April 28—Jacques Cheminade, president of the French political party Solidarité et Progrès (S&P), opened an online meeting April 15 in Paris that brought together the LaRouche movement’s political candidates running for public office in France and the United States. The purpose of the discussions was to present and build our fight against war, and against the principle of rule by the law of the strongest, now shamelessly defended on both sides of the Atlantic by the highest authorities, and bearing a striking resemblance to a rising fascism.

“We are patriots and citizens of the world,” Cheminade declared at the outset, introducing the candidates. Representing the United States were independent presidential candidate Diane Sare and New York congressional candidate Jose Vega (C.D. 15, The Bronx). Representing France were four candidates for the legislative elections: Sébastien Périmony, Rémi Lebrun, Odile Mojon-Cheminade, and Benoit Odille. A fifth candidate for the Senate, Jean-François Grilhaut des Fontaines, was unable to attend.

Stop the War Against Iran

The first thing to consider is the war against Iran declared by U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, said Cheminade. With the dominant role played by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this war, which affects us all in its economic, social, and moral consequences, was Trump’s doing. Twice to date, his administration, under pressure from Netanyahu, has sabotaged urgent peace negotiations and disparaged Iran, which it considers a weaker “enemy,” in insulting terms that crossed all moral and legal boundaries.

“This is where we urgently need to intervene,” Cheminade said, “by combining our efforts on both sides of the Atlantic.” He reported that on the same day as they were meeting for the trans-Atlantic conference, April 15, Diane Sare had just launched an international campaign to convince members of the American Congress to cut the purse strings for the war against Iran.

Many candidates in the U.S. elections have already been proposing to either impeach President Trump, or to otherwise remove him from power legally. However, both of these processes would take too long. Sare made clear in her call to action, that the war must be stopped now. Putting pressure on Congress can force it to face its responsibilities. According to U.S. law, it is Congress that must vote to approve or deny all war appropriations; that is why everyone’s intervention with each member of Congress is essential. She spoke to American, French, and other citizens internationally, saying that we must act quickly. Iran has practically won the war, from an economic, moral, and strategic point of view. It has practiced the doctrine of the weak against the strong, David against Goliath, turning its weapons against American bases and closing the Strait of Hormuz. Trump is now cornered. He must either withdraw, or move to a much more lethal phase, namely the use of nuclear weapons.

Can this type of intervention involving foreign citizens be considered interference in the internal affairs of another state? This does not apply here, as it is only a matter of expressing what one feels to members of the American Congress, and inspiring them to adopt an attitude that promotes the restoration of peace.

Can six candidates working from both sides of the Atlantic actually help to restore peace? Is that really reasonable? The answer is, yes, because in a crisis of such gravity, facing a degenerate power—many of whose leaders stem from the “Epstein Class”—it is only the most determined who win, and it is David who prevails over Goliath.

Diane Sare, Independent Candidate for U.S. President

Independent U.S. presidential candidate Diane Sare then took the floor to present her campaign objectives.

“We are at a crucial turning point for humanity,” she said. “The United States is at the heart of the problem, and we have such power to cause destruction that it is imperative that our republic stand on the right side of history.”

“This republic would not exist now,” she said, “without the sources of inspiration that were, on the Old Continent: Joan of Arc, Nicholas of Cusa, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, and many other great representatives of European civilization, as well as all those who, from Rome to Venice, from the Netherlands to London, resisted the imperial vision. It is this resistance that gave birth to the United States.”

“After serving two terms as President, George Washington, on leaving office, reminded everyone—in a republic, the people hold immense power. The United States, like France, has a strong presidential system, relying on elected officials meant to represent the people. Washington emphasized the need for great vigilance in matters of education, culture, and religion, given the considerable power that rests with these representatives elected by an educated citizenry.”

“We were complacent,” she continued, “and our country became a tool of the Epstein Class. The CIA and the Tavistock Institute in London invested vast sums at the end of World War II and throughout the 1960s, devoting all their efforts to destroying us, to transforming us from a productive force into lazy, degenerate consumers addicted to drugs and sex. The literacy rate in the United States today is only 54%, and most Americans read at the level of a sixth-grader! The majority are even incapable of understanding the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. This is why it has been relatively easy for those who wish to, to manipulate this generation, to ensure that the people not become outraged by the actions of their leaders.”

“So, I announced my candidacy on January 10,” she continued, “immediately after [President Donald] Trump kidnapped Venezuelan President [Nicolás] Maduro. I felt the urgency was real, because if this President is incompetent, the opposition is just as incompetent. In fact, far from being an opposition to the current government, it was the Democratic Party that implemented the policies that Trump then amplified. [Presidents Barack] Obama and Joe Biden left us with chaos in Ukraine, and I heard one of our military contacts say that after the U.S. took control of the Ukrainian government, the situation became catastrophic. The CIA, MI6, and Mossad seized power. That’s what we’re dealing with: intelligence services serving a gang of satanic, criminal billionaires.”

