: European Pravda
Details: The source states that Zelenskyy’s visit to Armenia will most likely be held next Monday, on 4 March. If this is true, "will also travel to Azerbaijan," the publication said.
In case the information is confirmed, this will become the first visit of Zelenskyy to the Southern Caucasus not only since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but also since the moment he took office in 2019.
Zelenskyy has met with the leaders of both Azerbaijan and Armenia at international assemblies. For instance, at the beginning of October 2023 Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, and Zelenskyy met on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Granada for the first time.
The Armenian Foreign Affairs Ministry refused to officially comment on the information about Zelenskyy’s visit, but MPs from the Public Agreement governmental party hinted in a conversation with Radio Azatutyun that it is true.
"We don’t care about how Russia will or will not react [to Zelenskiy’s visit]," said one of the lawmakers, Gagik Melkonian.
A possible visit of Zelenskyy to Armenia will be held amid the deterioration of relations between Yerevan and Moscow.
Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan stated on numerous occasions that Armenia was not Russia’s ally in its war against Ukraine. Recently he stated that Yerevan "freezed" its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, a military alliance de-facto headed by Moscow.
Harmony for Humanity: Armenian State Symphony Orchestra’s Concerts Raise $12,000 for Refugee Children
As the crisp air of winter begins to thaw, the warmth of generosity and the power of music have come together in a remarkable act of kindness toward some of the most vulnerable among us. Through a series of seven soul-stirring concerts held from November to December 2023, the Foundation for the Support of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Sergey Smbatyan, has orchestrated a significant donation of US$12,000 to UNICEF Armenia. This charitable gesture, aimed at aiding refugee children with disabilities, resonates with the harmony of hope and the melody of compassion.
The concerts, a testament to the orchestra's dedication and talent, were more than just musical performances; they were a call to action for the plight of refugee children in Armenia. Under the leadership of Sergey Smbatyan, the UNICEF Armenia Ambassador and celebrated conductor, these events have successfully translated artistic _expression_ into humanitarian aid. The proceeds from these concerts are earmarked for a noble cause: providing multipurpose pharmacy vouchers, each valued at 25,000 AMD, to refugee children with disabilities. This initiative offers a lifeline to families, allowing them to purchase essential pharmaceutical items tailored to their children's needs.
The donation to UNICEF Armenia is a beacon of light in addressing the immediate healthcare and rehabilitation priorities of refugee children. The timing is crucial, with the advent of winter bringing additional challenges to vulnerable populations. UNICEF's involvement extends beyond this donation; the organization has been pivotal in providing mental health services, medical supplies, and social and child protection services to refugees. Furthermore, funded by the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund and the European Investment Bank, UNICEF, in collaboration with local Armenian organizations, has initiated the distribution of clothing vouchers to all refugee children aged 0-9 and those with disabilities, ensuring they have access to essential clothing and medications during the colder months.
The collaboration between the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and UNICEF exemplifies how partnerships can amplify humanitarian efforts. Christine Weigand, UNICEF Representative in Armenia, expressed profound gratitude towards all contributors, emphasizing the impact of such collaborations in expanding support for refugee children, particularly those in dire need. This initiative not only addresses the tangible needs of refugee children but also sends a powerful message of solidarity and compassion, underscoring the importance of supporting the most vulnerable groups among us.
In the grand scheme of things, this act of kindness orchestrated by the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and its partners harmonizes with the broader mission of ensuring that no child, regardless of circumstances, is left without the essentials for a healthy and secure life. As the notes of the concerts fade away, the melody of humanity and compassion continues to resonate, offering hope and support to those who need it most.
https://bnnbreaking.com/world/armenia/harmony-for-humanity-armenian-state-symphony-orchestras-concerts-raise-12000-for-refugee-children
Turkish Press: Armenia and Azerbaijan to hold peace talks in Berlin
Until Azerbaijan swiftly recaptured the territory in September, Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan claims to be its territory, was ruled by Armenia for many decades. The details of the scheduled meeting were disclosed on social media by Ani Badalyan, a spokesman for the Armenian foreign ministry. She said that the meeting was planned in accordance with the agreements reached at the Munich trilateral meetings, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia.
