Thousands of Youth March for Socialism in the Basque Country

This is a report from a comrade who participated in one of two demonstrations called in the Basque Country on January 28. It is very significant that thousands of young people participated in these militant demonstrations under the banner of socialist revolution. This movement should be an inspiration for revolutionary Marxists around the world, and we congratulate the comrades of GKS on their success.

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On January 28, a big demonstration called by Gazte Koordinadora Sozialista (GKS) [Socialist Youth Coordination] took place in Bilbao and Iruña [Pamplona] under the slogan “Enpresari eta agintarien erasoaldiaren aurreran, gazte langileok borrokara!” (“Faced with the offensive of the employers and rulers, working class youth struggle!”) A total of around 7,000 people joined the two mobilizations with a very clear aim: to denounce the living conditions of the working class, to organize independently, and to fight for socialism.

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A post shared by Gedar Langile Kazeta (@gedar.eus)

For the second year in a row, GKS has held another massive demonstration that shows the admirable capacity for mobilization and organization of the Basque communist youth. Beyond the superficial numerical analysis, this mobilization demonstrates the consolidation of a communist movement that is increasingly broad and organized in a totally independent way. In other words, it is not the quantity but the quality of these mobilizations that should inspire the rest of the territories. We must bear in mind that most of the participants were very young and, therefore, it was demonstrated in deeds and not in mere words that a large part of the Basque youth is committed to the struggle for socialism.

This mobilization is justified by several issues, which GKS has been denouncing and publicizing in recent weeks. In the first place, the economic profits of the big capitalists condemn us to precariousness: unemployment, low wages, temporary jobs, etc. Secondly, casualization leads to the worsening of workers’ living conditions: price increases in the most basic means of life (electricity, transport, housing…), and cuts in public services (health, education…). Thirdly, in the face of this situation, they want us to be passive and obedient youth, that is to say, accustomed to casualization and subjected to police violence. Finally, in recent years there have been increasing attacks on basic rights and authoritarianism: social control, police repression, toughening of the penal code, etc.Due to these reasons, the atmosphere on Saturday was undoubtedly very militant, as seen by slogans such as: “let’s face the bourgeois offensive,” “the workers’ revenge: socialist revolution,” “struggle is the only way,” and also about the need for “communist organization” were heard. At the end of the march, the message was clear and direct: the mobilization had not been called in order to put pressure on the professional politicians to make concessions (or to give us more crumbs), but to organize the working class in an effective way, one which is totally independent from the bourgeois institutions.

📹 [#GazteLangileokBorrokara]
Atzo, milaka lagun atera ziren kalera Bilbon eta Iruñean, burgesiaren ofentsibaren kontra.
Hona hemen @GKSozialista|k argitaratu duen laburpen bideoa, osorik:
➡️ https://t.co/ACuAiO8N8t pic.twitter.com/VTkU12LDph
— Gedar.eus (@GedarLangileKZ) January 29, 2023

This is the revolutionary potential of the action: the possibility, or rather the need, to make possible a mobilization along class lines and to consolidate a communist mass organization which is politically independent from social democracy. If the aim is to “make the potential real,” it is clear that the strength of the 28E demonstration cannot be denied: it is an indisputable fact that it has been the most powerful communist demonstration, mainly of young people, in recent times.

Of course, the Socialist Movement is aware of its current capacity and points out the need to continue to take steps forward in the development of this existing potential. Especially in these times of general frustration and impoverishment of the working class, communists must support and celebrate the impressive organizational capacity that materialized on Saturday’s mobilization, the fruit of all the effort and serious work of its activists, despite police harassment. Our actions must always be aimed at building a communist mass organization with total political independence and extending the struggle to the rest of the territories, without losing sight of the internationalism that we defend. To “confront the bourgeois offensive,” present and future, our most urgent task is to organize the working class on an international level!