Spain and France: Another May '68?

<p>Occupations; general strikes; riot police tear-gassing school students. The streets of Madrid and Paris have exploded in revolt. Hundreds of thousands of youth and workers have risen up – against unbearable housing costs in Spain and an education system gutted by austerity in France.In this episode of Against the Stream, Victor Murray is joined by Josh Holroyd of the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International to discuss what these movements signify, and how they can win.In Spain, the spark was the eviction of Maria Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman in a wheelchair who had lived in the same Madrid flat for 70 years, forced out by a vulture fund that wanted to raise her rent from €400 to €2,600. She died this week. More than a thousand tents now fill the Puerta del Sol. The renters’ union is demanding the expropriation of corporate landlords, and polls show majority support for a general strike – even among Vox voters.In France, the biggest high school student movement in the country&#39;s history has been met with tear gas and stun grenades. Students and teachers have had enough of underfunded schools – with classes of 40 pupils, in crumbling buildings, in 40-degree heat. Talk of a new May &#39;68 is everywhere.As we have long forecast, this is not a reactionary period. It is the opening of a revolutionary one. But communists must be armed with the lessons of the past. Victor and Josh look back at what the revolution of May ‘68 achieved, why it was defeated, and what communists need to do now. New episodes of Against the Stream every Thursday at 6pm London time on YouTube.📖 Recommended reading 📖Spain: Sánchez calls early elections – the streets demand a general strikehttps://marxist.com/spain-sanchez-calls-early-elections-the-streets-demand-a-general-strike.htmFrance: a decisive week – with echoes of May ’68https://marxist.com/france-a-decisive-week-with-echoes-of-may-68.htm[Podcast] The world economy faces perfect stormhttps://marxist.com/podcast-the-world-economy-faces-perfect-storm.htmFrench high school protests: The risk of a united front of discontent, Le Mondehttps://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2026/10/05/french-high-school-protests-the-risk-of-a-united-front-of-discontent_6758264_23.html⏱️ Timestamps ⏱️0:00 Introduction4:54 The eviction of Maricarmen14:59 Sánchez&#39;s gamble24:21 How the movement cut across the right wing38:01 France: the biggest school student movement in French history49:44 The lessons of