In addition to confirming his presence in the Berlin discussions, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov expressed his hope for a fruitful discussion with his Armenian colleague, Ararat Mirzoyan. After Azerbaijan reclaimed Karabakh and over 100,000 ethnic Armenians were forced to flee to Armenia, the peace negotiations are taking place under a very tense moment.
Concerns over possible Azerbaijani plans to seize Armenian territory and create a corridor to its Nakhichevan enclave have been aroused in Yerevan by the conflict's return. International mediation attempts have not yielded a conclusive breakthrough, in contrast to Pashinyan and Aliyev's earlier confidence about striking a peace accord by the end of last year.
Both countries have a critical chance to work through their disagreements and find a long-term settlement at the Berlin peace negotiations. The world is keeping a careful eye on the situation in the hopes that a favorable conclusion would bring forth a new age of harmony and collaboration in the Caucasus.
President of Armenia visits Baghdad
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Vahagn Khachaturyan, the President of the Republic of Armenia, has arrived in Iraq on a formal visit.
Fuad Hussein, the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, met the Armenian President at Baghdad International Airport.
The President of Armenia is expected to meet with Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, and Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid during his visit.
Khachaturyan will also be giving a seminar at Baghdad University.
Armenia Eyes $20 Million Eurasian Economic Boost for Local Businesses
In the heart of Yerevan, a fresh wave of economic optimism is brewing. The National Assembly of Armenia, amidst lively debates, has turned its attention to a substantial financial lifeline offered by the Eurasian Economic Commission. We're talking about a $20 million subsidy program poised to reinvigorate local industries and keep the wheels of Armenia's economy spinning. At the core of this initiative, as unveiled by Narek Teryan, the Acting Deputy Minister of Economy, lies a commitment to bolster businesses with a much-needed infusion of funds, ensuring a brighter tomorrow for Armenia's diverse economic landscape.
The proposed subsidy program is not just about numbers; it's a beacon of hope for businesses across 26 industrial sectors. From the bustling markets of light industry to the innovative realms of renewable energy and energy storage systems, down to the meticulous craftsmen in the jewelry sector, this initiative promises to spread its wings wide. With a generous budget set between $20-22 million for 2024, it's clear that the Armenian government is placing a significant bet on the entrepreneurial spirit of its people. The eligibility criterion is straightforward yet pivotal – businesses must secure loans at interest rates not exceeding +6.5 percent of the Central Bank of Armenia's balance sheet summary percentage, ensuring a level playing field for all.
One of the program's standout features is its emphasis on cross-border collaboration. To qualify, businesses are required to engage with partners in at least three member states of the Eurasian Economic Union. This criterion isn't just bureaucratic red tape; it's a strategic move designed to weave Armenia more tightly into the regional economic fabric. By fostering partnerships across borders, the subsidy program aims to catalyze a synergy that transcends national boundaries, paving the way for a more interconnected and resilient Eurasian economy.
While the subsidy program glimmers with promise, it's essential to navigate the path ahead with eyes wide open. The cap of 3.8 million rubles per business entity per annum, paired with a maximum duration of five years, sets a clear boundary on the extent of support provided. Moreover, the requirement for participation across multiple member states, while advantageous for regional cohesion, may pose logistical and bureaucratic challenges for smaller businesses. Yet, the overarching narrative remains overwhelmingly positive. By laying down these financial rails, Armenia not only aims to empower its local businesses but also to carve out a more influential role within the Eurasian Economic bloc.
In the grand tapestry of Armenia's economic ambitions, the $20 million subsidy program represents a crucial stitch. As the National Assembly of Armenia deliberates its ratification, the eyes of local entrepreneurs and international observers alike remain fixed on Yerevan. In a world where economic fortunes can shift with the wind, Armenia's proactive stance offers a lesson in resilience and strategic foresight. As this story unfolds, it's clear that the nation is not just seeking to weather the storm but to sail ahead, charting a course toward sustained growth and prosperity.
