Anasintaxi

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Electoral Process in the Ivory Coast: What Must the Ivorian People Do to Exercise Sovereignty?

Revolutionary Communist Party of the Ivory Coast (PCRCI)

Electoral Process in the Ivory Coast: What Must the Ivorian People Do to Exercise Sovereignty?

The upper bourgeois of the Ivory Coast has constantly written and repeated that democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people. This is written in black on white in Article 30 of the Ivorian constitution. Article 31 of the same Constitution states, more precisely, that sovereignty belongs to the people.
The same Constitution does not prescribe representative mandate for life; in particular, the presidential term is limited. Indeed, paragraph 1 of article 35 of the same Constitution provides: "the President of the Republic is elected for five years by direct universal suffrage. He may be re-elected only once."
Despite all these beautiful statements, the upper bourgeoisie is waging a policy that prevents the people from exercising their sovereignty. At the present time the Ivorian people find themselves in a situation where they are facing a destiny in which their sovereign right is scorned. Indeed, the presidential term and the parliamentary terms were over nearly 5 years ago. All the representatives whose terms have expired, starting with the President of the Republic, do not feel any embarrassment and show no willingness to give up to the people the seats that they still occupy in an illegitimate and illegal way. Despite the great suffering of the people, despite the cries of pain of the people, these ladies and gentlemen, so-called representatives of the people, closed their ears and shut their eyes in order to hear nothing and see nothing.
Faced with this shameful situation, one thing is certain; the people will sooner or later take up their responsibilities despite the manoeuvres of certain political forces to keep them in a state of apathy and illusion. Above all, the Revolutionary Communist Party of the Ivory Coast (PCRCI) will help them every day to diagnose the evil and identify the best remedies.
The most effective remedy recommended by the PCRCI is organization. Indeed, a people organized in committees of wage workers, of peasants, of artisans, of merchants, women’s committees, youth committees, committees of high school and university students, etc., becomes an invincible people able to confront any swindler.
The Ivorian people know well those who do not wish to organize elections and who therefore want to prolong their suffering. They have taken the measure of the latter and are preparing to take up their responsibilities to deal with them. The appearance of any "saviour" can only be a diversion. In the current situation, the danger of a diversion can come from more than one side. The diversion that is most dangerous is a military coup d’état. Ivorian history has shown that, faced with the threat of seizure of power in 1999 with the establishment of a constitution and an anti-democratic electoral law as well as the spreading of the reactionary theory of Ivoirian ethnicity, plotters of a coup appeared on the political scene and made the people believe that they could solve the problems that assailed the Ivoirian people. To get rid of this military regime, the Ivorian people had to make great sacrifices. The civilian regime resulting from the referendum and the presidential election organized by the military was never intended to, and never could dismantle military rule. Less than two years after its establishment, the civilian rule called the "Refoundation" began to show its inability to govern. Before the people had time to find a solution to the bankruptcy proclaimed by the Refoundation, a new group of "saviours" arose in September 2002, in the form of a coup-rebellion. We see today how the attempts to "make the people happy" have failed.
After these experiences of military power (the National Committee Public Safety) and the military-civilian power called Refoundation associated with the "former rebels," which proved to be calamitous, the Ivorian people should be on guard against these types of solutions that do not resolve any problems but rather create many others. As an example: the economic crisis has not been solved. The Ivorian people continue to live in greater and greater difficulties; it is increasingly hard to get health treatment, to educate ones children, just as before the coup; in addition, the country has been plunged into a reactionary civil war which has become the pretext for the increased exploitation of the people. If you think about the incompetence of the existing power, you will always find some corrupt supporters to answer that it is because of the war that the government cannot solve any of the problems; a war that has already created many large fortunes whose ostentatious signs are clear to everyone.
The history of the Ivory Coast is repeating itself since September 2009 has many similarities with September 1999. The risk of seizure of power is the same. The same causes produce the same effects; it is not impossible that new peddlers of illusions will try to deceive to the people again. It is important to warn the people against the putchist tendencies from all sides showing that the actions of these latter are no different from those of their predecessors, with the following goal: overtake the people to prevent them from properly resolving their problems by the revolution.
The Ivorian people are in no way disarmed faced with the current situation; on the contrary. Universal history teaches that the people can exercise their sovereignty in one of the following two ways:
1) To launch an insurrection against the institutions that have become illegal and illegitimate, but that use of reactionary violence to hold on to power; this insurrection lets the people tear down the obsolete institutions and establish new institutions reflecting their will; besides resolving many other important problems, the insurrection creates the conditions for sovereign elections.
2) To exercise political pressure on the existing institutions (Presidency, Government, CEI [Independent Electoral Commission – translator’s note) to hold sovereign elections in which the people express themselves without being hindered by reactionary violence or the manipulation of the institutions. Today, this pressure is taking place; the operation of identification [for electoral rolls – translator’s note] has been closed since the end of June 2009 against the will of those who demanded that this process not come to an end; the fight is now to get a definitive electoral list that does not exclude any citizen of the Ivory Coast, obtaining identity cards and voter cards for all Ivoirians, the organization of general elections without any laws and states of exception prohibiting public demonstrations.
The true solution to the current problems can only be found by a conscious people, relying on their own committees of struggle forcing the holders of power to organize sovereign elections, or otherwise, rising up against the institutions which have become illegal and illegitimate and replacing them with new institutions (a Provisional Revolutionary Government, a new constitution as a base for any elections that allow the people to express themselves).

Abidjan, September 16, 2009
The Committee Central

Down with the coup of the Bongo clan supported by French imperialism

Solidarity with the people of Gabon

The Bongo clan, which took control of the country and ruled for 42 years, is once again imposing itself on the Gabonese people. This has been decided by the members of the clan, the military hierarchy, the business owners, not to forget Total, Bolloré, Rougier, Eramet, Bouygues as well as Veolia, BNP, Credit Lyonnais and Axa. In total, these are some of the 150 French companies that control the key sectors of oil, wood, trade, etc.
The elections were marred by many irregularities. Ali Bongo had the financial means and the State apparatus to "wage a campaign". The three days before the announcement of the results served to settle differences within the clan, to allocate juicy posts and to prepare themselves to deal with the demonstrations that would take place proclamation in case Ali Bongo was proclaimed the winner, so great is the anger against this regime and so deep is the desire for change. The fact that most opponents who campaigned did not represent a real rupture does not at all change this desire.
If the demonstrators attacked "French interests", it is because nothing can be decided without the endorsement of the French economic and political leaders.
Several hundred French soldiers equipped with air and land transport have been deployed to defend the right to loot and to protect the regime of Ali Bongo. In 1990, it was the French military that suppressed in blood the revolt of the Gabonese youth, who believed that the time had come for more democracy. French troops are ready to shoot, as they did in November 2004 in Abidjan.
We join with the protests and denunciations that have taken place in France against these rigged elections intended to maintain in power the Bongo clan, the pillar of "French Africa". We denounce the cynicism of the Sarkozy government which claimed to be “neutral" but which, through the statements of Kouchner and Joyandet, gives the political and military support of French imperialism to this coup.
We denounce Bolloré, Bouygues, Total and company, which want to continue to enrich themselves on the backs of the Gabonese people, as well as the peoples of the other French neo-colonies.
We express our solidarity with the Gabonese people, the youth, the workers of the towns and countryside, who are standing up against arbitrariness and reaction.
We call for broadening the denunciation in France and internationally of this coup, supported by French imperialism.
Paris, September 4, 2009

Communist Party of the Workers of France
Email: pcof@pcof.net
Site: www.pcof.net

A provocation against the peoples of the world: NObama, NObel, NOway!

English – Articles / Skrevet av Redaksjonen

Friday, October 9 2009 23:17

By awarding the Nobel Prize to the Supreme Allied Commander of the bloody occupation army in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Norwegian Nobel committee yet again has contributed to the denigration of this medal.
Giving this year's peace prize to President Barack Obama made a whole world speechless, even the Americans shake their heads. The President himself agrees that he feels unworthy, but that has not prevented him from accepting.

