“Now that student and youth protests are resurfacing in Europe and around the world, our goal must be to help turn these struggles into international movements”

Italy’s Tendenza Internazionalista Rivoluzionaria (TIR) is one of the organizations that took part in the Youth Conference Against Imperialist War on October 25, alongside organizations from Argentina, Chile, Mexico, the Spanish State, Greece, Turkey, and other countries.

How would you describe the current political situation of working-class youth in your country?

Young people face extreme precarity and poverty wages; even studying has become a privilege. PhD programs pay next to nothing, and the cost of education continues to rise. Many young people are turning to the logistics sector to escape the extreme exploitation found in small businesses. There is no possibility whatsoever of achieving independence. An even heavier burden falls on young migrant workers, who are already the most exploited and are now facing a major offensive through anti-immigrant policies and propaganda. 

Are young people in your country taking action against the war economy and preparations for war, or in solidarity with Palestine?

Young people played a fundamental role in last year’s mass demonstrations against the genocide in Palestine. For the first time in decades, hundreds of thousands of young people joined the working class in the general strikes of September 22 and October 3 to disrupt the war economy, raising fears among Western governments that a wave of protests might spread. They are also at the forefront of the most recent street protests — for example, those held last Saturday — against the cost-of-living crisis and cuts to education, following recent developments in France and Spain. An active response to the war economy, the militarization of schools, and the militarization of public discourse is the driving force behind these demonstrations.

From your organization’s perspective, what are the political objectives of this upcoming conference, and how can it strengthen our collective efforts?

Beyond assessing whether there are substantial differences between the various struggles, the assembly must set itself a few straightforward common goals. Now that student and youth protests are resurfacing in Europe and around the world, our goal is not simply to take part in mobilizations, but to help turn these struggles into international movements. A movement that spreads from secondary schools to universities and workplaces, that brings together young people from all over the world and encompasses every issue, from high rents and the rising cost of living to attacks on immigrants, war, and militarization, seeking to unite and mobilize alongside the working class. A movement that begins to develop a shared revolutionary perspective as early as this coming November.

“The next conference must pose to us the need to develop an international program for the struggle for socialism”

Interview with the Revolutionary Youth-GAR (Mexico) ahead of the International Youth Conference Against War -

prensaobrera.com

“The next conference must pose to us the need to develop an international program for the struggle for socialism”

Interview with the Revolutionary Youth-GAR (Mexico) ahead of the International Youth Conference Against War -

prensaobrera.com

Down with imperialist wars. For international workers’ revolutionary unity

Athens International Anti-War Summit -

prensaobrera.com