Azerbaijan to Resume Peace Talks with Armenia
Azerbaijan announces plans to resume face-to-face peace negotiations with Armenia, aiming to address longstanding territorial disputes, despite accusations of bias and provocation from France and alleged tensions spurred by EU actions in Armenia.
Azerbaijan on Monday said talks on a peace agreement with neighboring Armenia will resume soon.
“Face to face negotiations regarding the peace agreement are planned to be held with the Armenian delegation in the coming days,” Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told reporters in Baku.
Expressing that work on a draft continued despite a break, Bayramov said President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan decided to restart the process after talks on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference earlier this month.
Bayramov said actions of France serve to aggravate the situation. Baku has accused France of being biased towards Yerevan during peace talks, and has also charged it of inciting conflicts in the Caucasus by arming Armenia.
Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
Azerbaijan liberated most of the region during the war in the fall of 2020, which ended with a Russian-brokered peace agreement and opened the door to normalization.
Baku initiated an anti-terrorism operation in Karabakh last September to establish constitutional order, after which illegal separatist forces in the region surrendered.
The Azerbaijani diplomat said many institutions and political centers are worried about Azerbaijan’s restoration of its territorial integrity and sovereignty, adding that actions of the EU mission in Armenia created tensions on the border.
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/azerbaijan-to-resume-peace-talks-with-armenia/
Navigating the Intricacies of Extradition: Armenia’s Response to Russia’s Request
When the topic of international law intersects with the lives of individuals caught in the web of geopolitical disputes, the narrative often takes a complex turn. This was precisely the case when Russia handed over an Azerbaijani accused of murdering an Armenian resident of Nagorno-Karabakh to Baku, sparking a flurry of inquiries and raising questions about the processes governing such extraditions. At the heart of this intricate story is Armenia's Minister of Internal Affairs, Vahe Ghazaryan, whose recent statements shed light on the nuanced and often challenging procedures that countries navigate in these circumstances.
In a world where the rule of law often collides with national interests and international relations, the extradition of individuals accused of serious crimes becomes a litmus test for a country's commitment to justice and legal procedures. Ghazaryan's recent address to the inquiries surrounding the extradition process highlights this delicate balance. He emphasized that Armenia's response to Russia regarding the Azerbaijani individual's status was prompt and adhered to the established legal framework. This adherence underscores an important aspect of international law – the obligation of nations to respond to inquiries about persons under international search. Yet, the swift extradition of the accused to Baku before Armenia could confirm his release raises questions about the timing and coordination of such processes.
The case in question not only illustrates the complexities inherent in the extradition process but also highlights the challenges of maintaining transparency and timing in international legal proceedings. Ghazaryan's inability to confirm whether the Azerbaijani man was released by the time Armenia responded to the query points to a potential gap in communication or coordination between the involved parties. It underscores the importance of timely responses and the need for clear channels of communication in managing cases that involve multiple jurisdictions. Such scenarios are fraught with the potential for misunderstanding and can strain diplomatic relations, making the role of clear and transparent procedures all the more critical.
The extradition case serves as a reminder of the tightrope that nations walk between upholding justice and navigating the often murky waters of diplomacy. While Armenia's commitment to responding to extradition inquiries according to legal procedures is evident, the broader implications of such actions on international relations and the pursuit of justice remain a point of contemplation. The balance between legal obligations and diplomatic considerations is a delicate one, requiring not just adherence to the law but also sensitivity to the broader context in which these legal actions take place.
In a world where international law and diplomacy intersect, cases like the extradition of the Azerbaijani accused remind us of the complexities and challenges inherent in navigating these realms. The pursuit of justice, while adhering to legal procedures and maintaining diplomatic relations, serves as a testament to the intricate dance of international affairs. As countries continue to grapple with these issues, the importance of transparency, communication, and a commitment to justice remains paramount.
https://bnnbreaking.com/politics/navigating-the-intricacies-of-extradition-armenias-response-to-russias-request
Diplomatic Horizons Expand as Azerbaijan and Armenia Set Meeting Amid Long-Standing Dispute
In a world often clouded by the specter of unresolved conflicts, a beam of diplomatic hope shines through as Azerbaijan and Armenia, two nations divided by a protracted dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, prepare to engage in talks. Announced by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, this impending meeting marks a significant stride towards mending fences and fostering peace in a region marred by decades of intermittent warfare and shaky ceasefire agreements.