Even the most enthusiastic USA-supporters, who have no objection whatsoever on the United States' "war on terror", ask what Obama indeed has done to promote peace. After only nine months in office, there has been much visionary rhetoric, but little action apart from the modification of the missile shield plans in Europe as well as airy wishful thinking about a world without nuclear weapons. Drive and forcefulness will, by contrast, be very obvious when the president shortly signs the order to send an additional 40,000 occupation troops to Afghanistan, as required by his military commander Stanley McChrystal. When Barack Obama ceremoniously receives the award in the heavily guarded city of Oslo, the United States consequently will have 113 000 solidiers on Afghan soil on assignment from the US president. In addition to these come 35 000 soldiers from other states, including Norway. Everything is set for a bizarre performance in Oslo City Hall.
Obama is in fact continuing the occupation politics of his predecessor Bush. Any President of the United States is under the thumb of the monopolies and the military-industrial complex. Giving an American President a peace prize is like spitting every single Iraqi, every Palestinian and every single Afghan in the face. No, it is even worse. It is as though the Nobel committee has engraved their death message on every bullet intended to penetrate the head or chest of any Afghan child, woman or man, who might come within firing range of the imperialists.

A less tail-wagging USA-poodle than the parliamentary Norwegian Nobel committee would at least have awaited what Obama actually might have achieved when his period expires in 2012. But in its eagerness to abuse the will of Nobel in order to underpin American foreign policy, this clique of cleared MPs have no inhibitions. Among the scandals on its record we could mention when the committee handed the prize to mass murderer Henry Kissinger in 1973, while the bombs still were falling over Viet Nam – only weeks after the same Kissinger had orchestrated the fascist putsch in Chile, or when the killer of Palestinians and terrorist Menachem Begin was awarded the prize in 1978. […]

[The Swedish industrialist] Alfred Nobel wanted the Parliament in Norway – which at the time was a young and progressive democracy preparing to liberate itself from union with Sweden – to handle the awardment of the peace prize, because he considered that this would mean less danger of political corruption. At the time of his death, in 1896, he probably was right in thinking so. But since then, Norway has grown to become a greedy imperialist power willing to bargain with and jeopardize its own sovereignty as well as that of other nations, a warmongering state and the world's largest exporter of arms, measured by population. Today, Mr. Nobel would probably rather have chosen for example the Faroe Islands or Åland, with the same justification. If the prize shall avoid complete defaming, it from now on ought to be handed out in Torshavn or Mariehamn.
Barack Obama is an intelligent man who perceives the way of thinking of his Norwegian bootlickers. As he put it in his first press statement: «I do not view it (the Peace Prize) as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather an affirmation of American leadership».
Our remark would be: You've got it right, Mr. President. In the least as far as the Norwegian bourgeois class is concerned.
But significant portions of the Norwegian people are prepared to defy barbed wires and police repression as well as US leadership and «supremacy» when you arrive in Oslo on 10 December.

Slightly abbreviated. First published in Norwegian on Nettmagasinet Revolusjon on October 9th 2009.

NObama, NObel, NOway! av Nettmagasinet Revolusjon, Jan R. Steinholt er lisensiert under en Creative Commons Navngivelse-Ikkekommersiell-Ingen Bearbeidelse 3.0 Norge Lisens.
Based on original article on www.revolusjon.no.

Enver Hoxha: The Marxist-Leninist Movement and the World Crisis of Capitalism / JUST RELEASED!

Athens, October 2009
Pages: 38
Photos: 8
Size: A5
Language: Greek
3 euros

The Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55 released the work of cde Enver Hoxha “The Marxist-Leninist Movement and the World Crisis of Capitalism” that was written in 1979.

The printed edition additionally contains an article for Hoxha’s 100th birthday that was published in our newspaper and an article of essayist Nils Andresson “Enver Hoxha and his time”, that it’s published in Greek for the first time.

Social Democracy strengthens its grip

Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on September 14^th. The government since 2005 has been a so-called red and green coalition between the traditional, Social Democratic Norwegian Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) and its junior partners; the Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti; petty bourgeois, reformist left) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet; rural petty bourgeois).

The following article was published by Communist platform the day after the election.

As no true alternative to the bourgeois parliamentary 'blocks' was to be found, and since a central task was to keep Fremskrittspartiet (Party of progress) ¹⁾ out of government, common sense resulted in an electoral breeze in favour of Arbeiderpartiet (the Labour party). This is entirely logical: Why vote for minor Social Democratic parties like SV (Socialist Left Party) ²⁾ and Rødt (Red) ³⁾ when there is a large one already?
The election conceals a growing public frustration: Despite a media offensive focusing on that every single vote would be crucial in a breathtaking battle between the two 'blocks', one out of four chose not to visit a polling station; this is the lowest turnout since 1927. Moreover, an as yet unknown number of abstainers made use of the opportunity to submit a blank vote at the polling place.
As expected, Fremskrittspartiet did well, collecting 23 percent of the votes. Playing up to xenophobia hand in hand with appeals to popular and understandable contempt of politicians (i.e. the bourgeois political system – translators note), was profitable. From a progressive perpective the outcome could have been worse, considering the opinion polls during the summer months. Nevertheless, the two open right-wing parties (Fremskrittspartiet and Høyre) are able to muster 40 percent support.

Although we are lacking available background figures that show the spread of votes between different classes and social strata, there is sufficient basis to say that a large proportion of the working class has rallied behind The Labour Party (AP) to keep Fremskrittspartiet out of office. AP have increased their votage on the whole. This is due to Aps vast campaign-machinery with support from the trade unions and their apparatus - as well as a skilled election campaign strategy where [the Prime Minister] Stoltenberg has been profiled as the unifying red and green architect, and not so much as head of the Norwegian Labour Party. With more than 35 percent of the vote DNA can be very satisfied. It is an impressive achievement by a party that has disbanded and neglected a wide range of the promises presented in the Soria Moria declaration (platform of the government) in 2005.

The bill for the success of the main Social Democratic party has been paid for by SV in particular. In some counties SV is almost halved. This is not solely the result of tactical voting, but clearly also a popular protest against this party's complete betrayal on the issue of NATO, on the Norwegian warfare in Afghanistan and when it comes to protection of the environment. Both of these two major questions – the imperialist NATO-warfare against the Afghan people and the struggle for the environment – drowned in debates between the contesting candidates for the post of prime minister and the question of alternative government coalitions. It served all the dominating parties well: the Labour Party, the Conservatives and FrP.

Parties that more or less attempted to put on the agenda the fight against poverty, the struggle against racist immigration policy and the fight for the environment, were severely punished. This is just as true for the (liberal) Left and Christian parties as it is for the Socialist Left and Red party. Venstre (bourgeois liberal left party) has been reduced to a tiny party and Lars Sponheim (the head of Venstre) lost his seat in parliament. Normally, we would have absolutely nothing positive to say about this anti-trade union liberal party. However, in the fight against racism and xenophobia Sponheim stood out firm and clear (especially confronting Fremskrittspartiet), and he issued loud warnings against the 'brown' (quote Sponheim) turn in Norwegian politics that is advocated by both the major 'blocks'. Concerning the firm attitude Sponheim displayed on this issue, leaving SV or Red in the rear, he and the Liberal party must be credited. A more mirky question is whether it was this outspokenness that inflicted the loss of votes, or whether the reason lies elsewhere.

The Rødt (Red) party has in this election is definitely placed itself as a new Socialist Left (as of the 70'ies), only in a more reformist and unfortunate manner. As a logical extension of this party's transition to reformism, Red vowed to support a so-called 'red and green' government, and thereby made themselves hostages to Social Democracy. Red put forward one single 'ultimatum' for supporting Stoltenberg, namely defending the existing pension for the worn-down and disabled (which the bourgeoisie plans to cut down on, as has been the case with other social pensions and benefits – translator's note). Someone must have believed that this 'tactical genius' would hand Red great appeal with the backing from the Confederation of trade unions, LO. Naturally, this didn't happen. Moreover, if one should accept the premise that Red should limit itself to one single ultimate demand to give backing to the government, this single obvious demand would of course have had to be the immediate withdrawal of the (around 650) Norwegian mercenaries from Afghanistan.

In a situation where SV has lost face completely after four years in government and might have been slaughtered by a truly revolutionary alternative in the elections, Red has been eager to achieve parliamentary 'weight' and mark distance to unspeakable socialist and communist ideals. In this manner, the Red party with a vengeance achieved to place itself on the sidewalk.

