In France,

the POID participated in rallies in many cities, developing its positions « Our own government, the war-mongering Macron government, is making workers foot the bill through his counter-reform of pensions, through his reform of unemployment benefits and through the freeze on wages and the strangling of public services, through this record-breaking €413 billion provisional defence budget law and all the provision of weapons demanded by NATO.

« But as we gather together against this dirty war, and against all the imperialist wars in Africa and the Middle East and against the threat of war against China… a powerful movement of the working class for the withdrawal of the pension reform is gathering speed.

« This is what we stand for: the best way to fight war, to fight our own warmongering government is to help the working class and youth inflict on this government the defeat it deserves. Which means, to force it to withdraw its reform by bringing the country to a standstill as of March 7.

« Helping to do this means fighting on every front so that the parties and organisations that claim to defend the working class break with Macron, break with his warmongering government, break with NATO.

« Because: is it possible to claim to fight Macron’s pension reform all the while approving his war policy? « Should we remain silent on this? On 16 February, for the fourth time within one year, almost all French Socialist Party and Unbowed France (LFI) MEPs in the European Parliament voted a resolution calling for the delivery of arms to Ukraine, including offensive aircrafts and missiles. And should we remain silent over the vote of the Socialist Party (PS) and French Communist Party (PCF) deputies, and the abstention of LFI, on a motion of the same kind presented at the National Assembly (the French parliament) last November 30? The workers who are increasingly numerous in demonstrations and strikes and who rightly say « Money for retirement pensions, not for war » did not give those who speak on their behalf a mandate to support Macron’s war policy. The path towards peace is to break with warmongering governments. »