The scheduled dialogue between the delegations of Azerbaijan and Armenia unfolds against a complex historical backdrop. The heart of their contention, Nagorno-Karabakh, has been a crucible of conflict, witnessing severe bouts of armed engagements that have not only devastated the landscape but also sown deep-seated animosity between the neighboring nations. The announcement, albeit scant on the specifics, hints at a comprehensive agenda aimed at addressing the underlying tensions and exploring potential avenues for reconciliation.
Contextualizing the significance of this meeting, it becomes apparent that beyond the immediate geopolitical implications, there lies a broader narrative of hope for conflict resolution through diplomatic channels. This engagement is not an isolated event but a continuation of efforts, as evidenced by recent dialogues including a notable encounter between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the Munich Security Conference.
The path to peace is seldom traversed alone, and in the case of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the international community plays a pivotal role. The meeting between the foreign ministers comes on the heels of facilitated discussions under the auspices of influential leaders and nations. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's recent involvement, alongside expressions of support from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, underscores the global stakes and the widespread desire for a peaceful resolution. The nuanced dynamics of international politics and diplomacy underscore the complexity of navigating towards peace, with entities like the Council of Europe being criticized for potentially hindering progress through its focus on human rights issues in Azerbaijan.
Yet, as the narrative unfolds, the importance of international mediation cannot be overstated. It offers a platform for dialogue, provides logistical and moral support, and, most importantly, lends legitimacy to the efforts of both nations in seeking common ground. The ongoing negotiations in various Gulf countries further exemplify the multifaceted approach to resolving the dispute, hinting at a cautious optimism for a peaceful future.
As Azerbaijan and Armenia edge closer to their scheduled meeting, the eyes of the world are watching, hopeful yet aware of the challenges that lie ahead. The road to reconciliation is fraught with obstacles, from defining bitter borders to addressing the contentious Meghri corridor issue. Each step forward is a testament to the resilience and determination of both nations to turn a new leaf.
In the grand tapestry of international relations, the meeting between Azerbaijan and Armenia serves as a crucial stitch in mending the fabric of regional stability. While the specifics of the agenda remain shrouded in anticipation, the underlying message is clear: dialogue is the cornerstone of peace. As these nations embark on this diplomatic journey, the world awaits the outcomes, hopeful for a future where the specter of conflict is replaced by the promise of resolution and cooperation.
Macron pays false tribute to French-Armenian resistance fighter Missak Manouchian
On February 21, 1944, at Mont-Valérien prison near Paris, Nazi troops shot communist immigrant worker Missak Manouchian and 23 other members of his Sharpshooters and Partisans-Immigrant Work Force (FTP-MOI) resistance unit. On Wednesday, February 21, 80 years later, President Emmanuel Macron had the remains of Missak and his wife Mélinée Manouchian buried in the Pantheon in Paris.
Eight members of the Manouchian resistance group at Mont-Valérien prison outside Paris, shortly before their execution by the Nazis.
This tribute is grotesquely insincere and politically sinister. It aims to gain the support of the French Communist Party (PCF) bureaucracy and its pseudo-left allies for Macron’s embrace of neo-fascist descendants of the fascists who murdered Manouchian. Last week, in an interview with the Stalinist daily L’Humanité, Macron provocatively invited the neo-fascist National Rally (RN) to the Pantheon event. “My duty is to invite all elected representatives of the French people,” he said.
A new stage has emerged in the European bourgeoisie’s fascistic evolution, over the three decades of imperialist wars, social austerity and mounting class struggles since the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Macron is despised for ruling against the people, after ramming through his unpopular pension cuts without a parliamentary vote last year to fund rearmament against Russia. Lacking any popular base for policies of NATO war and European Union austerity, Macron aims to consolidate an authoritarian regime in alliance with the far right.
