On May 24, an assembly organized by Révolution permanente (RP), the French affiliate of the self-proclaimed Trotskyist Fraction-Fourth International (FT-CI), spearheaded by Argentina’s Socialist Workers Party (PTS), witnessed a turnout of approximately 2,000 participants, predominantly from the younger demographic. The heavy turnout manifested the escalating resentment towards growing range of issues, including the genocide in Gaza, warfare, and the surge in far-right ideologies. Such anger and dissent is rampant among the youth and working-class populations. However, the missing piece in today’s socio-political landscape, sadly, is a defined revolutionary strategy designed to put brakes on capitalism’s catastrophic downfall.
The convention held by RP failed to deliver such a game plan. Specifically, the meeting fell short in addressing the crucial political battle required to dismantle the controlling influences of liberalism, Stalinism, and trade union bureaucracies, all key to paving the way for a robust working-class revolutionary movement. This is synonymous with the founding principles of building an efficacious Trotskyist party, yet ironically, the dialogue on this was nearly absent during the convention.
Révolution permanente’s track record, tracing back to 2009, further muddles the situation. For an extended period, it functioned within the French NPA, an organization that expressed support for forces including not only the NATO-endorsed Islamist militias in Syria but also the proponents of far-right ideologies leading the NATO-backed coup in Ukraine in 2014. This political move inadvertently set the stage for the ongoing hostilities.
Appealing for a ‘critical vote’ in favor of such alliances equates to renouncing any principled resistance against the genocide. In plain terms, the RP appears to be laying a snare for the working-class majority. Although RP verbally acknowledges the failure of trade union leadership, it strangely refrains from advocating for the independent organization of grass-root level workers.
Furthermore, while RP verbalizes its recognition of internationalism and globalization’s impact on economic production, it still implies that class struggle governance should fall under the jurisdiction of national bureaucracies, contradicting its own stance. A striking case in point is its dismissal of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees, an organization designed to support and unite workers on an international scale.
The year 2023 brought with it intense social dissent as millions went on strike and violent incidents broke out in response to President Macron’s unpopular austerity measures unilaterally imposed, bypassing parliamentary voting. However, Révolution permanente adopted a passive stance on the event, stating that the circumstances were ‘not revolutionary.’
Then came the 2024 general elections, during which, RP advised the electorate to cast a ‘critical vote’ in favor of NFP candidates, paradoxically at the same time when the same NFP was endorsing Macron’s election candidates, leading to more confusion by seemingly contradicting its own positions.
Claims of internationalism and a stance against genocide and fascism made at the Révolution permanente’s conference in Paris does not necessarily equate to a radical deviation from past inconsistencies or a Trotskyist retraction of its past records. The pronouncements do not effectively signify they are now revolutionary Trotskyist entities. On the contrary, they seem more like hurdles to the struggle waged by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) in its quest to construct such parties within the working-class faction.