Campaigning work of German section of REVOLUTION, May-July 2008

The main issue on which REVOLUTION-Germany has been active since the first of May was the rising school-strike movement which is taking place in Germany at the moment.

For years there have been cuts in the means for education. Classes are getting bigger and bigger (more than 30 students in one class has become normal in each age group), students have to buy more and more school implements for themselves (above all necessary books), the free supply of educational aids to pupils is no longer guaranteed and school buildings need to be renovated urgently. The top of the attacks towards pupils has been the shortening of the school time in several states of Germany: up to now in most states it takes 9 years secondary school to finish the “Gymnasium” (highest school in Germany, which allows to study at a university if successfully finished). Now several states decided to shorten the school time by one year. It is clear what means this for the pupils: they have to gain the same knowledge and skills as before in one year less time. This leads to more pressure, less free-time and higher burden.

The answer of the pupils was clear: in several cities action committees were founded to organise resistance against this policy. Already at the beginning of May there was a school strike with 2500 pupils participating in Lüneburg (a town in the north near to Hamburg). But the official start gave Berlin, where a school strike was set up for the 22th of May this year. At the same time, a group out of mainly former pupils emerged in Tübingen (a small city in the south of Germany), which made the proposal for a nation-wide “action-day” on 22nd of June. The movement was remarkable successful: in Berlin there participated more than 8000 pupils. In Oldenburg there were 8000 as well, in Kassel 4000, in Tübingen 1500 and in Frankfurt 800 pupils on the streets. REVOLUTION participated actively in the organisation and the action itself in Berlin, Kassel, Tübingen and Frankfurt. Particulary in Berlin and Frankfurt REVO played a significant role. In Frankfurt our latest branch gave the initiative for the strike action, printing and handing out several thousands leaflets. One comrade gave an interview in a local information TV channel, and the local chairman of the RCDS-group (students association of the right-wing bourgeois party CDU) saw himself forced to emphasise his distance from the “ominous REVO-group”.

But after this successful event it is clear that the resistance must be organised better, continue and driven further! The local strike groups decided to set up another nation-wide school strike for the 12 of November. REVOLUTION-Germany decided to give this movement a priority the second half of the year. There is coordination meeting planed on 4th and 5th of October in Berlin. We will participate in the organisation, in order to give the mobilisation a political and militant direction. One of the major tasks will be to broaden the resistance beyond the pupils and the demand to cancel the “G8” (unintended ironic denomination of the project to shorten the school time). As correct and important of course this demand is, the movement can not persist at that point if it is aimed to be successful. The “G8” is only one aspect of a wider strategy, which is meant to shape the education system more and more towards the needs of the bourgeoisie. Representatives of the capital are increasingly involved in educational policy and companies are already present at each big university. Subjects, which are not “profitable” for the bourgeoisie are cut and replaced by “useful” subjects, in the schools as in the universities. All this is part of a general neoliberal policy in Europe, aimed to strengthen European imperialism in its concurrence towards US-imperialism.

To defeat this policy it is necessary to involve the teachers and the working class, who are equally affected by the same strategy. The teachers trade union GEW called for a demonstration in May as well, where a few thousand teachers participated. Up to now it didn't succeed to link the protest of the pupils with that of the teachers, although they organise around the same issues. This will be one of the major tasks as well to bring the movement forward.

Moreover the work on the school strike our activities in the local branches continue. In Kassel REVOLUTION is still organising events at the university around the slate “RAL” (Revolutionary, Antifascist Slate). REVO organised this slate last year with some other people and they achieved one seat in the student parliament at the last elections.

In Stuttgart REVO has been a key organiser for a anti-fascist concert event. The concert was organised within the alliance against Rascism, that REVO initiated last year to hold a demonstration and a rally in December 2007 against local fascist structures. Now the concert has been the second action of the alliance. Apart from this REVO participated in a small demonstration against the G8-summit in Japan on 05th of July, where around 200 people came.

Right now we are preparing ourselves for the “Sommerschool”, an educational event organised by “Gruppe Arbeitermacht” (Workers Power), the German section of the League for the Fifth International. REVO joins the school and several comrades will give presentations on topics like anti-fascist-work, Latin America and revolutionary programme. The event will be taking place from 30th of July until 3th of august in Thüringen, a state in Eastern Germany.

It will be five days of intensive political discussion on many different issues.