The pseudo-left’s support for Macron’s false tribute to Manouchian shows the urgency of building a Trotskyist alternative for the working class. The pseudo-left, which backed the union bureaucracies’ calling off of strikes against Macron’s pension cuts, does not oppose war or police-state rule. The force fighting to build a revolutionary leadership in the working class is the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), the world Trotskyist movement, based on its struggle against Stalinism and the petty-bourgeois descendants of renegades from Trotskyism.
Macron’s tribute to Manouchian is fraudulent, as it is a matter of public record that his sympathies lie with Manouchian’s executioners. In 2018, as he sent riot police to assault “yellow vest” protests against social inequality, he hailed France’s Nazi-collaborationist dictator, convicted traitor Philippe Pétain, as a “great soldier.” But one cannot applaud both Manouchian and Pétain, whose fascist police state captured Manouchian and gave him to the Nazis to be murdered.
Macron’s attempt to do both is a cynical attempt at political damage control, amid mounting working class anger at his government. Since imposing his pension cuts thanks to the complicity of the Stalinist union bureaucracies, his police repressed mass youth riots against the police murder of teenager Nahel last summer, and he endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “friend” amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. RN leader Marine Le Pen applauded Macron’s draconian immigration law, adopted this winter, as an “ideological victory” for the neo-fascists.
Nevertheless, the French Stalinists and their pseudo-left allies have embraced Macron’s false tribute to Manouchian. L’Humanité called it “an unprecedented, essential remembrance, even though it is in total contradiction with the policies carried out by Emmanuel Macron.” It hailed Macron for “completing our nation’s recognition of the communist and foreign resistance.”
Olivier Besancenot of the Pabloite New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA) reacted only with a Tweet on anarchist songwriter Léo Ferré’s well-known song for the Manouchian group, based on a poem by Stalinist author Louis Aragon. Besancenot said, “Manouchian, Aragon, Ferré, one struggle, poem, one song. France owes it to the MOI and the anti-fascist resistance.”
Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the France Unbowed (LFI) party called Macron’s tribute to Manouchian a victory of communism over neo-fascism. Mélenchon said he felt “secret jubilation” at seeing Le Pen in the Pantheon, attending the event for Manouchian. Now, he said, “after so many years, it is unconditional capitulation. The far right is coming to pay homage to the communist resistance that they so long decried.”
This is a pack of lies. Macron and Le Pen are not celebrating the resistance to fascist rule that emerged in the French and European working class during World War II. Such a movement is not what Macron and Le Pen want, but what they fear. They are working with the pseudo-left parties to block a movement in the working class, even as capitalism again plunges into genocide and world war in the 21st century.
The pseudo-left essentially shares the false political and historical perspective on the resistance Macron put forward by as he spoke at the Pantheon. “You are entering here as a soldier,” Macron said of Manouchian, claiming he was recognizing “this part of the Resistance, six decades after Jean Moulin,” a pro-capitalist resistance leader affiliated to General Charles de Gaulle, entered the Pantheon in 1964. Now, Macron said, “An odyssey of the 20th century is coming to a close.”
Missak and Mélinée Manouchian
Macron’s depiction of the resistance as a movement of soldiers, who helped ensure French independence from Germany and whose work is now done, is false. The millions who in the course of World War II joined underground militias, risking their lives to attack Nazi and collaborationist authorities, were overwhelmingly workers or rural toilers. Factory or rural militias, often made up of workers fleeing arrest, spread across Europe. Actions by these militias were, moreover, part of an even larger movement of mass strikes and armed insurrections all over the continent.
The Manouchians were refugees who as children fled the mass murder of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Missak was a Jewish auto worker, Mélinée a typist and friend of the family of singer Charles Aznavour. While they remained in the Communist Party and did not join the Trotskyist opposition to Stalinism or then the Fourth International after Trotsky founded it in 1938, they worked during the war with Arben Dawitian Tarov, a Left Oppositionist who had escaped Soviet prison and arrived in France.
Arben Dawitian Tarov, a left oppositionist and member of the Manouchian group.
