Below is a report from the French newspaper Revolution detailing the work of Marxists in France in spreading the ideas of Marxism among students across the country.
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Since the beginning of the academic year in September 2014, Revolution has set itself the task of developing its presence on the university campuses. In Paris 7, Paris 8, Toulouse Le Mirail and Lyon 2 our comrades have set up stalls (with books, pamphlets and newspapers), distributed our newspaper and organised regular public meetings about the ideas of Marxism. These meetings are put on by local student societies – “Marxist circles” in Paris and Lyon, and a society of “Marxist students” in Toulouse – that we have helped to create.
Students are faced with the damaging effects of the various counter-reforms attacking public universities over the last year. Many students are also employees and suffer exploitation, low pay and precarious living conditions. Many students are looking for serious ideas that explain the crisis of capitalism and offer an alternative. We are in complete agreement with Francois Fillon, for once, when he stated in a British newspaper on 16 June last year that “French universities are hotbeds of Marxism”!
The meetings that we put on deal with different topics. They have shown the relevance of Marxism to past and current events such as the revolution in May 1968, the situation in Ukraine and the student movement in Mexico. We have also discussed some key points of Marxist theory and the classic Marxist texts: Marxist economics, the Communist Manifesto, Marxism and the State, Marxism and the environment and so on.
At each meeting a member of the society briefly introduces the subject, followed by a discussion between all those present. The number of students who participate in these meetings varies from a handful to around thirty. But in any case the discussion is always interesting and the students all attend regularly.
Our newspaper is very well received by the students. Several students have already joined us in our fight against a system that only offers them a future of endless austerity.
If you’d like to participate in these meetings or if you have suggestions or questions:
Paris 7 – cmarxistep7@gmail.com
Paris 8 – cdmparis8@gmail.com
Toulouse Le Mirail – marxistes.toulouse@gmail.com
Lyon 2 – cdm.lyon2@gmail.com
