The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

On the Side of Workers, against the Bosses’ Side

Feb 28, 2022

The following is from a statement by Natalie Arthaud, candidate of Lutte Ouvrière (Workers’ Struggle) in the French presidential elections.

I stand as a candidate so as not to leave the field open only to bourgeois politicians. I am a candidate to let workers speak and formulate their demands. I am addressing all those who no longer believe in the electoral circus or in promises that are always betrayed, but who refuse to be silent and resign themselves to it all. I am speaking to those who are revolted by increasingly glaring inequalities and who can no longer bear hearing the line that, “There have always been rich and poor,” or, “That will never change.” I speak to those who refuse to be divided according to their ethnic origin, their legal status, or their religion, and who are aware that they form one and the same class, the working class—those at the front line who make society work.

My candidacy aims to assemble together all workers who are aware that their fate depends solely on their ability to defend themselves against big business. There can be no “good president” for working people. After the ballots are all counted, no matter who wins, we will still face exploitation, low wages, precariousness, and hellish speedup. The class war will not stop after the presidential election.

My candidacy is a call to battle. There will be no significant progress for working people or for society as a whole without attacking the financiers, big business, and the bourgeoisie. What matters is the balance of power, meaning strikes and social clashes.