In the process of licking the wounds after this 'historic opportunity' evaporated, in spite of the fact that they carefully avoided to use naughty “no-words“ like class struggle, socialism or revolution during the election campaign, the time now has come for internal head-banging. Revolutionaries who have stayed put within Red, hoping that a success in the elections might give the left wing of the party a boost and make it possible to correct the rightist course, should now realize the realities: The Red vessel's hull is pervaded by the termites of Social Democracy, its rudder is locked in starboard position and the sails are torn to shreds by 'red and green' hurricanes.

Notes

This party is anything but 'progressive', it is a neo-liberalist, very US-inspired and zionist party which often has been compared to European parties like Front National in France and Dansk folkeparti in Denmark. It is a populist and extremely opportunistic party, even making use of former slogans from the 'old' Social Democracy. The racist card has been played slightly down in recent years in order to make the party more palatable for possible conservative coalition partners. At present Fremskrittspartiet (abbr.: FrP) is 'bribing the electorate' by arguing for much more public state spending – although primarily to the benefit of 'ethnic Norwegians'.
SV is result of an offspring from the old Labour party around 1960, based on the opposition to NATO and nuclear armament. Since 2005, the Party has (for the first time) been in a coalition government with the Labour party and the Centre party (with its main social basis among the petty bourgeoisie and in the rural areas). The chairwoman of SV, Kristin Halvorsen, has since 2005 been Minister of finance.
Rødt (Red) is a merger of the former Red Electoral Alliance and the Workers' Communist party (AKP), after the latter liquidated itself in 2007. It has consistently deteriorated towards reformism in the two past years.

Translated from kpml.no by Revolusjon. Intro and notes added by Revolusjon.

Cowardly police attack on Comrade Hamma Hammami

Draft. Translation from a text found in http://www.albadil.org/spip.php?article2420
September 29

Exposure Comrade Hamma Hammami, the spokesman for the Tunisian Communist Workers Party, upon his return from the French capital this afternoon to a barbaric attack by the political police agents of the Tunis-Carthage Airport. The beat immediately after passing a large number of Customs agents in civilian clothes were beaten and kicked over the whole body and uttered to all kinds of insults and verbal abuse, causing him bruises and several broken glasses and tearing his clothes. It was the attack on Comrade Hamma Hammami bunk, where dozens of agents deliberately police who were mobilized to evacuate the lobby of the airport and prevent many people from going to him so that they can commit their crime dirty free from sight. (...) In fact, Comrade Hamma Hammami pay the price for his bold channels on "the island direct" and "France 24" and called for a boycott of the electoral farce Ben Ali regime is preparing to organize, to struggle for a democratic alternative for the benefit of a real grass-roots groups and ordinary people in our country.
The escalation of terrorism by the authorities against dissidents and human rights activists and Aljmaoyen in the recent period is aimed at silencing every voice free dared to expose the fictitious nature of the next election a farce and assumes his duties in the face of the individual and the ruling party continues to dominate political life in our country.
The Workers Communist Party of Tunisia (PCOT), the Tunisian people, as is promising to continue the struggle whatever the price dearly, he calls him back to the farce County October 25 as a step towards getting rid of dictatorship, as called for all opposition parties and civil society components to further unite in the face of terrorism.

To boycott the elections by absenting decided the community of Grammatikos

Catholic abstention from the Greek parliamentary elections of October 4th decided the community of Grammatikos, so in this way to punish the two major parties on the decided construction of landfills.

As the newspaper "To Vima", says the residents of Grammatikos talk of "mockery" of both parties, New Democracy and PASOK.

The municipal council acknowledges that the abstention from the elections in Grammatiko doesn’t not affect the election results nationwide. It stresses, however, that enables the whole village, like a punch to send the message pitch tomorrow government.

BOYCOTT THE ELECTIONS: ABSTAIN – CAST INVALID BALLOTS

BOYCOTT THE ELECTIONS: ABSTAIN – CAST INVALID BALLOTS

RESISTANCE TO HUNGER, FASCIST TRANSFORMATION OF SOCIETY, CAPITALIST EXPLOITATION AND BRUTALITY
STRUGGLE FOR THE REORGANISATION OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF GREECE

The announcement of elections in October didn’t come “out of the blue sky”. The most non-existent prime minister and his government, the most reactionary government since '74, were both long political collapsed, while bankrupting the country with their extreme neo-liberal policy, long before the outbreak of the global capitalist crisis of overproduction.
The notice of election was merely a formal ratification of this collapse. But the irresponsibility of the incompetent Prime Minister knows no boundaries, since he has to go for elections at the same time with the European elections in June instead of loading the country with quite a few million Euros extra weights.
The Government of the monarch-fascist Right, the government of poverty, hunger, poverty, the Government of the multiple "economic supervisions" by the imperialists of the EU, the Government of hitting the remaining labor rights, further de-industrialization, the sell-off of all public property, the murderous attack against the youth revolt, racist pogroms against immigrants, widespread fascist transformation of society, of cohabitation with the fascists of LAOS and the "re-establishment of the state" by appointing murderers and thugs in the forces of repression, the government of spying, surveillance, cameras everywhere, invasion in individual liberties, the government of the offensive against what is left of public education and the university asylum, the government which is the killer of the environment with the wildfires for the sake of the big capital, the government of the daily scandals involving executives and in synergy with mafia crime, finally collapsed.

The imperialist EU prepares for a new, more painful round of "economic supervision" and in cooperation with the IMF and the local bourgeoisie prepares a worse wave of anti-labor attacks with premeditated unemployment-mammoth, with continued dramatic further reduction in the purchasing power of workers and poor popular strata, with plans for unprecedented measures which they already have announced and even the abolition of the 13th salary, initially to the public services.
This attack cannot advance with an already "dead" government.
PASOK that is party of the great bourgeoisie and tried, obedient servant of the imperialists and of the local capitalism, PASOK, which is the party that supported the shame of EMU, the Olympics of shame, the great theft through the stock fraud, is preparing to take its position in government.
The revisionists, headed by the Khrushchevite traitors, the social-democrats of “K”KE, living away from the pain, the suffering and the anxieties of the working class have been transformed to a typical bourgeoisie electoral mechanism.
The revisionists try to prevent any uprising of the people, claim that the crisis "will pass quickly” and constantly act as a sedative on the working class. They are pleased that the other revisionists die sooner. They observe the dissolution of SYRIZA, which has the same general directions with them, and they do not care about anything that could consist a defensive struggle of the working class to defend its interests. But they are well known: they are social-democratic leaders who denounced the youth uprising in December and supported the police. They are the same people who denounced the heroic uprising of November '73 against the fascist dictatorship, who constantly act against the popular masses rage. They have been, all these years, the permanent lackeys of the reactionary Karamanlis government.
The Marxists-Leninists-Stalinists do not have as a principle to abstain from the participation in bourgeoisie parliamentary procedures although these procedures are considered of secondary importance for the revolutionary class struggle of the proletariat. That would be obviously a childish leftist mistake.
The revolutionary communists are involved in the political activity which is more extensive during any pre-election period. They highlight the policy and priorities for the working class and the revolutionary communist movement. They don’t participate in the elections, when they don’t have the subjective capability to do it. They don’t pretend to be the Party if they are not. The Greek revolutionary communists consider that it would be wrong in this phase (as it did not previously) to participate in the elections as one more separate group. This is not so much because of subjective weakness but first and foremost because of the lack of unity of the anti-fascist and anti-imperialist forces and the continued split with the participation of various groups in the parliamentary elections as separate political formations. This unity is completely necessary condition for a considerable concentration of forces in anti-fascist and anti-imperialist direction in order to fight against fascist transformation of society, nationalism-chauvinism and racism-military adventurism in the capitalist and imperialist EU and all the imperialist powers in general, with the U.S. first.
The individual participation in the parliamentary elections not only offers nothing, because no one gathers measurable political power, but also is extremely damaging because it keeps and perpetuates the split of the anti-fascist and anti-imperialist forces.
The revolutionary communists, however, have to struggle according to the priorities of the class struggle and to call for a united struggle:

For the massive disapproval at the elections of any political power that serves or does not respond militantly and effectively to the exploitative capitalist system.

