BY NED DMYTRYSHYN
PARIS, France - During the third week of January, the international team of supporters of the Marxist magazine Nouvelle Internationale sold over US $400 of revolutionary literature and 25 copies of the magazine.
This brings total sales of communist literature since mid-December to over $5,000 including 326 copies of Nouvelle Internationale. The second best seller after Nouvelle is the Communist Manifesto with 53 copies sold so far.
Last week volunteers from the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and France were joined by three students from Paris. One of them, Christine, a student at St. Denis university, talked to fellow students gathered around a literature table.
Alexandra Musseau, 23, a student at the Sorbonne university bought Nouvelle no. 5, which features the article "Imperialism's March Toward Fascism and War" at a table in downtown Paris. "I have passed by tables many times over the past four years but on this occasion I stopped," she said. "The signs targeting the Juppé plan, opposing the imperialist troops in Yugoslavia, and defending the Cuban revolution hit a cord. Many people of my age have a `no way out' attitude but from the discussion at the table I have begun to appreciate that an alternative is possible, that Marxism is relevant."
"I'll take Nouvelle no. 2. I'd like to learn more about the fight for the independence of Quebec" said Philippe, a student at Nanterre university. He was interested in the article "Land, Labor and the Canadian revolution."
A central aspect of the team's work this week was building the January 20 concert in solidarity with Pennsylvania death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal. The concert was sponsored by the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship of the People (MRAP), and supported by several unions and political organizations. An activist in MRAP joined the Nouvelle sales team at the Jussieu university campus. She handed out leaflets and hawked Live From Death Row, Abu-Jamal's book recently published in French. The concert attracted hundreds of mostly young people.
Another highlight of the week was an open forum sponsored by the Movement of the Young Communists of France (MJCF), the youth organization affiliated with the Communist Party, in the Seine et Marne department on the outskirts of Paris. Nouvelle supporters were invited to set up a table and were joined there by Stephanie, a local MJCF member. A lively discussion was held on whether young communists should focus on social or clearly political, communist activities. During the discussion, Stephanie said that her experience in the last few weeks on similar tables showed that many youth can be attracted to political struggles and communist ideas.