The people in the North American Anarchist and Leftist communities have all watched in the past several weeks with a certain amount of satisfaction as the French underclass has risen up in cathartic rebellion against the brutal forces of institutionalized racism, economic segregation, and state repression. As flames continue to encircle Paris and destitute youth battle with police in the streets, we all wait expectantly to see whether these riots will fizzle out and end in a wave of repression, or whether they will lead to yet another glorious French revolution.

While it is unclear to North Americans as to whether or not revolutionary conditions exist in France, it is fairly clear that there is some discontent with the French government, as was made apparent in May of this year, when a sizable majority of the French population voted against the neoliberal European Union “constitution” despite a massive campaign in favor of its ratification, clearly showing dissatisfaction with top-down government, bureaucracy, and neoliberal capitalism. It is clear that the riots are an opportunity which must be acted upon, and if dissatisfied members of the native French working class and others can be galvanized against the government, the government could conceivably be brought down. If state-capitalism can be overthrown in France, the revolt might be a catalyst capable of sparking revolution elsewhere, redefining the entire world’s political paradigm as the first French Revolution did. The stakes are extremely high.

How can this event be transformed from a riot to a revolution? It would seem clear that for this to occur, the rioters would have to develop a clear vision for a transformed, multiethnic, libertarian, and egalitarian France, and the revolt must begin to include not only immigrants and their children, but people of French ethnicity. How can this be done?

In my opinion, this is a perfect time for French Anarchists and Leftists to engage in a massive campaign of anti-capitalist, anti-state propaganda (for lack of a less authoritarian term), which could galvanize ethnic French people in favor of revolt, and could help the rioting immigrants develop a vision for a transformed France. French Anarchists and Leftists ought to hand out thousands of pamphlets on anti-authoritarian and anti-capitalist theory to rioters, destitute workers, and other people who have been excluded from prosperity. A shared vision of a transformed France could unite muslims, christians, and atheists; blacks, Arabs, and those of ethnically French origin in favor or revolt.

There already exists in France a revolutionary momentum. Whether or not it is harnessed to bring about libertarian and egalitarian revolution is up to you.

Comrades, the time is right for organizing against the state and the capitalist system, and fighting in the streets!

[this article was first published on the www.fuckauthority.org webzine]

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