Abstract: A friction spinning machine having a plurality of friction spinning units, each of the spinning units including two rotatable parts forming a spinning wedge, and two whorls each being connected to a respective one of the rotatable parts, includes a device for driving the rotatable parts, the driving device including a common endless belt wound around both of the whorls, a drive roller around which the endless belt is wound for transmitting the belt drive, a tangential belt guided along the length of the friction spinning machine, and a device for engaging and disengaging frictional contact between the tangential belt and the endless belt or belt roller.