Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France
Encyclopedia
The Mouvement Jeunes communistes de France (MJCF), commonly called the "JC" (for Jeunesse communiste, historically its first name), is a political youth organisation, close to the French communist party.
The MJCF is organised independently of the French communist party, deciding its laws, structure and leaders as well as its stances, while continuously engaging with the party about the actions and stances to take in keeping with a transformational vision of society.
The MJCF was founded in 1920 as the "Jeunesse communiste", under the auspices of the Tours Congress
. Its secretary general as of February 2009 is Pierric Annoot, elected at the time of the national council of 28 June 2008. According to its own statistics, the movement counts 15,000 members in France.
The MJCF publishes a monthly journal, Avant-garde. It is part of the European Network of Democratic Young Left
(ENDYL) and of the World Federation of Democratic Youth
.
The MJCF contains the Union des étudiants communistes student grouping, which directs its own institutions to meet the specific demands of militancy in higher education.
MJCF was particularly involved in the campaign of the left to vote "no" in the French referendum on a treaty for a European constitution. In 2006, the MJCF was also involved in the movement against the Contrat première embauche and was an active member of the collectif jeune (young collective) against the CPE. The MJCF also participated in the collective Unis contre l'immigration jetable where it fought against the projet de loi relatif à l'immigration et à l'intégration of Nicolas Sarkozy
.
At the MJCF congress which took place on 14-17 December 2006 at Ivry-sur-Seine
the MJCF decided to direct its struggles along four essential lines, called Quatre chantiers pour changer nos vies et la société (four projects to change our lives and society)
The content of these projects directed the MJCF, at the national council of January 2007, to campaign for Marie-George Buffet
in the French presidential election of 2007, as a candidate for the popular anti-liberal left.
The MJCF is organised independently of the French communist party, deciding its laws, structure and leaders as well as its stances, while continuously engaging with the party about the actions and stances to take in keeping with a transformational vision of society.
Tours Congress
The Tours Congress was the 18th National Congress of the French Section of the Workers' International, or SFIO, which took place in Tours on 25—30 December 1920...
. Its secretary general as of February 2009 is Pierric Annoot, elected at the time of the national council of 28 June 2008. According to its own statistics, the movement counts 15,000 members in France.
The MJCF publishes a monthly journal, Avant-garde. It is part of the European Network of Democratic Young Left
European Network of Democratic Young Left
The European Network of Democratic Young Left is an independent network of left-wing democratic socialist political youth organizations in Europe....
(ENDYL) and of the World Federation of Democratic Youth
World Federation of Democratic Youth
The World Federation of Democratic Youth is a progressive youth organization, recognized by the United Nations as an international youth non-governmental organization. WFDY describes itself as an "anti-imperialist, left-wing" organisation...
.
The MJCF contains the Union des étudiants communistes student grouping, which directs its own institutions to meet the specific demands of militancy in higher education.
Campaigns and current stances
The MJCF, being an autonomous organization, leads its own campaigns as well as aiding in those of the PCF. Campaigns of the 2000s include:- Paix et solidarité (Peace and solidarity)
- Contre la guerre, on ne dépose pas nos armes (Against war - we won't put down our weapons): Launched at the beginning of 2003 at the time of the movement against the Iraq war, this campaign sought to fight against the war and the occupation, and to promote pacifist ideas amongst young people.
- Libérez Marwan Barghouti (Free Marwan Barghouti): campaign for the liberation of the Palestinian ex deputy leader Marwan BarghoutiMarwan BarghoutiMarwan Hasib Ibrahim Barghouti is a Palestinian political figure. He is regarded as a leader of the First and Second Intifadas. Barghouti at one time supported the peace process, but later became disillusioned, and after 2000 went on to become the main figure behind the Al-Aqsa Intifada in the...
, imprisoned in IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
since 2002. The MJCF, who consider Barhouti a political prisonerPolitical prisonerAccording to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
, strongly criticized what they saw as an unjust trial, as well as the conditions in which he has been detained. - Free Mumia!: Campaign for the liberation of Mumia Abu-JamalMumia Abu-JamalMumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. He has been described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate", and his sentence is one of the most debated today...
, an American sentenced to death, whom the MJCF also considers a victim of a rigged trial. Beyond this campaign, the MJCF intends to lead a broader fight against the death penalty throughout the world.
- Lutte contre les discriminations (Struggle against discrimination)
- Lutte anti-fasciste et contre l'extrême droite (Struggle against fascism and the extreme right): the MJCF regularly publishes tracts and leaflets analysing the policies of the extreme right, particularly the French Front national movement.
- Emploi, formation et lutte contre la précarité (Employment, training and the struggle against job insecurity)
- Un emploi ou une formation pour tous ? Je crois que ça va pas être possible (A job a training for everyone? I believe that's
impossible), the slogan around which the MJCF based their campaign for the establishment of job and training security, a broad project of social transformation seeking to eliminate unemployment and to guarantee a real and lifelong right to training. - Campagne contre la loi Fillon (Campaign against Fillon's law): the MJCF, particularly its schools network has actively participated in the spring 2005 movement against Fillon's law to reform secondary school teaching.
- États généraux des lycées (general states of schools): an initiative launched by the MJCF seeking to organize in as many schools so that they may become involved in the campaign against Fillon's law, and so that they can express their grievances with the current system and their hopes for a better school.
- Loi pour la Réussite dans l'Enseignement Supérieur (Law for success in higher education): initiative launched by the UCE with the goal of establishing a law which puts forward a real alternative to the liberal project for higher education (which the UCE considers as having been served by the recent reforms.
- Un emploi ou une formation pour tous ? Je crois que ça va pas être possible (A job a training for everyone? I believe that's
MJCF was particularly involved in the campaign of the left to vote "no" in the French referendum on a treaty for a European constitution. In 2006, the MJCF was also involved in the movement against the Contrat première embauche and was an active member of the collectif jeune (young collective) against the CPE. The MJCF also participated in the collective Unis contre l'immigration jetable where it fought against the projet de loi relatif à l'immigration et à l'intégration of Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
.
At the MJCF congress which took place on 14-17 December 2006 at Ivry-sur-Seine
Ivry-sur-Seine
Ivry-sur-Seine is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris....
the MJCF decided to direct its struggles along four essential lines, called Quatre chantiers pour changer nos vies et la société (four projects to change our lives and society)
- Précarités (insecurity)
- Vivre ensemble (living together)
- Monde (world)
- Savoirs/éducation (knowledge/education)
The content of these projects directed the MJCF, at the national council of January 2007, to campaign for Marie-George Buffet
Marie-George Buffet
Marie-George Buffet is a French politician. She was the head of the French Communist Party from 2001 to 2010. She joined the Party in 1969, and was the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports from June 4, 1997 to May 5, 2002. Ms...
in the French presidential election of 2007, as a candidate for the popular anti-liberal left.
See also
- Union des étudiants communistes
- Parti communiste français
- World Federation of Democratic YouthWorld Federation of Democratic YouthThe World Federation of Democratic Youth is a progressive youth organization, recognized by the United Nations as an international youth non-governmental organization. WFDY describes itself as an "anti-imperialist, left-wing" organisation...