The Revolutionary Student Movement (in French the “Mouvement Étudiant Révolutionnaire” or MER) is a front of the PCR-RCP in the student milieu. Its purpose is to wage the class struggle in schools by fighting for the interests of the proletariat and building towards revolution. The MER is open to all young people (student or not) who want to fight for schools that serve the people from a revolutionary perspective. Take a minute to visit its blog at: www.mer-pcr.com

To begin, what are the objectives of your organization?

What we propose is nothing less than a revolution. On the one hand, this has the advantage of simplicity: we are opposing rotten compromises with governments that exist only to serve the capitalists. We condemn imperialist wars and the national oppression of Aboriginal peoples. We want the world's wealth and means of production that make it possible to belong to the whole people. We want to be fully involved politically, socially and culturally in all decisions that affect our lives and those of our families and friends —in short, we want to overthrow the whole system and establish socialism.

On the other hand, when it comes to making this happen and deciding what is to be done, with whom and how, the issue becomes much more complex. Many writings by Lenin, Mao and others attempt to explain the correct methods of organization for the proletariat, but we can quickly summarize it by emphasizing on the need to organize politically. So what does that mean today in 2011?

The MER proposes some structures. We are putting ideas on the table, trying to share our experience to the best of our abilities; but it would be wrong to say we have a ready-made solution that everyone else needs only to copy-and-paste. That’s why every young person who wants to participate must come with his or her ideas and share them with others. Already, we must work together, discuss, do graffiti, put up posters, distribute newspapers and pamphlets. We have to talk about politics with our friends, colleagues at work and school, but also with other young people from different backgrounds and who aspire to the same goals and want to fight in the same directions. All this is perhaps a little vague, but it sheds light on what is the most important factor today in organizing: strength in numbers!

How can we stand on the side of the proletariat in a place like school, where the class divisions are less obvious than in a factory or a hospital for example?

If we look at the class composition of the educational system, we can see quickly that the children from proletarian backgrounds are in a majority in primary, secondary and trades schools. Then, once in college, this changes radically. Young people who drop out are mainly coming from the proletariat. Many will experiment with college, but few will graduate. At the university level, the proportion of youth who come from the working class is even smaller.

The view that prevails in the university student associations —even the more progressive ones— is usually that of the petty-bourgeoisie. They will fight against rising tuition fees (and rightly so!), but they will almost never talk about the ideological class nature of the school system; they won’t ever explain that the school serves the bourgeoisie and its priority is to reproduce the system and the class divisions.

In short, we must certainly fight for free education at all levels, but above all we must fight for schooling that serves the people (and not the capitalists); and for that, we’ll need a lot more than small reforms!

It is also important for us to dare to talk about revolution, to explain that revolution is possible and that we are not condemned to live under capitalism until the end of time. This is what the bourgeoisie wants us to think. Their media are broadcasting the lie that wanting to change the system is utopian, that it is unattainable. Obviously, for the ruling class, these lies pass for truth.

By combining the need for a proletarian revolution and refusing to fall into the vicious cycle of struggling for small reforms that won’t really change anything, one quickly discovers that the struggle of the youth is not really the struggle of all young people, but rather the struggle of young proletarians, of those downtrodden youth who will not go to on to higher education —those working for minimum wage, who are unemployed, whose parents are sick or exhausted due to hard work, who can not afford the basic necessities, etc.

How can we organize against capitalism among students?

The priority, I think, is to organize in high schools and colleges. In high school, it is very important because that is where a break occurs between those who will become “students” and those who soon will enter the labour market and face the exploitation that comes with it. But a difficulty is that there is no tradition of an organized student power in high schools. The masquerade of student elections —when there are— is even more laughable than bourgeois elections, especially since those who are “elected” have absolutely no power. So to create a student power in high schools is something totally new that we have to develop. Young people have a lot to say about the society they want to build; they want to express themselves, to be creative and be free from oppression and misery, probably more than in any other period of their life. We should be part of that!

In colleges and universities, we prefer something more akin to anti-capitalist committees that fight and act on their own bases, totally independent from student unions. That is to say they should not be limited by the mandates and bureaucracy and must be free to put forward policy positions clearly in the service of the people, and act accordingly! We must try to win people to the idea of revolution, having them going beyond the limited horizons the system have set for them. This can be done through general assemblies (where they exist) but it can also be done in any public forum where people gather to talk about politics and society.