[The following article appeared in the March 23 issue of Rouge, newspaper of the Ligue Communiste, French section of the Fourth International. The translation is by Intercontinental Press.]
In a March 3 communiqué UNCAL [Union Nationale des Comités d'Action Lycéens - National Union of High-School Action Committees], which is led by the Communist party youth, stated that it regarded the demonstrations for the reestablishment of draft deferments "inopportune." The communiqué added: "Today, each high-schooler, academic or vocational, must be aware that it is possible to change things ... through the victory of the Common Program. The regime is prepared to do anything to prevent this victory. Even to use the high-school students in a mass provocative maneuver."
That was before the elections.
On March 19, l'Humanite the leading CP newspaper] acknowledged the existence of "tens of thousands of highschool students in struggle." Plenty of provocateurs looming on the horizon, but still, a struggle "against an illconceived and unjust law."
That was after the elections.
On March 21 l'Humanité published an UNCAL communiqué warning high-school students against:
"The attempts to take over their movement by ultraleftist groups and the PSU [Parti Socialiste Unifié- United Socialist party], who - after the democratie and youth organizations, with the support of the teachers, had announced a national day of action - called for a demonstration on March 22, a decision that was accorded extraordinary publicity on the airwaves."
Disgusting! Not only do the Communist party and UNCAL divide the movement, they also tell brazen lies.
The high-school students know perfectly well that the central demonstration on March 22 was called and prepared a week in advance by their strike committees, their united committees of struggle against the Debré law. They know perfectly well that the "day of action" called for March 21 was announced in l'Humanité on the morn- 416
ing of March 20, without even the knowledge of most CP or Young Communist high-schoolers.
The crass lies are aimed - and this makes them all the more vile- mainly at the workers, to make them believe that the Communist party initiated the high-school mobilizations and that ultraleftist grouplets are splitters. This recalls the first days of May 1968, the time when Marchais [CP leader] called Cohn-Bendit a German Jew!
Splitters, liars, falsifiers, and scoundrels! In a word, Stalinists, for it will unfortunately be necessary for many high-schoolers to learn to call a spade a spade!