“There is no way forward for the working class under capitalism: we need revolutionary organizations capable of destroying it"

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

Working-class young people are currently facing a critical situation. After eight years of government by the Socialist Party (PSOE), the fundamental problems facing the working class remain unresolved.When it comes to young people, we are witnessing the blatant dismantling of public education. Of course, the governments leading this offensive are those of the right and far right, as we see in the Autonomous Community of Madrid and the Valencian Community. But the reality is that the situation is not very different where the PSOE is in government, either, and the Ministry of Education has done nothing to halt a privatization process that is already well advanced.

This is the same logic we see in every aspect of our class's life. In the housing sector, we are witnessing the complete dominance of finance capital and rentierism. These parasites are responsible for constantly rising rents, the gentrification of our neighbourhoods and brutal evictions, such as the one suffered by Maricarmen, which has made headlines around the world.

It is clear that this situation offers no guarantee of a future for us. Quite the opposite. It is the fuel driving thousands of young people to take part in the mobilizations that have shaken the country: for the right to housing, in defense of public education, in the feminist movement and against the Zionist genocide. Working-class youth have made their mark on these events.

How is the youth struggle for the Palestinian cause developing in Spain?

In the Spanish state, the movement against the Zionist genocide has marked a turning point. First of all, because it has become an extraordinary expression of the anti-fascist sentiment that runs deep within the working class and among young people. Raising the Palestinian flag means striking a blow against the far right, which, as elsewhere in the world, makes no secret of its wholehearted support for genocidal Zionism.

But that is not all. The movement for Palestine has also exposed what all the social-democratic rhetoric about human rights really amounts to. The working class and young people did not wait for anyone or anything to take solidarity into the streets and demand an immediate severing of relations. This process reached its peak in September and October of last year. During that period, the Students’ Union called two student strikes, both of which saw massive participation.

Clearly, this movement set off alarm bells among the ruling class, which tried to put a stop to the protests through all kinds of government manoeuvres. Alongside the sham peace deal for Gaza, the Spanish government announced an arms embargo against the Zionist state. In reality, however, the embargo has had no real impact, since trade in arms and other goods has continued.

This is precisely the kind of policy that has greatly helped spread far-right demagoguery and fuel predictions of an eventual electoral victory for the People's Party (PP) and Vox.

What kind of continuity do you expect for the housing struggle?

First of all, it is important to understand that the housing movement has caused a genuine political earthquake. Maricarmen's eviction has completely transformed the political situation and reflected a major leap in political consciousness.

It is clear that this powerful movement, accompanied by large-scale protest camps in most cities, has not only taken aim at rentierism and the right-wing governments that protect and support it, such as the government of the Community of Madrid, where Mari Carmen was evicted. It has also been a direct hit against the governing left. That left, including the PSOE and its coalition partners, is extremely respectful of the business interests of finance capital and the oligarchy, yet has no hesitation in sending the police to brutally repress social protest.

Of course, people's patience has run out. Cosmetic measures, stopgap solutions and reforms that respect the interests of big capital and rentierism are useless in the eyes of millions. That is why the demand to expropriate large property owners has been embraced wholeheartedly by the movement.

The same goes for the call for a general strike. Faced with irresistible pressure from the masses, the trade union bureaucracy had no choice but to call a general strike for November 11. This was not part of their plan: it was mass action that forced them to make the call. Therefore, it would be extremely naïve to think that we will see a merely symbolic stoppage, or that this will mark the end of this social uprising. The roots of this revolt run very deep, and November 11 will be a major step forward, by no means the end.

From your organization's perspective, what are the political objectives following the International Youth Conference Against Imperialist War, and how can it strengthen our collective efforts?

Fighting militarism and imperialist war is the duty of the entire militant left. Imperialist war is not only synonymous with death, destruction and barbarism in the strictest sense of the word; it also means repression, authoritarianism, racism and xenophobia.

It is clear that the ruling class has already understood that the military route is the only thing capable of sustaining its privileges. The struggle for global hegemony between the US and Chinese blocs, and the various clashes taking the form of wars in places such as Ukraine and Iran, are all expressions of this same dynamic.

Europe is caught up in this process. A militarist fever has taken hold of the European bourgeoisie. Under the pretext that the Russian giant poses a major threat, all kinds of militarist and rearmament policies have been pushed forward: from the return of conscription in countries such as Germany to the ReArm program, with a budget of 800 billion euros.

We say that every attempt to justify these plans is a betrayal of the working class. The fact that the Spanish state has approved the largest military budgets in its history while continuing to plunder public services shows just how far the governing left has bowed to NATO's agenda.

We reject militarism with all our strength, just as we fight the poison of nationalism and racism through a policy of class unity and solidarity. That is why we took part in the youth conference on October 25 alongside the other organizations, and why we have also called for the European day of demonstrations and student general strike on November 20, against imperialist war and the future of young people.There is no way forward for the working class under capitalism: we need revolutionary organizations capable of destroying it and building a truly socialist society.