For the militant response through mass struggles which will have as cutting edge the first degree unions and their strengthening, in alliance with the poor peasants, our immigrant brothers, our militant youth, against poverty and misery, hunger, unemployment, fascist transformation of society, fascist pogroms, attack on labour rights, further selling off of public property, assault on public education and university asylum, environmental destruction, engaging in war adventurism.

- For the unity of all true communists, young and old comrades
- For the reorganisation of the revolutionary party of the working class
- For the reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-1955.

Athens, September 2009

Movement for Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55
P.O. Box 3689, 10210 Athens

BOYCOTT THE ELECTIONS: ABSTAIN – CAST INVALID BALLOTS

BOYCOTT THE ELECTIONS: ABSTAIN – CAST INVALID BALLOTS

RESISTANCE TO HUNGER, FASCIST TRANSFORMATION OF SOCIETY, CAPITALIST EXPLOITATION AND BRUTALITY

STRUGGLE FOR THE REORGANISATION OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF GREECE

Movement for Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55
P.O. Box 3689, 10210 Athens

Oil and rivalry in the Arctic

The localization of vast gas resources, and high energy prices in combination with global warming, has definitely placed the Arctic at the hub of imperialist rivalry, with Norway in a pivotal role.

«The world is in need of gigantic oil investments in the 25 years to come. That is why it is important to attract the oil companies to the Barents region now», says the International Energy Agency, the newspaper Aftenposten reported in November 2005. «The IEA fears that the anticipated 50 percent heavy increase in demand of energy towards 2030 will lead to heavier dependency on the oil-rich countries of the politically unstable Middle East.» The IEA has received the response they hopefully were awaiting. On March 31st the Norwegian government presented its plan safeguarding the Barents Sea, after heavy internal squabbling amongst the three «red» and green coalition parties. – Fisheries, environment, petroleum, oil and gass will be developed side by side, we will supervise all obligations, said Prime Minister (Labour party - Social Democrats) Jens Stoltenberg. Especially our obligations towards the oil companies and the USA, he should have added.

Vital for ecological reproduction

Although some of the most vulnerable fishing zones are omitted from the plan, as has been a demand from the Socialist Left Party (SV), this is by no means a permanent protection of these vital areas for the coastal fishermen, either. The plan will be revised in 2010.
The environmentalist movements have protested, they strongly condemn the government parties for breaching their promises prior to the election on protecting the environment.
The Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea are natural larders and essential for the whole ecological reproductive system, especially where the Norwegian-Arctic codfish is concerned.

With some exceptions, drilling for oil will be allowed beyond the coasts of Finnmark, bordering to Russia.
The northernmost gas production platform, Snøhvit (Snow White), has recently been put into production. This Norwegian project is in itself of significant proportions. More important is that it is intended to serve as an entrance ticket for Norsk Hydro and Statoil in their attempts to get their feet into the twice as large Shtokman gas field in the Russian economic zone.

Snow White is looking for her Prince Shtokman

In September 2005 the giant Russian corporation Gazprom picked the five companies Hydro, Statoil, Total, Chevron and Conoco Philips to take part in the final competion on which of them should become partners in the development of Shtokman.
Our government, as a government for the monopolies, naturally is doing whatever it can to the benefit of «our» companies. When the Russian prime minister Mikhail Fradkov paid an official visit to Norway on 28th March, show-off visits to the pipe line projects of Norsk Hydro on the west coast was a very important part of the protocol.
Hydro and Statoil are internationally in the frontline when it comes to offshore technology, and are for this reason potentially interesting to the Russian oil oligarchy.

USA wants Norway as a stable supplier of gas

Profits and expected increases in the market price for oil and gas is of course the initial motive for the rush on the Barents Sea. But geopolitics and imperialist rivalry is an equally important part of the game.
«Norway's importance to the United States when it comes to our national energy policy is increasing year by year», former ambassador John Doyle Ong stated in an interview in Autumn 2005. Norway might compensate for the dependance of the instable Middle East, and would hardly think of threatening to sell its oil and gas in euro instead of US dollars, thereby jeopardizing the hegemony of the dollar and the American card house built upon an overvalued greenback. Ong was an eager applauder of the Snow White project. The shipping of gas from here to Cove Point, Washington DC, will shortly become reality.
On his departure, the ambassador, after cheekily demanding that the US should be a part in trilateral negotiations with Norway and Russia, stated in an interview with Dagbladet that «...Norway's initatives always are compliant with the objectives of US foreign policy. And Norway can in several instances do things that we can not, you being who you are, and we being who we are».
In the Arctic region the US might have extra need of a supervisor, and Norway has earlier proved to be a good choice.
One faction of the Republican party has blocked US ratification of the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) wich was adopted in 1982, thereby leaving the USA on the sidewalk in the struggle for re-division of the oil, gas and fishing resources.

Global warming offers prospects of new profitability

What the movement for preservation of the environment fears, makes the oil companies rub their hands. Global warming has already led to a dramatic melting down of the Arctic ice. In August 2005 a Russian research vessel managed to reach the North Pole on its own, without assistance from an ice-breaker. This has previously never been possible. Beneath the Polar ice lie vast and unlocalized resources, which now might become accessible and profitable if the ice masses continue to shrink back. Only a fraction of what is concealed below the thick ice has up till now been explored geologically. Almost equally important are the prospects of shorter routes for transportation, which would drastically lower costs. A new passage ajar four or five months of the year, would open up new routes for transport and instigate new cost and benefit calculations of possible supplies.
These factors explain the eagerness of the imperialists to lay their hands on as much as possible of the resources in the Arctic, aswell as the aggressive tone between states normally considered to be peaceful neighbours. The rivalry is intensifying also as a result of the climatic changes resulting in the migration of huge colonies of crabs and fishes. This may mean that some states would loose great resources when whole maritime habitations, as a result of changes in the water temperature and sea currents, move to new areas.

Norway wants to expand its influence

The red and green government that came into office late autumn 2005, has from the start given clear priority to the areas in the far north, whether speaking politically, economically or military. This orientation has been presented not only as a policy for mature and bearing exploitation of natural resources; it has also been offered as proof of an independent foreign and security policy, based on national interests, i.e. as a gentle shift away from total submission to the US of A. It is this version in particular that appeals to, and is promulgated by the governments left wing party, SV.
But, as has been shown, the Norwegian focus on the far north is in total conformity with the wishes and interests of the USA, at the same time fitting in with Norway's own imperialist ambitions. It is for the USA far more valuable that NATO-member Norway concentrates its activity and military build-up ¹⁾in this region. Although the US appreciates Norwegian «contributions» to the occupation forces in Afghanistan and elsewhere, these are more of a symbolic and political nature, patching up the NATO alliance.

Rivalry between Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway.

Norway and Russia have long ago put forward territorial demands, and partially taken the law into their own hands. For more than 30 years the two states have been in a dispute about which principles should be applied when drawing the maritime economic border line. Norway insists on the midline principle, while Russia argues that the sector principle should be applied. The area of dispute is called The grey zone, and is one of the favourite areas for pirate fisheries from several nations with large fishing fleets. Norway upholds a self-declared protection zone around the Spitsbergen islands ²⁾ , which is not acknowledged by other states.
In 2001, Russia attempted to encompass half the Arctic Sea, but was opposed by its imperialist rivals. Canada and Denmark too, have aggressively set their eyes on the Arctic region. They are fighting over who has the sovereignty over the tiny rock Hansøya beyond Greenland. Denmark (which holds Greenland as a semi-colony) is trying to prove geologically that the North Pole is a natural prolongation of the Greenland continental shelf, while Canada is showing up military muscles, patrolling its polar boundaries with a 1500 men strong army, mainly consisting of inuits (the indigenous people). The aggressive Canadian behaviour is an advance measure in order to secure control with the Northwest passage in the future.
The term of Cold War might experience a new meaning on the Arctic front.

Footnotes

1) Norway is heavily building up its naval capacity, and has invested $4 billion in five new multi-function warships, manufactured in Spain. The Royal Navy boasts that it will achieve to have the best (not largest) Navy in Europe by year 2010.

2) The Svalbard (Spitsbergen) Treaty of 1920 gives this group of islands a special status. Although under Norwegian jurisdiction, all military facilities are banned and all signatory countries, with certain restrictions, have the right to engage in economic activity.

Slightly abbreviated. First published on the Revolusjon website on 2 April 2006. Published in Unity & Struggle issue 14 (May 2007). In Greek was published in newspaper Anasintaxi issue 236 (15-30 October 2006).