After the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, and the French police’s first roundups of Jews for deportation to the death camps in 1942, they entered into armed resistance. In 1943—the year of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, general strikes in Athens and the Netherlands, and the Italian workers’ overthrow of Mussolini—theirs was the main FTP unit active in Paris. They carried out dozens of attacks. Most famously, on September 28, 1943, they executed Nazi SS General Julius Ritter, tasked with organizing mass labor deportations of French workers to Germany.
Hunted by the 2nd Special Brigade of France’s General Intelligence (RG) service, and denied permission to evacuate Paris by the PCF, Missak Manouchian’s unit was captured in November 1943, though Mélinée escaped. The infamous “Red Poster” with their pictures issued before their execution, denouncing them as a Jewish “army of crime,” instead won them the lasting affection of the French people. Manouchian declared, before his execution, that he bore no hatred for Germans.
The Nazi-collaborationist Vichy regime's propaganda "Red Poster" denouncing the Manouchian group before their execution.
The fate of the resistance movement cannot be understood outside Trotsky’s struggle against Stalinism. Many workers in the resistance saw themselves as waging a class, not a national war against fascism, directed against capitalism. However, only the Fourth International fought for the mass movement in the European working class to lead to the transfer of power to the organizations of struggle of the working class, and a European and international socialist revolution.
The Soviet bureaucracy, based on its false theory of “socialism in one country,” opposed a European socialist revolution at the end of the war. Stalinist party and union leaderships worked with capitalist governments to fold resistance militias like the FTP into the army, disband factory committees and militias, and replace them with works councils staffed by union officials and corporate management. Policy on the resistance, liberal Belgian defense minister Fernand Demets told his aides in 1944, was to “strangle the chicken without making it scream.”
If the Stalinist and Allied capitalist forces were able to avert revolution in the 1940s, the struggle of the Trotskyist movement and the communist resistance still holds great lessons for today. The Soviet bureaucracy dissolved the Soviet Union in 1991, but what Macron called the “odyssey” of the resistance is not over. The struggle for socialism against genocide, world war, authoritarian rule, and the capitalist system that gives rise to them is the unfinished task of the working class.
To break the stifling diktat of “social dialog” between the union bureaucracies and Macron’s police state, the Manouchians’ struggle points to a critical strategic alternative. The Manouchian group was part of a vast network of underground, rank-and-file organizations in the European working class that fought Nazi rule. Macron does not rule over a fascist regime, but building a new, international network of rank-and-file organizations in the working class, opposed to the capitalist state power, is the only way forward for the working class.
Above all, a new revolutionary leadership must be built in the working class, based on the ICFI’s struggles to defend the revolutionary tradition of Marxism.
The ICFI was formed in 1953 to defend Trotskyism against a tendency that emerged in the Fourth International, led by Michel Pablo and Ernest Mandel, claiming that revolution was impossible at the end of World War II, and that Stalinist bureaucracies could lead revolutionary struggles. Tragically, the ICFI’s first French section, Pierre Lambert’s Organisation communiste internationaliste, also capitulated to Pabloism. It broke with the ICFI in 1971 to seek alliances with social democracy and Stalinism.
The Parti de l’égalité socialiste (PES), the French section founded by the ICFI in 2016, opposes the capitulation of the PCF, Besancenot and Mélenchon to Macron’s cynical invocations of Manouchian to justify fascistic policies. Besancenot the Pabloite and Mélenchon the ex-Lambertiste do not represent Trotskyism, but petty-bourgeois anti-Trotskyism. They intervene in the class struggle today to “strangle the chicken without making it scream.”
But the situation, as the PES insisted during last year’s pension struggle in France amid a wave of mass strike struggles across Europe, is objectively revolutionary. The great task facing revolutionary-minded workers and youth is building the PES and the ICFI as the revolutionary vanguard of the working class, against war, fascistic police-state rule, and capitalism. Struggling for the transfer of power to the working class in a socialist revolution, against capitulation to and collaboration with Macron, is the only fitting celebration of the Manouchians.