ON FASCISM IN LYON

Important note from the ICOR Office! This is only an automated translation of the post. The French version is the original. If you want to help us and improve this translation, we will be happy. You can be listed as translator on the homepage if you want to. Send us the improved translation to our email address coordinationint@yahoo.co.uk.

To the comrades of the Anti-Imperialist Anti-Fascist United Front
ON FASCISM IN LYON
The aim of this brief overview of the situation in Lyon is to make comrades outside France aware of the specific features of fascism in Lyon, and how this local problem plays an important role in developments at national and sometimes international level.
As Unité Communiste was born in Lyon, many of its members have been experiencing the problem there directly for a long time.
Lyon is nicknamed the capital of French fascism.
Although fascist groups are well established in other parts of France, it's only in this city that all types of groupuscules come together at the same time. From fundamentalist Catholic movements to hooligans and student groups, this is where they are most developed, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Historically, the city has also been marked by fascism, both since the Second World War and with the establishment of highly influential ideologues from the French far right, such as the Holocaust denier Faurisson.
Recent decades have seen the establishment of extreme right-wing premises in the city's historic district, particularly through the Génération identitaire organization and its followers.
These premises serve as a rear base for militias and ratonnades, and are officially the venue for numerous meetings, training courses and events. They are also used for international outreach and fund-raising.
They enabled a pragmatic union of small groups that were allied at the time, but also competitive and divided.
However, the anti-fascist struggle, coupled with a heightened risk of right-wing extremist attacks, recently prompted the state to disband several fascist groups nationwide, including Génération identitaire and others in Lyon.
Although insufficient and mainly for communication purposes, this action has shattered important organizational tools, weakening many groups and prompting a restructuring of the extreme right locally and nationally.
Despite the presence of various anti-fascist groups doing important work that has sometimes paid off with certain victories, they have never been able to close down the main premises created by Génération identitaire.
Fascist violence in the city remains endemic.
Fascists also enjoy the tacit support of the prefecture and local police force, with a total absence of repression, even though anti-fascist groups suffer the full brunt of it.
Today, French fascism is growing, becoming more radical and decentralized as the parliamentary far right advances. Lyon serves as a laboratory for its development, enabling its vanguard to develop under the best possible conditions.
This must be taken into account when analyzing and understanding the French situation.
Communist greetings,
Unité communiste