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.

Discussion about the problems immigrants face in Denmark

During the “Revolutionary Summer Camp 2009”* we had the opportunity to discuss today with activists in the immigration movement and learn more about the situation with immigrants in Denmark.

* The camp is organised by the Communist Youth League - DKU (youth of APK)

Farhiya Khalid, activist in the immigration movement talked us mainly about the Sandholm Asylum Center, in which 500 people are hosted. Sandholm is the biggest asylum in Denmark. It hosts people from many countries mainly from Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Tamils from Sri Lanka. Many have been stranded there for years. Their claims for asylum have been rejected but they are also unable to return to their countries where they may face persecution.

The people hosted in the asylum have no papers and they are not allowed to educate or work. The review period is very long. The average waiting period for asylum seekers in Denmark is more 800 days and asylum is never given to certain groups, for example Sunnis.

The long review period causes traumas, depression, mental and health problems; especially to the children.

Activists are trying to close down the immigration center. In October 2008 more than 5,000 people demonstrated outside the Sandholm asylum and tried to close it. The started peacefully and after some time some protesters tried to cut through the fence around the centre. The police responded with tear gasses and at least 43 protesters had been arrested during the clashes.

Signe Faerch, volunteer in the initiative Church Asylum gave us information about the Iraqi immigrants. Since May 2009 a group of about 60 Iraqis seeking shelter closed itself in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen (the National Cathedral of Denmark) in order to prevent its forced deportation home. After 3 day there, they moved to another church, called the church of Bronson (Bronson Kirke) where they have been since, and are now. A movement of support was created. The initiative Church Asylum has at about 400 volunteers in which is mainly focusing in two activities: a) To organise everyday life in the Church trying to make it bearable and b) To campaign in order to rise media’s attention and convince more people to support the immigrants.

The life in the Church is very difficult for the Iraqis since there is fear, uncertainly and not enough space. People are staffed together, leaving no space for privacy. These people have been for up to 11 years to Denmark. Most of them have been more than 5 years. The Danish government insists in trying to send these people back to their country despite of UN’s different opinion. Two thirds of these people are orientated from central Iraq (Bagdad, Tikrit, etc.) and a return is very dangerous for their life and people are feared to go back. Due to this fear 44 of the Iraqi asylum seekers who were staying in Denmark have disappeared. Some other have been arrested awaiting their forced repatriation.

I.V. Stalin: Trotskyism or Leninism?

The Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55 released in Greek the speech of I. V. Stalin “Trotskyism or Leninism?” which was delivered at the Plenum of the Communist Group in the A.U.C.C.T.U., November 19, 1924.

This is the second edition in the row exposing the counter-revolutionary current of Trotskyism.

Athens, August 2009
Pages: 30
Size: A5
Language: Greek
Available online

About the Fires in Greece. Who is the Responsible? (9/2007)

Political trials in Ukraine and Russia

To all! To all! To all!

As reported by the mass media in 2002, the citizens of Ukraine and Russia, Yakovenko, Gerasimov, Berdyugin, Zinchenko, Alekseev, Polskaya, Romanov, Plevo, Danilov and Smirnov were arrested and were given long sentences due to the so called Odessian case Number 144. They were indicted for alleged crimes against the constitutional order of Ukraine, and also for terrorism. The comrades mentioned above always were open about their anti-capitalist and revolutionary convictions.

This gives us all the grounds to consider this trial in Ukraine as political.

With the purpose of getting a confession, these comrades were subjected to brutal torture and demeaning aggravation. As a result of the injuries, a 20 year-old student, Sergey Berdyugin died. The rest of those arrested suffered injuries of various severities. This was covered by the mass media, including “Proletarskaya Gazeta” N21 (2003) and N23 (2004).

During the judicial process in 2003 and 2004, the citizens of Russia Danilov, Smirnov, Plevo and Romanov were visited by officials of the Russian Federal Service of Security and the Prosecutor’s office of Moscow (in particular Lisitsin, Fomin and Naidyonov). These tried to get a confession by means of threats and violence. After their visit Smirnov, Danilov and Romanov issued a statement to the General Prosecutor’s office of Ukraine with the demand to investigate the Russian officials for torture but they did not get any response. On February 18th 2008 Smirnov filed a lawsuit at the Kharkov local administrative court (affair 2a-3326/08) for the lack of action of the General Prosecutor’s office of Ukraine with regards to the statement issued by the political prisoners, but it was forwarded to Russia before it was examined.

These facts give us the grounds to state that we are dealing here with a political retribution, i.e. class vengeance from the side of the Russian and Ukrainian ruling bourgeoisies.

On March 25th 2009 prisoners Danilov and Smirnov were extradited to Russia without the right of appeal and were transferred “temporarily” to the Russian authorities. In order to obstruct the work of the defense they were placed in different detention centers: Smirnov in detention unit N2 and (“Butyrka”) and Danilov in detention union N5. The decision of the General Prosecutor’s office of Ukraine to extradite them is a gross violation of the European Convention on the extradition of inmates accused of political crimes, adopted on 21/03/83 by which extradition should not be practiced if there are grounds to suspect retributions.

Danilov and Smirnov are not allowed to meet with their relatives, representatives of human rights organizations, and their right to a defense is violated; this gives us grounds to believe that they are being subjected to torture and other forms of cruel treatment.

We believe that the Russian bourgeoisie is de facto preparing a political process under the disguise of a criminal prosecution with the purpose of discrediting in the eyes of the public the revolutionary class struggle and the communist movement, in order to divert the struggle of the proletariat and the revolutionary class struggle towards the path of opportunism, in order to inculcate distrust in the communist movement and to put the struggle of the oppressed masses under the control of today’s revisionists.

We call on the proletariat and the progressive forces of all countries to defend the Russian and Ukrainian political prisoners.

This includes:

We demand the immediate release of political prisoners sentences in the so-called Odessian affair N144,

We demand that the Russian and Ukrainian authorities investigate thoroughly the instances of torture and aggravation inflicted on the political prisoners and to severely punish those who were directly involved and those responsible for these despicable crimes,

We demand that the Russian authorities drop the new criminal prosecution against Danilov and Smirnov.

Anatoliy Pyzhov – Secretary of international relations of the Executive committee of the Inter-regional Association of Workers Unions of Russia “Zaschita”

Andrey Drozdov – Chief editor of “Proletarskaya Gazeta”

Leningrad, April 26th 2009

Contact postal addresses:

1) 103009, Moscow, Okhotny Ryad street, Dom 1, State Duma of Russia. State Duma MP, co-chair of “Zaschita” – Shein, Oleg Vasilevitch

2) 190121, Lenigrad, Angliski Prospekt, dom 22, kv 53 – Pyzhov Anatolii Vasilevitch

Police continues operations against immigrants - Patras’ Immigration Camp Demolished and Burned down

Sunday July 12, 2009

The immigration camp in the city of Patras, southern Greece was demolished Sunday 12/7 and the immigrants were transferred to reception centres. In the meantime, fire broke out and soon spread. Firefighters rushed to the site and contained the fire before spreading to nearby buildings. Dozens of shanties were burnt down, but there were no injuries. Police brought 15 minors and 44 adults who lacked documents to the police station for questioning.

Enforcement forces (over 15 crates, and thousands of police officers, special forces, security forces from Athens, Thessalonica, Corinth, Agrinion) once excluded - banned the movement of a large section of the city by imposing a system of unprecedented police arrests made, and burned down the camp.

We condemn the continuous operations against immigrants.

The Political Committee of the "Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55"

The struggle of Nikandros Kepesis against Khrushchevite revisionism

Translation of an article published in newspaper“Anasintaxi”, issue 300, June 15-31 2009

Nikandros Kepesis

The Communist N. Kepesis, while in the ranks of “K”KE, started referring to and citing J.V. Stalin and N. Zachariades in a very hard period in which the social-democratic “K”KE strictly prohibited even a simple reference to them (all his references in public speeches were censored from “Rizospastis”, the newspaper of the “K”KE). In these references the old communists, Stalinists-Zachariadists, guerrillas of the National Liberation Army of Greece (ELAS) and the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE), saw – in contradiction to the recent references to Stalin from the GC of “K”KE Aleka Papariga which are entirely misleading, purely demagogic and intended to deceive the communists – an important and remarkable, courageous and honest debate in the current social-democratic counter-revolutionary Khrushchevite revisionism and welcomed this with no hesitation.

