On the occasion of the murder of Pierre Overney 49 years ago, a lecture on the Gauche Proletarienne was held at the Café Popular. Pierre Overney was a worker and militant of the Gauche Proletarienne. On February 25, 1972, he distributed leaflets in front of a Renault factory to mobilize for an anti-fascist demonstration. There he was shot by a factory security guard.
A French comrade reported on the emergence of the Gauche Proletarienne and its development from 1968 to its dissolution in the 1970s. The lecture dealt with the methods of the Gauche Proletarienne, its mass work and its firm roots in the factories, among the deepest and broadest masses. It also explained what it meant to be organized with the Gauche Proletarienne. One had not only the state and its police against one, but also factory security services and the revisionist PCF, which led the largest union, the CGT. None of these enemies shied away from violence, and so the mere distribution of leaflets was often accompanied by violent confrontations.
Later, the significance of Pierre Overney's assassination was also discussed, as well as the problems within the organization that were particularly acute in dealing with the cowardly attempt on the life of Pierrot.
Pierre Overney's funeral was attended by 200,000 people and the rank and file of the organization demanded revenge for their fallen comrade.
Following the lecture, a discussion ensued about the experience of the Gauche Proletarienne and the lessons we can learn from it today.
Comrades present expressed their joy in learning more about the revolutionary movement in the French state, especially about a period and organization that hardly anyone in the FRG deals with. Furthermore, it was emphasized how important the connection of the German and the French proletariat is for the revolution in both countries and stressed that this lecture is a good contribution to advance this unity.