“There is one point I am raising,” she added. “If the American people are not outraged today that after the release of 3.5 million pages of documents concerning the [Jeffrey] Epstein case, no legal action has been taken against the American figures, often very high-ranking, appearing on these documents (former governors, high-ranking State Department officials, very high-level Americans); if in the end, the American people find it acceptable that after committing such crimes, these high ranking figures must continue to be respected, then we will lose our republic.”

“I announced my candidacy because this nation needs leadership,” she said. “I had the privilege of working with Lyndon LaRouche, his wife Helga Zepp-LaRouche, and Jacques Cheminade, exemplary figures in their courageous fight against oligarchy in Europe and colonialism worldwide. I witnessed how LaRouche succeeded in changing the world, despite the systematic theft of his constituents’ votes, smear campaigns, and his imprisonment, along with that of his close associates. Nevertheless, thanks to his proposed Strategic Defense Initiative and his plan to establish, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, corridors of economic cooperation in Eurasia, from Europe to China via Russia, the LaRouche projects played a pioneering role in the emergence of the Russian Eurasian Economic Union, which was also greatly inspired by our friend, the Russian economist Sergei Glazyev, in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, as well as in the rise of the SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization] and BRICS.”

“The time for the LaRouchists and other genuine patriots has finally come,” she said.

When Cheminade asked Sare how she was going about campaigning on a national scale, by rallying other independent candidates who do not identify with either the Republicans or the Democrats, she explained that what is called the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement in the United States no longer answers to Donald Trump. “Its members are distancing themselves from him and rejecting both parties.”

“Around Jose and me,” she continued, “many people are now running for office as independents, because they either despise both parties or, while remaining party members, they position themselves as mavericks, and refuse to toe the official line. Among them are former soldiers—veterans like Tony Aguilar, known for bringing down the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation by exposing its role in targeting and killing Palestinians. About 30 people are already running this way, like the woman from Massachusetts [C.D. 1, Nadia Milleron] who garnered 37% of the vote in the last election [for the U.S. House of Representatives] two years ago; or Brian McGinnis, another veteran (a U.S. Marine), and a candidate for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina. We are trying to unite this movement and leverage their economic expertise to address this issue.”

Sare concluded by reading a message addressed to Trump by a former supporter on his website, Truth Social, which illustrates the collapse of MAGA and paves the way for our project: “Your words and your behavior, since your re-election, your usual tendency toward immaturity and dementia, has taken hold. I pity you. You have completely handed the United States over to Israel. Your need for flattery and your extreme sensitivity to contradiction are the spark that destroyed the MAGA movement in this country in one year, and reduced to nothing the legacy you had built, thus going from ‘MAGA to nada,’ ” (nothing, in Spanish).

Jose Vega, U.S. Congressional Candidate in The Bronx

After Diane Sare, Jose Vega, congressional candidate in New York’s 15th congressional district (The Bronx), took the floor. In a stark contrast to the terrible decline of the United States that we have all witnessed, especially since Donald Trump came to power, Vega recalled the principles that originally guided the founding of the United States and its Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776. He defined his struggle, and Sare’s, as aimed at helping the United States rediscover its original purpose.

He cited as an example, the success of U.S. space agency NASA’s recent mission: sending astronauts to circle the Moon, taking them farther into outer space than ever before, and then landing them back safely in the Pacific Ocean. This miracle was the result of the work of thousands of people and engineers.

“Think of the decades of creativity, idea development, and discovery of physical principles that made this mission possible, and allowed us to predict, down to the second, the astronauts’ return time to Earth,” he said. “This is something humanity is perfectly capable of,” he pointed out, noting that he had barely mentioned the role of the United States, given how many parts and engineers involved in this mission were not exclusively American, but came from all over the world.

He also drew a parallel between this space collaboration and the principles of international collaboration that presided over the creation of the United States itself in 1776, the result of a process spanning centuries and incorporating the greatest ideas. He spoke of Confucius, Socrates and Plato, Nicholas of Cusa, the Renaissance.

“Humanity’s greatest triumphs and mistakes led to the creation of the United States of America,” the candidate emphasized. “This year’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of its founding must be viewed as a return of our nation to its commitment to this concept of humanity. Diane Sare’s goal, and my own, is to ensure that citizens recommit to this principle of humanity, and that these creative ideas become the greatest resource this planet has to offer. If we can find that commitment here, in one of the poorest parts of the country, we can find it anywhere on the planet.”