Since then comrade Nikandros Kepesis in various public interventions, speeches and the pre-conference dialogues, argued against the revisionist line of the 20th Congress of the CPSU and the “6th Plenum” of the “K”KE (1956). He proposed that both had to be denounced and rejected for their anti-Marxist views. That ultimately led to first to his book “Khrushchev and Gorbachev – the two main rings of treason” (Athens 1998), after that to “Concerns about events and people” (Athens 2006) and last to the brochure “Marxism-Leninism and Proletarian internationalism” (Athens, May 2007), which puts forward Marxist positions in militant confrontation with the social-democratic views of Khrushchevite revisionism. The latter is expressed and defended by the social-democratic group of Aleka Papariga and can be easily realised from the texts of the recent 18th Congress of “K”KE and mainly of the anti-Marxist position contained in the decision on the subject of “socialism”: that the Soviet Union supposedly continued – and despite the overthrow of the dictatorship of the proletariat after the death-murder of Stalin – the building of socialism without the dictatorship of the proletariat nor a revolutionary communist party. This myth reflects the bourgeois anti-Marxist understanding of socialism-communism of this leadership.

And now a brief reference to Nikandros Kepesis’ three books, which in no way is intended to replace their study by the Communists:

1) “Khrushchev and Gorbachev – the two main rings of treason” (Athens, 1998).

In the foreword of his first book the Communist N. Kepesis speaks of “treason” to the communist movement, which he characterizes as the “greatest treason of all centuries”, and also identifies precisely the time of this treason: “the treason – the greatest of all centuries – began in 1956 with the 20th Congress of the CPSU” (p. 9).

In another place be speaks of betrayal of Marxism-Leninism and that Khrushchev and his companions betrayed its founding principles, first and foremost the principle of the dictatorship of the proletariat: “Khrushchev and his companions betrayed Marxism-Leninism, its founding principles, first and foremost the principle of the dictatorship of the proletariat, while he promised that in 1980 the USSR would establish Communism” (p. 77).

Finally, he notes that Khrushchev replaced the dictatorship of the proletariat with the so-called “state of the whole people”, which, as is known, can only be the dictatorship of the new bourgeoisie, since ultra-class states do not exist. There can be only the dictatorship of the proletariat or the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. This replacement of the dictatorship of the proletariat with the so-called “state of the whole people” opened the doors to proposals of counter-revolutionary restoration of capitalism in the Soviet Union: “Khrushchev with his revisionist clique replaced the dictatorship of the proletariat with the ‘state of the whole people’. This weakened the working class ideologically and in practice made it unable to exercise its authority, to play its leading role. Thus began the rats of the bourgeoisie and mafia acting. Bad things began in the 20th Congress and completed by Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Shevardnadze, Yakovlev, et al” (p. 120).

2) “Concerns about events and people” (Athens, 2006)

In his second book N. Kepesis puts forward especially the very important question of the extermination-murder of the great Bolshevik communist leader Nikos Zachariades, about whom Stalin had said, turning to Niyazov during the proceedings of the 19th Congress of the CPSU (1952): “Do you see him? He is a great leader. He will bring about the revolution not only in Greece but also in Europe”. (P. Demetriou, “Ek vatheon”, Athens 1997, pp. 202-203). He notes that “On the 1st of August of 1973, the Khrushchevite leader L. Brezhnev committed a crime that the Hitlerite invaders didn’t dare to commit” (note: Zachariades was prisoner of the Nazis during the period 1941-1945 and held in Dachau concentration camp) and that “It turns out that Charilaos Florakis agreed with the Khrushchevite leadership to that action if he did not call for this murder himself. At any rate, Char. Florakis was the instigator of Nikos Zachariades’ murder”. (p. 45).

3) “Marxism-Leninism and Proletarian internationalism” (Athens, May 2007)

This 15-page brochure is dedicated to the “memory of the leader of the KKE Nikos Zachariades, who was murdered by the Khrushchevite leadership in the frozen steppes of Siberia under unspecified conditions”. The brochure opens with the historic letter of Zachariades of 31 October 1940 and ends with the assessment of the anti-communist Churchill on Stalin. In this brochure, Kepesis refers once again to the assassination of Zachariades, records the opinion of Stalin to Niyazov about him, refers to the visit of A. Papariga in Moscow to meet Gorbachev together with O. Kolozof and P. Trigazis, lists and criticizes the anti-Marxists views of the counter-revolutionary “perestroika”, which Papariga presented as “socialism”: “the ideas of perestroika correspond to the requirements of the reorganization of socialism, and contribute significantly to the development of the modern... theory of socialism, socialism has never been more attractive” (A. Papariga, “Pravda” June 25, 1991) (p. 8-9). Kepesis references one of his earlier statements about the 20th Congress of CPSU, which, inter alia, noted that “in the 20th Congress (1956) of the CPSU anti-Stalinism became the ideology of the CPSU” and reiterates his proposal that the “K”KE has to condemn the 20th Congress of the CPSU and the “6th Plenum” of 1956, noting: “in order for this shame, this moral crime, to be eliminated, the 18th Congress of the KKE must condemn the 20th Congress of the CPSU and the “6th Wide Plenum” of the KKE (1956)” (p. 10).

Finally, due to the anti-Marxist positions of A. Papariga and her refusal to condemn the anti-Marxist views of the 20th Congress of CPSU and the “6th Plenum” Kepesis proposed: “after all these anti-Marxist positions and since she refuses that the KKE has to criticize and condemn the 20^th Congress of the CPSU and the “6th Plenum” of the KKE and reject their anti-Marxist positions, A. Papariga can not remain in the leadership of Greece. She should be removed, deposed, and her position be assumed by a collective leadership that will take the initiative to discuss at the 18th Congress the two central issues: the 20th Congress of the CPSU and the “6th Plenum” and their anti-Marxist positions should be condemned because they caused great destruction to Socialism and to the international communist movement” (p. 13-14).

But, as all decisions of the latter 18th Congress were reaffirmed, especially that about “socialism”, the social-democrat A. Papariga and the leadership of the “K”KE continue steadily and consistently along the same counter-revolutionary social-democratic path of the 20th Congress of the CPSU (February 1956) and the convention of the “6th Plenum” (March 1956), refusing to renounce their treacherous anti-Marxist views, serving the interests of capital and the perpetuation of the sovereignty of the reactionary bourgeoisie.

All these are the roots of the extremely hostile attitude and class hatred of the lackeys of capital, the social-democratic leaders of the “K”KE against the communist revolutionary comrade Nikandros Kepesis, spokesperson-defender of the interests of the proletariat and courageous bearer of the Proletarian Revolution and Socialism-Communism.

Gorbachev-Papariga: The “brave kids” of Nikita Khrushchev (Moscow, June 1991)

Articles in “Rizospastis and “Kommounistiki Epitheorisi” (1924-1947) against the counter-revolutionary Trotskyism / JUST RELEASED!

Athens, June 2009
Pages: 124
Size: A5
Language: Greek
5 euros

The Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55 released a special 124-pages edition with selected articles from the 1924-1947 period of “Rizospastis” and “Kommounistiki Epitheorisi” (Communist Review) with articles against the counter-revolutionary current of Trotskyism. As I.V. Stalin has stated “Trotskyism is the advance guard of the counter-revolutionary bourgeoisie”.

The foreword of the edition follows:

The period 1924-1947 in “Rizospastis” and “Kommounistiki Epitheorisi” (Communist Review) there were published lots of articles against the advance guard of counter-revolution, Trotskyism. We publish a small sample of these articles (28) as a contribution to the history of the revolutionary movement of our country. Nowdays, these articles gain a special value for the history of KKE (1918-1955) and provides with knowledge for the stance of Trotskyism in this period and in the following years. Trotskyism was fought and revealed by the revolutionary theory of Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism and both its politics and ideology were defeated. In this edition we additionally include an excerpt from the speech to the second Plenum of the CP of KKE in 1946 in which he is referring to the role of Trotskyism.

