Contribution to the “Revolutionary Summer Camp 2009” in Denmark

The Danish Communist Youth (DKU) (youth of the Worker’s Communist Party –APK) invited “Movement for the Reorganisation of the KKE 1918-55” to contribute in the “Revolutionary Summer Camp 2009” held in Denmark.

It follows a description of our contribution translated from an article in the newpaper “Kommunistisk Politik”.

A Greek comrade from “Movement for the Reorganisation of the KKE 1918-55”, sister organization of APK, made a presentation about the Greek Unrest in December 2008.

In the beginning, the comrade described the tragic event of the murder of the iinnocent 15-year old schoolboy, Alexis Grigoropoulos, by a police officer and the youth’s reaction to this event. The speaker focused mainly in four subjects: a) How did we end up in the murder? b) Why youth’s response was so immediate and strong? c) How the movement was organised at these days and d) The aftermath of the upheaval and Greece’s current situation.

The speaker said that the murder was the culmination of the government's policy of the most extreme fascistisation of the reactionary bourgeois state and social life. In the short past police forces have shown unprecedented brutality: They attacked a Cypriot student in Thessaloniki and send him to the hospital; torturing of immigrants in police stations are very often reported; the Greek government cooperated with CIA to kidnap Pakistanis; police used gasses against protestors without any control; etc. The Greek government used these methods to stop the demonstrations of pupils, University students, teachers which since 2006 are resisting against the further privatization of the Greek education, the cancellation of the Universities asylum, the low salaries. This long-running struggle has resulted to occupations of schools and Universities for months, big strikes that lasted for weeks and tenths of thousands people demonstrating against the government. Government’s result was more and more brutality. The murder was the result of this tense situation.

The bad situation of the Greek economy, the low salaries, the high cost of leaving, the high cost of education in Greece made people displeased with the government and its politics. The murder of young Grigoropoulos was the spark that lighten up the fire. In the young boy’s dead body the pupils saw themselves.

The news of the murder spread quickly. Tenths of thousands sms messages were sent the night of the death. Groups were created in Facebook. The first demonstration was organised in the same day. In the first week after the murder more than 1,000 schools and University departments occupied by young people refusing to return to their classes until justice was given. Thousands of students demonstrated in tens of cities. Police stations and banks became their major symbolic targets: the former as symbols of fascist oppression and police terror, and the latter as symbols of exploitation (a 28 billion Euros "dowry" was given to them according to a recent government decision), the pillars of large capital, responsible for the mass unemployment, poverty and misery that great part of the population experiences.

The comrade critised the stance of the reformists of KKE, who opposed the unrest and cooperated with the government to stop it. He said that the majority of young pupils are the next shift of the working class and the slogan “Down with the government of blood and scandals” was a right slogan for the period. The impact of the revolt forces Sarcozy to postpone the education reform in France and subcommandante Marcos, leader of Zapatistas, welcomed the revolt was a bright example of struggle.

After that, the comrade analysed the current situation in Greece. The Greek movement became more experienced from this but the Greek government started also taking measures to prevent similar situations on the future. The University asylum is now almost cancelled, measures against occupation of Universities were taken, the Greek telephone company asked the National Polytechnic University to locate and reserve the servers of Indymedia network, police started occupations against immigrants, special forces in cooperation with fascist groups attack demonstrators, etc.

The comrade concluded that the teaching of the unrest is great. It helped young people to realise the role of the urban and revisionist parties, especially KKE was exposed for it stance. The whole capitalism system was taken under doubt and at the same time the unrest helped people to realise their capability to do things. On the other hand, the struggle reached a certain limit. This was explained as the absence of a real revolutionary-communist party which will help the masses to their struggle, a party which inspire people and lead the struggle and transform it to a struggle against the whole capitalism system and not only against its consciences, a party based on the principals of Marxism-Leninism.