“Alain made the construction of the Fourth International his life’s project”

I met Alain in 2008 when he came to Madrid for a meeting on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of May 1968. I had been responsible for his assistance and interpretation. I remember his kindness and intelligence.

At the end of the meeting, a young French woman who was a student in Madrid came to talk to him. The conversation must have pleased him since he asked me to bring him the contact sheet quickly. He took good care to record all her details there. During the evening and until his departure, Alain insisted to us: “call her”, “do not forget to follow this contact”. He was proud to have contributed as an activist to building the section of the Fourth International in the Spanish state.

Alain’s influence is measured in the many messages we have received from all over the world. We chose to share two that seem particularly significant to us.

First, that of Ilya Budraitskis, a Russian activist of the Fourth International. He tells us how Alain’s visit to Moscow in 2002 finally led to the creation of the Russian group of the Fourth International. He writes: “In the years that followed, Alain remained in constant contact with us, travelling to Russia many times to support solidarity campaigns and workers’ strikes. He visited many parts of our country and understood very well the conditions of ordinary people and the risks of political struggle. And he remained a historical optimist, while maintaining a ‘pessimism of the intellect’.”

The second message is from Socialny Rukh, the Ukrainian socialist organization: “Impressed by the revolutionary events on the squares of Ukraine, Alain Krivine attended a demonstration in Kyiv 2015. After this, he, as a guest of honour, joined the conference of the Ukrainian Left, in which, left-wing and trade union activists voted for the name of the future left party "Social movement". Today we are grateful to his comrades from the New Anticapitalist Party, who consistently support the Ukrainian people against Putin’s imperialism.”

Alain, like other comrades of his generation, made the construction of the Fourth International his life’s project. It leaves us with a valuable and indispensable tool to fight against capitalism and imperialism. To thank him, and to pay tribute to him, we can only repeat the rule by which he lived his life: “This is only the beginning, let’s continue the fight!”

21 March 2022