Message of the CC of KPD for the death of Nikandros Kepesis

Dear comrades,
with great dismay we have received the notice of the death of comrade Nikandros Kepesis, veteran communist and fighter of the Greek Liberation Army (ELAS) who has devoted his life to the cause of the working class and the oppressed people.
We grieve with you for the great loss that the Communist movement has suffered with his death and hereby express our condolences.

With communist greetings,
Central Comittee of KPD
26.06.2009

One Million-strong Demonstration in Tehran against the Ruthless Regime of the Islamic Republic! Long Live the General Strike!

Nearly a million people staged a demonstration in Tehran today and expressed their anger and disgust over the deceitful and hypocritical regime of the Islamic Republic. The participants in the

demonstration spit on the sham election and its "elected" president and on the Supreme Leader Khamenei. The Iranian people have reached the conclusion that the regime of Islamic Republic has no respect for their opinions and that the president, despite the public charade, is appointed by the "Guardian Council", the "Expediency Council", the "Supreme Leader", and a mafia of power.
The Islamic reformers who have put on sheep’s clothing today were yesterday's wolves who had a significant role in the execution of thousands of Iranian revolutionaries and in the suppression of the 1979 Revolution. They were and continue to be devoted to the system of Islamic rule with a supreme leader at the top. The quarrels between the factions of the Islamic Republic of Iran are not about democracy, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and organisation, the rights of workers and women and youth, etc. Their fight is about who can seise power and grab a bigger piece of the pie.
The just struggle of the people of Iran would be fruitful if the class demands and class lines become transparent in the movement. The people can achieve freedom and social justice by their organized, planned, sharp, and targeted struggles.
The power of the regime of the Islamic Republic is slipping away, and the authorities are unable to react to the mass movement. In this situation, the people should be vigilant and must not become
cannon fodder in the quarrel between the two factions of the regime. We are vigilant and will not be deceived by the Reformist Faction's filing electoral complaints and engaging in correspondence with the office of the Supreme Leader. Even if Khamenei voids the result and calls for new elections, the result will be nothing more than replacing Ahmadinejad with another pawn.
The presidential candidate Mussavi has been part and parcel of the Islamic rule. He was the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic during the mass executions in Iran. Mussavi agrees with the slogan "Down with the deceitful government" but strongly opposes the people’s chant of "Down with the deceitful order". He tries to bring the movement of dissatisfied masses under his control by using the religious sentiment of the people. Mussavi asks the people to be patient, silent, and peaceful. The people demonstrating on the streets of Iran cannot listen to these mollifying sermons.
The fascist Security, Intelligence, Paramilitary, Police, and the plainclothes Police of the Islamic Republic have attacked the peaceful demonstrators, and dozens of civilians have been fatally shot.
These government forces have carried out the most vicious attacks on the people in the past and will certainly do it again. This brutality of the regime shows the young demonstrators that they cannot have any illusions about the suppressive nature of the Islamic Republic and that freedom, radical change, self-determination, and the rights of workers and women and youth cannot be achieved through peaceful demonstrations and sit-ins. In order to minimise loss and maximise gain, we must build and strengthen the party of the working class. Country-wide protests and general and political strikes of the all strata of society, especially of the working class, will ring the death bell of the regime of the Islamic Republic.
The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) strongly condemns the criminal regime of the Islamic Republic for its attacks on the peaceful demonstrations. We demand the release of all activists who have been detained in the recent events. All those responsible for the killings must be brought to justice. We demand the release of all imprisoned political and labour activists. The equality of man and woman must be realised in all spheres of life. We demand the separation of religion from state and education. The freedom of expression, assembly, and organisation must be recognised by the regime of the Islamic Republic. All repressive forces of the Islamic Republic, Security, Police, Intelligence, Basig
(mobilisation), Pasdaran (guardians), plainclothes Police, etc must be withdrawn from the streets.
Our Party calls on fraternal Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations, all progressive and revolutionary organisations, and all freedom-loving individuals to condemn the regime of the Islamic
Republic for its uncountable crimes against the Iranian people in the past thirty years.

Long Live the Protest Movement of the Iranian People against the Islamic Republic!
Down with the Regime of the Islamic Republic!
Long Live the General Strike of the Workers, Students, Teachers, Nurses, and Employees!
Long Live Socialism!

The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan)
June 17, 2009
WWW.Toufan.org
Toufan@Toufan.org

Message of Vijay Singh (“Revolutionary Democracy” Magazine) for the death of cde Nikandros Kepesis

Monday, June 22, 2009

Condolences on the death of Comrade Nikandros Kepesis. The KKE had an illustrious communist history which has been negated by its current Khrushchevist revisionist leadership. The true revolutionaries have gathered around the Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55.

Fraternally,
Vijay Singh,
Revolutionary Democracy

Message of the Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) for the death of cde Nikandros Kepesis

To the Political Committee of the "Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece, 1918-55" ,

Dear Comrades,
With deep sorrow, the Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) sends you its message of condolences for the death of Comrade Nikandros Kepesis.
Comrade Nikandros was a tested and experienced communist who dedicated his life to the struggle for a free and independent Greece and to the establishment of a society free of oppression and exploitation. War, prison, and camp could not break the will and determination of Comrade Nikandros to fight for a society in which all are equal. The struggle he waged against the occupation inspired many young activists to join the National Liberation Army of Greece. Today, our Comrades in Greece find Nikandros in their daily struggle to build a free society.
We are confident that our Comrades in Greece will turn the grief over the death of Comrade Nikandros Kepesis into strength and will continue his path of class struggle.

Glory to Memory of Comrade Nikandros Kepesis!
The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan)
June 2009

Message of Dr. Laver Stroka for the death of Nikandros Kepesis

CONDOLENCE

To: "Movement for the Reorganization of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55"

Dear comrades!

Grievously I took the message for loss of veteran communist Nikandros Kepesis.

Comrade Nikandros has give a big contributes in Antifascist Warm and in organization of Communist Party of Greece. As a dedicated communist and fighter he passed a great span of the life in prisons and in concentration camps.

Comrade Nikandros remain a truth communist consequent.

Such men die never.

Lifelong his name!

Dr. Laver Stroka

Gjirokastra

Albania

Jun 12^th.2009

Enver Hoxha: The Marxist-Leninist Movement and the World Crisis of Capitalism

Comrade Enver Hoxha wrote an article in August 1979 with the title “The Marxist-Leninist Movement and the World Crisis of Capitalism”. It was published by the Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies at the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania. The article in English is available here.

We translated this text in to Greek and it we published it in our newspaper “Anasintaxi” in three parts: issue 296 (15-30/4/2009), 297 (1-15/5/2009) and 299 (1-15/6/2009). (part 1 | part 2 | part 3). This is the first time this article is published in Greek.

Toufan: The Participation in the Elections is to Legitimize the Regime of the Islamic Republic!

Statement on the tenth presidential elections in Iran

The Participation in the Elections is to Legitimize the Regime of the Islamic Republic!

(Excerpt)