“The American Revolution inspired many countries to fight for their independence and build a true republic. This is evident in the famous painting Washington Crossing the Delaware, he pointed out, “painted not in the United States, as many Americans believe, but in Germany, during a time of great political instability. In the mid-19th Century, when there were still kings and queens in Europe—and there still are today—but many yearned for the freedom of thought and independence that the United States had achieved.”

“This idea was taken up in 19th-Century France by intellectuals like Laboulaye,” Vega added, “who wrote numerous works on American history and its Constitution, convinced that these ideas should be preserved and enriched. It is a legacy that France bequeathed to us, just like the Statue of Liberty, thus forever sealing our equal partnership in the struggle for freedom.”

Odile Mojon-Cheminade, Candidate for the French Abroad

Next, it was the turn of our French candidates to speak. Odile Mojon-Cheminade is the legislative candidate this year, as in 2022 and 2024, in the 10th constituency, which is for French citizens living abroad. She announced her candidacy for the upcoming legislative elections and emphasized the importance of her constituency in relation to the fight led by Solidarité et Progrès, for a world finally free from a colonialism that remains as entrenched as ever, “as we have recently seen in the Strait of Hormuz.”

“This constituency covers French citizens living in 49 countries, encompassing almost the entire Middle East and a large part of Africa,” she said, “with the exception of West Africa. It’s an area where you have wars, but at the same time, one of the most interesting configurations imaginable. First, there’s South Africa, a founding member of BRICS, and also several newer members and partners of BRICS. These are the countries that are saying, ‘We want something different,’ and they share the view that there can be no security without mutual development. Unfortunately, France has proven incapable of establishing win-win projects with these countries,” she said.

“While France is conspicuously absent from the realm of genuine cooperation—that is, on truly transformative projects—other countries have taken the lead to gradually create the conditions for its economic take-off,” she continued. “Ghana, for example, now has a nuclear energy development program in partnership with China and the United States, to ensure its energy independence. Other countries are also working toward technological independence, such as Tanzania, which is developing the capacity to assemble diesel-electric trains locally and is also involved in launching large ships capable of carrying up to 2,000 tons of freight on Lake Tanganyika,” she said. “This is already revolutionizing interconnections in the region.”

“If we add the railway project linking Tehran, Baghdad, and Amman to Cairo, or the other project linking Baghdad, Aleppo, and Türkiye by highway; if we also consider the massive development that our own Oasis Plan would induce in all the countries of the Near East now ravaged by wars, it becomes clear that the wars are meant to prevent the peaceful development of all these regions” she added.

“The goal of my campaign is to promote a different French foreign policy, and to remind French citizens living in these countries that they have an important role to play in this regard.”

Benoît Odille, Candidate in Essonne

For Benoît Odille, the advantage of his constituency is that it hosts a large scientific center that the government envisioned as “a French Silicon Valley.” However, although many people are deeply invested in matters of science, industry, and long-term development, they unfortunately are not the majority of the population. We live in a service economy.

Odille, however, sees how the oligarchy that governs us is destroying what is human in us. “I campaigned extensively in universities, flea markets, open-air markets, and at the exits of commuter trains,” he said, “with this simple question: ‘Do you want to stop the world war?’ ” The majority reaction? “Well, you’re ambitious!” As if it were a game, without consequences.

“There is this total disconnect between people, the horror of these successive wars, and what humanity is losing with this situation,” he said. “They lose sight of how to cooperate with their perceived enemy: You can’t talk to them, so what can you do? Destroy them completely? No, that’s not right either. We must make the effort to understand that the person we’re facing isn’t a monstrous beast, but a human being who, like us, is trying to develop something in their society, and to see what we can contribute to that process.

“The oligarchy seeks at all costs to make us beasts,” he said, “to make us think that the leaders of other countries are like bloodthirsty beasts, barbarians, to disconnect us from their share of humanity.”

“I fought hard to promote this idea of cooperating with one’s enemy. The idea of a Western alliance with the BRICS was one of my main campaign themes. I tried to understand what was actually preventing this alliance, and what, for the people, was the main obstacle.”

“There’s also the issue of the propaganda surrounding the war in Ukraine. All it would take is bringing historians together and discussing the reasons for this war to understand its origins and begin a process of reconciliation,” he mused. “Similarly, in the Middle East, we can identify the root causes and work towards improving the situation with the Oasis Plan, supported by S&P.”

“This alliance is seen as impossible, because China and Russia are considered economic enemies. In the free trade system imposed on us in the 1970s, we deindustrialized to the benefit of countries like China,” he observed, “condescendingly thinking that they would not reach our exceptional level. But because they are very old societies, with great pride, they have managed to surpass us technologically and are now becoming a threat to this free trade system.”

