Published 09/22/2024 13:52 | Edited 09/22/2024 13:53
Between the 13th, 14th and 15th of September, another edition of the traditional newspaper festival took place in Essone, south of Paris, France. Humanitya grandiose Humanity Festival.
Over the three days of activities, at least 500,000 people attended the event, confirming that it is the biggest festival in all of France.
The PCdoB was represented by an important delegation made up of six people, including members of the central committee, members of national commissions and state secretaries.
Solidarity in motion
The French Communist Party (PCF) has a long history of international solidarity, anchored in its ideological origins in internationalist Marxism-Leninism. Founded in 1920, the PCF emerged from a split within the French Socialist Party, when a more radical wing aligned itself with the Third International following the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Throughout the 20th century, the PCF was an important party in various anti-imperialist and national liberation movements, especially during the period of decolonization. A notable example was its support for the independence struggles of Vietnam and Algeria, colonies that liberated themselves after armed conflicts with France. The PCF always defended the right of colonized peoples to their liberation and self-determination and provided moral, political and, in some cases, logistical support.
Today, the PCF continues to express solidarity with a number of international causes, including support for the Palestinian people, the end of the blockade of Cuba, the struggles against the far-right and neoliberalism in Latin America, and popular movements in Africa and the Middle East. The party maintains a critical stance towards US imperialism and its Western alliances and seeks to align itself with movements that defend human rights and global social justice.
Bilateral at the historic headquarters of the PCF
On September 11, still in the days before the official opening of the party, the PCdoB, through its Secretary of Planning, Neide Freitas, and the Secretary of International Relations, Ana Prestes, was received at the historic and symbolic national headquarters of the PCF in Paris, whose architectural design is by the Brazilian communist Oscar Niemeyer.
The Brazilian leaders met with Vincent Boulet, Secretary of International Relations of the PCF, and Cyril Benoit, responsible for the Latin America area. During the conversation, the most important topics on the bilateral agenda were revisited, such as cooperation in common struggles for international solidarity, activities for youth, women and workers, updating of data on the electoral situation and national party activity in each of the countries.
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For the Brazilian delegation, it was very important to learn more about the great electoral challenge faced by the French communists in the European elections in June and the French parliamentary elections in July, which resulted in a significant advance for the French left, which is now facing the obtuse Macron government, which refuses to recognize the result and has imposed a prime minister who is against the results of the polls. It was also useful to learn about the preparations for the Fête de l’Humanité and the main debates and activities prepared by the communists for the great meeting.
The party secretaries, Neide and Ana, reported to the PCF leaders the main challenges for Brazilian communists in the 2024 municipal elections, the main programs of the Lula government, and the communist struggles in social and workers’ movements.
The challenge of leading the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Brazilian Artificial Intelligence project, something that interested Secretary Vincent greatly and established, in this matter, a commitment to reciprocal deepening of reflections and bilateral exchanges in the coming months.
Finally, the PCdoB’s vision on the current situation in Latin America was shared and thanks were expressed for the solidarity with the peoples struggling in our region.
The parties before the party
On the eve of the official start of the party, September 12, the Brazilian delegation participated in a dinner organized by the magazine progressivesa moment in which, at the end of the preparations, the militants also congratulate each other.
In this space, the PCF Secretary General, Fabien Roussel, made a point of being present and visiting the Brazilian table to thank the comrades for their presence. Throughout the Festival space, several dinners and fellowship activities could be seen among those who had worked hard for months to set up and organize the structure and program of the great festival that was about to begin in a few hours.
Debate on Latin America and the Global South
The PCdoB was invited to participate in a debate at Village du Monde, the Festival’s international space, on the paths of the current world order and the role of the global south: “World Order when the South rebels”.
The party was represented by the secretary of international relations, Ana Prestes, who spoke with fellow debaters: Félix Atchadé, from the PCF, and Didier Billion, deputy director of IRIS (French Institute for International and Strategic Relations), with mediation by Benjamin Konig and translation by Henri Blotnik.
The packed auditorium followed a debate on topics such as the redefinition of the world order in the 21st century, the role of popular struggles in Africa and Latin America today, the meaning and role of the BRICS and its recent expansion for significant changes such as de-dollarization, the necessary struggle for world peace with the end of the Palestinian genocide and the end of the war in Ukraine.
Debate on Brazil
In a second moment, the PCdoB will be able to present an assessment of the current political situation in Brazil and Latin America at the stand of France – Latin America-FAL. During her presentation, the Secretary of International Relations, Ana Prestes, discussed the challenges faced by left-wing parties and movements in Brazil in terms of isolating the extreme right and fascism, the fight in defense of democracy, and the implementation of the economic development program, combating inequality and promoting social justice with which President Lula was elected.
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At the same time, it supports and stands in solidarity with the brotherly peoples of Latin America, such as the Argentine people who are facing the neoliberal and far-right government of Milei; the Bolivian people whose government has just gone through a period of turbulence and the threat of a coup; the Venezuelan people who are seeking to overcome isolation and guarantee their sovereignty after going through a period of internationally contested elections; the Uruguayan people who are fighting to elect a government of the Frente Amplio; the Colombian people who are facing attempts to destabilize the Petro government through a new type of coup with hybrid characteristics like those that have been occurring in the region in recent years.
It was also possible to present data on the current municipal elections in Brazil and discuss their main aspects, as well as the environmental issues highlighted by the tragedy of the floods in Rio Grande do Sul in May 2024, the current fires associated with drought and extreme heat waves throughout the country, the Amazon situation and the preparation of COP 30 in Pará in 2025.
Youth meeting
In a meeting held with Cyril Benoit, from the PCF’s International Relations Secretariat, responsible for Latin America, the member of the PCdoB’s National Youth Commission, Tiago Alves, and the secretary Ana Prestes were able to convey the greetings of the PCdoB and the UJS to the French communist youth.
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The UJS and the MJCF have long-standing relations and share many international struggles and campaigns, especially the current Palestinian issue. They also agree on building a movement of democratic youth around the world, within the framework of the WFYD and its tradition of world festivals, as well as other initiatives that can promote the voices of youth for the end of capitalism and the construction of a new world with social justice and development for all peoples of the world.
The recognition of the MJCF’s capacity to build a significant part of the Fête de l’Humanité, from the structure and logistics to the rich political and cultural program attended by thousands and thousands of young French and Europeans, was constant on the part of the Brazilian delegation during the days of the Festival.
Red Site
Throughout the activity, an informative newspaper prepared especially for the European festivals was distributed, with the PCdoB’s opinion on topics such as the fight for peace, the current situation of the working class, women and youth in Brazil, the work developed by President Luciana Santos at the head of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation-MCTI and the editions of the Vermelho Festival held in 2022 and 2024.
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The Red has always been very well received and praised by the French comrades and the most diverse international delegations present at the Village du Monde, passing through Oceania, Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East. The meeting of the Red website and l’Humanité in France in 2024 in the midst of a party of 500 thousand people is a demonstration of the strength of the communists in communicating their ideas and in popular mobilization for the most just causes of humanity.
Source: vermelho.org.br
