Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

General Strike Paralyzes French Guiana

Guiana, the unofficial French colony in South America, has been paralyzed by strikes and mass protests since Monday, March 27th. The Guianan people are demanding an end to rising crime and copious unemployment.

Ivan Matewan

April 1, 2017
Facebook Twitter Share

Image from Telesur

Faced with rising crime rates, rampant unemployment, and an ever worsening standard of living, 37 labor unions as well as numerous associations decided to organize a general strike. Located in South America, French Guiana is currently France’s largest overseas territory – a relic of France’s former colonial empire – and the “capital of Europe’s space industry” with the Guiana Space Centre (GSC) in Kourou.

Unemployment rates are as high as 22% among the general population and 50% among young people. 30% of the country’s residents do not have access to water or electricity in their homes. Basic public services are lacking, particularly in the realm of education. This is a direct consequence of austerity measures imposed by both the right and left-wing governments in Paris. The former French colony remains heavily dependent on imports and public funds from the French mainland.

Over 100,000 people took to the streets to protest. Schools, hospitals, and businesses were shut down. Workers and local residents even succeeded in blocking the scheduled launch of an Ariane 5 rocket from the GSC on Tuesday.

But workers are not the only ones protesting. In an obvious attempt to control the movement and dilute its radical spirit, the local business community also joined the protests, demanding a “Marshall Plan” to reinvigorate the country’s economy.

The 500 Brother, a group created after the murder of a poor guianan, has also taken center stage of this general strike. One of their central demands concerns reducing organized crime. Their spectacular, militia-like actions as well as their black face masks, have brought them international attention. But their demands are quite right-wing: an end to squats, an increased police presence, a limits on immigration, and the deportation of foreigners currently detained in the country’s prison system.

The “land question” is also at the heart of the current demonstrations. As a former French colony, 90% of French Guiana’s land is held by the French state. France’s ownership of the land, and its refusal to allow local farmers to cultivate the products necessary to support the country’s agricultural needs, keeps the country in a state of colonial dependence.

The mass protest movement has forced the political establishment in mainland France to break its silence. Most of the presidential candidates had to speak about the Guianan general strike. The major candidates – Marine Le Pen (Front national, far right), François Fillon (Les Républicains, right), Emmanuel Macron (En Marche!, neoliberal center), Benoît Hamon (Parti socialiste, left) and Jean-Luc Melenchon (La France insoumise, radical left) – have defended France’s imperialist interests in the region, whether it be with (right- or left-wing) populist or neoliberal arguments.

President Hollande sought to take a hardline at first, but as strike action grew, he quickly sent ministers and government officials to negotiate a way out of the growing crisis. As is typical, the government tried to divide the protestors, promising to deliver on crime-related demands while ignoring those driven by working-class organizations. Realizing this, the movement’s representatives quickly left the negotiating table, turning their efforts back to the street.

Although this is a movement that includes many different social classes, with many different demands the French and international labor movements must support the Guianan protesters who are fighting against their worsening living and working conditions as well as against colonial domination.

Facebook Twitter Share

Latin America

Solidarity with Myriam Bregman, Socialist Congresswoman in Argentina, Under Attack for Her Defense of Palestine

Myriam Bregman, the candidate of the Workers Left Front, received almost 3 percent of votes in Argentina’s presidential election. She has been subject to false accusations of antisemitism due to her consistent defense of Palestinians. Hundreds of activists and politicians from around the world expressed their solidarity with this open letter.

Nicolas Del Cano and Myriam Bregman

In Argentina, a Surprise Finish for the Establishment While the Trotskyists Add to Their Congressional Seats

The far-right Javier Milei suffered a setback in Sunday’s elections. But voting the lesser evil won’t deal a definitive blow to the Right. That’s only achieved through building a socialist alternative for the working class.

Robert Belano

October 25, 2023

International Statement in Support of the Left and Workers Front — Unity (FIT-U) in the Argentinian Elections

Hundreds of activists, intellectuals, trade union leaders, and political organizations from all over the world have signed this declaration in support of the Workers Left Front — Unity (FITU) in the Argentinian elections this Sunday.

Anti-Imperialism: The Socialist Candidate in Argentina Refused to Meet with the US Ambassador

We republish a letter by Argentinian socialist and presidential candidate Myriam Bregman, declining to meet with the U.S. ambassador, expressing solidarity with the U.S. working class and oppressed, and denouncing imperialist intervention in Latin America.

Myriam Bregman

October 10, 2023

MOST RECENT

All That's Left, the podcast from Left Voice.

#AllThatsLeftPod: What the Historic UAW Victory Means for the Working Class

In this episode of the podcast, we discuss the historic UAW victory, its shortcomings, and the tasks for the future.

Left Voice

December 5, 2023

The New Hollywood McCarthyism Emerging Around Palestine

Over the past week, a new Hollywood McCarthyism has emerged: multiple people in Hollywood have jobs and representation over their support of Palestine. We must denounce and fight these attacks which weaken the movement and scare supporters into silence.

Sybil Davis

December 3, 2023
A UAW sign is held next to a "Free Palestine" sign

The UAW Has Called for a Ceasefire. It’s Time for All of Labor to Stand Up.

The UAW International union has joined calls for a ceasefire and is exploring how to divest from Israel. This is a step which should inspire union activists to take up the fight to bring their union into the fight against Israel's attack on Gaza and the struggle against imperialism.

Rose Lemlich

December 2, 2023

Robert Habeck Wrote a Play Praising a Right-Wing Mass Murderer

Germany's Green vice chancellor strikes many as an idealist who has been struggling with the tough realities of government. Yet before he was a national politician, he wrote a play that opens a window into a dark soul.

Nathaniel Flakin

December 1, 2023