“This system has backfired on us, and instead of refusing to admit our mistake, we should realize that cooperation with these countries, which possess great scientific potential and technological knowledge-creation capabilities, is, on the contrary, the best thing that could happen to us,” he said. “For years we have been asking these countries to lift themselves out of poverty, and now, instead of rejoicing at the millions of people who have succeeded, we are branding them as enemies of humankind!”

“Failing to see this shows that our humanity has been stunted and that we must rediscover that part of humanity within us.

“I proposed organizing a national public debate, a discussion on fundamental and structural issues, to encourage people who seemingly hold opposing views to engage in calm dialogue and foster a collective reflection on the underlying causes of this crisis. I ask for your help.

“Finally, I propose to do readings of this booklet on physical economics that we published with Christophe Lavernhe at S&P, in the form of workshops, to see how this discovery can link us to the BRICS, with our past as a nation that discovered many things, with great respect for all that we discovered during the 30 glorious years [1945-1975].”

Rémi Lebrun, Candidate in Val-d’Oise

“I am a candidate for the first time in Val-d’Oise, in the 6th constituency, against all the politicians,” said Rémi Lebrun. “How do we tackle dehumanization?” he asked. “It’s crucial to distinguish between tackling stupidity and tackling stupid people. The current member of parliament for this constituency (which leans right) is Gabrielle Cathala, from the LFI [La France Insoumise—New Popular Front] group, who showed great courage on the Gaza issue and participated in one of the flotillas to try to break the blockade. She was also very involved fighting the Yadan Law which by condemning implicit anti-semitism would have blocked any denunciation of the genocide against Palestinians. But at the same time, she offers nothing for the fate of the Israelis! This is where our Oasis Plan comes in—a solution for everyone, which allows Israelis to offer something to the Palestinians,” he said. “So, I’m trying to meet with her to present the Oasis Plan…. To rehumanize our society, we need to talk to people face to face, take the time to discuss with them, whether they are far left or far right. Argue against the nonsense, and try to help them progress,” he said.

“I would like to address two topics on the issue of sovereignty which could contribute to re-humanization,” Lebrun continued. “First of all, digital sovereignty, which is a major issue at the moment.” He explained, “The issue of AI [artificial intelligence] must be situated within a worldview that rejects geopolitics. Where the GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) have a predatory vision of ‘power’ through data, they must be countered with an ‘Open Source’ logic, a pooling of skills, as practiced by China and the Mistral group, which rely on the outsider approach.

“We must provide our children with a philosophical education. We hear all sorts of alarmist rhetoric today against ChatGPT, for example, because people fear that our children will no longer think critically. We must remember that when the book first emerged, it was feared that books would kill memory and the oral tradition. They did not, of course. The only true way to avoid being manipulated by any technology, is to think for oneself.”

Lebrun proposes that the government launch a “digital mission,” a public data service, to train public employees, as well as businesses, in using AI. When AI serves the real economy, its relevance and value will increase tenfold, he says.

The second major issue of sovereignty Lebrun proclaimed, is “good food.” One point of his program is that local producers should provide food for the secondary schools in his constituency.

Sébastien Périmony, Candidate in Seine-Saint-Denis

Sébastien Périmony is a candidate in the 6th constituency of Seine-Saint-Denis, which includes Pantin and Aubervilliers. There are only two towns, and they are very densely populated.

“I tell people: If you want to change politics, you have to change the politicians! Currently, most people don’t vote. These are very poor neighborhoods: between 28% and 40% live at the poverty line. In Aubervilliers, almost 40%,” he said. “These are completely abandoned, unsanitary places. It’s not that people aren’t politically engaged, but they’re utterly disgusted by politics because all their elected officials are corrupt, and aren’t defending fundamental issues.”

Besides the fight against corruption, Périmony talks to people about the debt problem. “I distribute a leaflet explaining the debt scam: Between 1974 and 2023, we paid €1.64 trillion to private banks and insurers, for interest payments only, not for the principal! You don’t hear any member of parliament explaining this from the floor of the National Assembly.”

Périmony campaigns by putting into perspective, “the madness of the financial system we live in: France’s GDP is €3 trillion, global GDP is €100 trillion, and speculation amounts to €2 quadrillion! We’re in a financial bubble that could burst at any moment, and that is generating all the war-like policies Jacques Cheminade mentioned at the beginning.”

Looking ahead, Périmony forecast, “The campaign will probably take place in 2027. After the presidential election, the National Assembly will be dissolved. But will the financial system still be standing then?

“There are other ideas we want to defend: the separation between deposit banks and investment banks. If we are elected, we will implement this reform to protect citizens’ money from banks that speculate.”

Périmony noted, “No Member of Parliament explicitly proposes leaving the euro, the European Union, and NATO, nor addresses other issues such as the denationalization of the Bank of France.”