Algerian Trotskyists "Lets put the record straight on the "civil war" casualties... Military and police patrols have sharply reduced the number of fundamentalist attacks in the centre of Algiers. The Socialist Workers' Party (PST) The fundamentalists have now started attacking the working-class neighbourhoods office in downtown Algiers is still open: near their strongholds. The headline-grabbing attacks on journalists and former antino small success given that a number colonial fighters only represent 2% of victims: In fact, three out of four victims are of political parties have no existence workers. In 1994 1,800 skilled workers were killed, and 500-700 shopkeepers. Only beyond the occasional press release. 2% of the fundamentalist's victims are members of state institutions. And the 61 According to PST militant Radouane foreigners killed so far (from a total foreign population now down to 8,300) represent a Osmane, "We continue to hold further 2%. And with the fundamentalist strategy being to terrorize neighbourhoods, meetings, intervene in trades unions, and wipe out delinquency and drugs dealers, the unemployed have not been spared and in the Berber cultural movement. In recent mobilisations, such as the
The newspapers here tend to addapt themselves to an imagined, external, Western teachers' strike, we try to build a third set of preconceptions: this leads them to present the fundamentalists as attacking only force: against the privatisation
"liberated" women, foreigners and intellectuals. In fact, society as a whole is being programme and against terrorised The media reduce things to a mass of fundamentalist "terrorists." Some fundamentalism. intellectuals wh, have succeeded in leaving the country, talk in increasingly hysterical "We help animate the broad-based terms about Algerian society as a whole from the other side of the Mediterranean. The Initiative Association of Social best refutation of this distortion is the daily resistance of Algerian women, who continue Resistance (AIRS), which includes a to brave death by going to work in the morning and comming home in the evening. number of trades union federations The second thing to remember is that this "civil war" includes the atrocities committed and militants. The vice-president is by the regime. Thousands of fundamentalists were killed in 1994. Not all of them were from the railway workers' federation "terrorists." Most were sympathisers, or civilians killed by the regime for one reason or and the president is a regional union another, with the blame put on the fundamentalists afterwards. leader from Rouiba. Intellectuals and youth are also involved in the There is a balance of terror now. Neither side can get the upper hand. Having said this, Initiative. There is a base here for long there is growing disaffection with the fundamentalists in working-class districts. People term work. are more and more critical of random bombings. They inform those under threat, and warn each other about suspicious strangers in the neighbourhood "In Bougie and Oran an independent youth organisation, "Rage" has The regime is considering a presidential election, but none of the preconditions for a addressed the problems of real election exist! Outside the centre of the capital, the security situation is deplorable: democracy, torture and executions. democratic freedoms hardly exist. Algerians do not have the right to organise or act The PST tries to support all their politically, and all demonstrations except those in support of the regime are banned. If intitiatives in a practical and a political there is an election, the abstention rate will be very high. sense. These are young people, with The regime still hopes that an election will give them a new lease of life. Once the a new experience. positive publicity of an election has run its course abroad, and people have calmed "Parties like ours can only live if they down, the locks will snap shut again. It would be a regime like that of Ben Ali in Tunisia are actively implicated in the struggle The only possible regime candidate at the moment is the incumbent, Liamine Zeroual1 for justice and equality among the The armed fundamentalists are not ready to accept a compromise until they have masses. Yes, the situation is very established a balance of forces which gives them the chance of achieving something. difficult. But if we do not continue to Until they think the balance of forces is favourable, they will oppose elections even if aggitate, we will dissapear. For some well-known fundamentalist personalities participate. Between now and May there example, the former-Communist Party may even be a series of attacks by groups who want to prevent an election. In short, El Tahadi has now completely the fundamentalist camp is in disarray. As for the democratic opposition, the FFS has adopted the regime's "exterminist" said they will only support a coaltion "peace" candidate. The PT say they will not stand rhetoric towards the Islamic fundamentalists." * 18 either.
electorate.