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
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
May 20, 2024
This article is translated from the May 15 issue, #2911 of Lutte Ouvrière (Workers Struggle), the paper of the Trotskyist group of that name active in France.
In Guadeloupe, the curfew for minors came into force on April 22 following an announcement by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who was visiting the island.
Since then, in several districts of Pointe-à-Pitre and Les Abymes, young people under the age of 18 have been banned from being outdoors between 8pm and 5am, unless accompanied by an adult exercising parental authority.
This measure was ostensibly introduced to combat rising crime rates. The state has also set up “Clean Sweep” operations, involving unannounced police raids in certain neighborhoods.
Almost a month later, the toll from the weekend of May 10 to 12 was heavy: five gun attacks in five different towns left two people injured and three dead. The victims were aged between 24 and 35. Two of these communes currently apply a curfew to minors. Proof, if proof were needed, that the curfew and “Clean Sweep” are not enough to curb crime.
These are nothing but publicity stunts for Macron and Darmanin. An effective fight against delinquency can only come from the workers and the exploited, if they build a world free of capitalism and the artificial paradises in which some of our young people are drowning, forced to live in misery, destitution and trafficking of all kinds.