The tenth presidential elections of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be held on June 12, 2009. The two factions of the regime, Conservative and Reformist, are trying their best to warm up the electoral campaigns. The heated debates between the factions are influenced by world crises and events. The US and European countries are watching the campaigns closely and are hoping that the incumbent president Ahmadinejad loses to his opponent, Reformist candidate Mussavi. The imperialists try to influence the result of the election by propagating an idea that if the Reformist candidate wins the election, the negotiation between Iran and the US could start very quickly and the economic blockade of Iran could be lifted. Through these kinds of involvements, the imperialists will have indirect influence on the results of the elections. In Iran, this political involvement may have the opposite result. The fact that the people of Iran are opposed to the regime of the Islamic Republic does not imply that the people are ready to overthrown the regime or even actively participate in the actions to change the government. After 1979 revolution in Iran, the struggle for freedom and democracy has continued unabated. Despite the protests by workers, students, women, and civil institutions, we cannot yet talk about a revolutionary situation in Iran. Presently, the Iranian masses are indifferent toward the presidential elections. The present situation is very different than it was twelve years ago when the people had hopes for change through reform movement and participated en masse in the elections. At that time, their participation in the presidential elections was a big blow to the regime.
Today, there is no pressure from below to frighten the top leaders of the regime into a forced retreat. The Iranian masses are disillusioned with and disappointed by the Reformers. Today, every major decision is made by the top leadership, and the people feel their participation in the elections will not influence the development of the events or their destiny and that none of the four candidates introduced by the regime represents their interests. The indifference of the masses towards the elections has alarmed the Islamic regime as it tries to pretend to the outside world that it has the support and confidence of the people.
The "Guardian Council" of the Islamic Republic has chosen four candidates among many hundreds, two from the Conservative faction and two from the Reformist, to run for elections. The "Guardian Council", not the people, has made decisions regarding the qualification of the candidates. In this situation, how can people trust and have confidence in these four candidates? The Iranian people do not recognise the qualifications of the council in the first place! This is a council to filter out the opponents and critics of the regime. The regime of the Islamic Republic knows that its election is fake and has no shame about it. However, the regime is fearful of the indifference of the masses toward the elections. The Islamic authorities try through propaganda, deception, and intimidation to force the people to go to the polls.
There are also reports that the regime is trying to lower the voting age to fifteen years. The regime is concerned about its legitimacy abroad. The regime of the Islamic Republic does not respond to the demands of the people, does not value human life, does not end the suppression of dissidents, and does not eradicate superstitions. Instead, it tries to paint its façade to show the imperialists that it has legitimacy at home. The regime has no powerful social base at home to stand up against the
imperialist-Zionist threats and aggression against our people.
Today, two main factions of the Islamic regime are quarrelling in the elections, and both are the defenders and protectors of the Islamic Republic. This quarrel is about who can protect the Islamic
Republic better. At the same time, both factions are fighting to seise and benefit from the country’s vast resources. Both factions cooperate in preserving the political and class power of the Islamic Republic.
The masses are disillusioned with the so-called the Reformist faction. The Reformers have shown that they are incapable of fulfilling the demands of the masses, and that they are more frightened by the demands than by the noise of the rival faction. When they had the support and votes of twenty million people twelve years ago, they did not even legalise the right to form trade unions. How could they now gain the support and the trust of the public and take them to the polling stations again? The former ever-smiling President Khatami played the role of a fireman when the demand for change was burning in millions of the Iranian masses. The Reformers support the economic liberalism of the World Trade Organization, International Monetary Funds, and the World Bank, and they strongly supported the privatisation of major sectors of the economy as they tried to attract imperialist investments in Iran. The Reformers signed the traitorous "Additional Protocol" of International Atomic Energy Agency on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The government of Ahnadinejad was a response of the Iranian ruling circles to the threats of the US imperialists, to economic sanctions, and to the acts of sabotage of the imperialist agents in Iran. The Ahmadinegad government placed significant importance to both domestic suppression and increased military capability. The Conservative faction based itself on the policy that foreign threats strengthen domestic unity, and they implemented this policy skillfully.
The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) believes that the participation in the tenth presidential elections in Iran will be in the service of the policies of the Islamic Republic and will strengthen its unpopular regime. In the situation in which despotism rules the country, which the political organisations are
illegalised, which free presses are banned, and in which the political and labour activists are tortured and imprisoned, the talk about a free election in Islamic Republic is cheap. The rule of the Islamic Republic serves as an impediment against any democratic development in Iran. In this situation the correct policy is to actively boycott the tenth presidential elections. This policy is a principled tactic to further discredit and ill-legitimise the murderous regime of Iran. This tactic is to intensify the intercontradiction
of the regime and to weaken the Islamic Republic in its totality. Our supporters are actively agitating against the participation in the elections. We mobilise the people and convince them that this election is not free, etc. The movement to boycott the tenth presidential elections in Iran is an active movement to further expose and isolate the regime of the Islamic Republic.

The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan)
May 2009
WWW.Toufan.org
Toufan@toufan.org

Ecuador: Contradictions to the interior of the democratic and left trend

Editorial del semanario En Marcha, edición 1445. 9 de junio 2009

Contradictions to the interior of the democratic and left trend

In the course of the previous weeks, the confrontation between the Educators' National Union and the government, about the unconstitutional and punitive evaluation to the teachers, has turned into central aspect of the Ecuadorian politics. This shock, which from the government and the great mass media has been led also in opposition to the Popular Democratic Movement, this has provoked confusion in many ecuadorians who do not get to understand how the government, including the president Rafael Correa, has attacked with so much force two organizations that have expressed their support to the governmental management.

This behavior cuold qualify as inconsecuence of PAI and the government with an sector which had given clear samples of of commitment with the political project that Ecuador lives. But further more than inconsistency there exist differences of political order that confronts them. Rafael Correa and PAIS have established a democratic and progressive government, and though they speak of taking forward a revolution to which they qualify as citizen revolution , the certain thing is that their management has the limit of the capitalist institucionality that they respect and call to respecting it. We are in front of a government that does not overcome the reformism

and beyond welfarism across which he tries to attend to any material needs of the people, but that does not mean they will provoke a real transformation in the structures of the ecuadorian society.

The MPD, on the other hand, as a revolutionary organization, understands that is necesary to take radical acction to change the country and It has been criticized, for example, the ambivalence about the government against the banks and entrepreneurs, while make agrements with the latter when they have been mocked about the implementation of the mandate that ended the outsourcing, or when it guarantees high returns and to early to raise interest rates or maintain more than one billion dollars from the State in private banks. Inconsistent Conduct with the speech have been presented on such topics as oil policy, mining or in relation to the external debt that is considerate as illegal and illegitimate, however is paid.

What is happening in our country is the confrontation within the democratic, progressive and leftist trend between reformers positions vs. the positions of the revolutionary left that holds critical positions on the limitations and errors of government action. Reformism want space close to the action of the revolutionary forces.
The revolutionary left understands as inevitable the presence of these contradictions and tries to ensure that workers and people understand their nature and origin. Their solution does not hide the differences, but on the contrary, redouble efforts to make the people understand better the political situation and its strategic objectives.

However, now, this confrontation is heightened, not to forget that the fundamental contradiction in Ecuadorian society which is manifested between exploited and exploiters, betwen peoples of Ecuador and working class and imperialism, primarily American. This is the first target of the Ecuadorian revolution.

Message of Piattaforma Comunista for the death of Nikandros Kepesis

Italian marxists-leninists bend their flags at the memory of comrade Nikandros Kepesis.

His activity, courage and determination are an example for everyone that want to fight for a new society without workers’ exploitation and people’s oppression.

His name and his contribute will live forever in our fight!

Please, transmit our deep regret to his family.

With internationalistic feeling,

Piattaforma Comunista (Italy).

Veteran communist cde Nikandros Kepesis passed away

Athens 3 June 2009

The veteran communist cde Nikandros Kepesis passed away today at 7:00 in the morning at “Evaggelistria” Hospital in Kypseli, where he hospitalized for a long time.

Nikandros Kepesis took part in the 1940-41 war, as a reserve second lieutenant. He was one of the first to join the struggle against the conquerors. He became captain of the 6th independent Constitution of Piraeus of the Greek Liberation Army (ELAS). He became a member of OKNE (as a student) in 1930 and in 1936 a member of the KKE. In 1944 he became a member of the Secretariat of the Party Organisation of Piraeus and in 1946 second Secretary of the Party Organisation of Athens. In 1950 while in prison, was elected member of the Central Committee of KKE from the 3rd State Conference. HE reelected in all conferences up to the 11th Congress. For his patriotic and partisan activities he was chased hard. He spent 22 years in prisons and concentration camps. For his contribution against occupation and in particular his contribution to the battles of 12-13 October 1944, he was honored with Party praise and party and became a Lieutenant of PEEA. He was a member of the Greek parliament with KKE in the past.

His funeral is tomorrow, Thursday, at Zografou Cemetery at 11 am.

The Political Committee of the "Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55"
PO Box 3689, 102 10 Athens
Greece
Tel: +30 2108621543

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Electoral Process in the Ivory Coast: What Must the Ivorian People Do to Exercise Sovereignty?

Down with the coup of the Bongo clan supported by French imperialism

Solidarity with the people of Gabon

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Friday, October 02, 2009

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Friday, September 18, 2009

Monday, August 17, 2009

Global warming offers prospects of new profitability

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Friday, August 07, 2009

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Sunday, July 12, 2009

To all! To all! To all!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Translation of an article published in newspaper“Anasintaxi”, issue 300, June 15-31 2009

Friday, June 26, 2009

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Monday, June 22, 2009

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Wednesday, June 03, 2009