Anasinaxi: Table of contents Issues 197-254

Issue 197 (1-15/1/2005) - 253-54 (1-31/7/2007)
Issue 253-254
The reactionary Karamanlis government in the whirlpool of the government bonds scandal, police violence and torture
PAME: in the service of the capital, the divisive and strikebreaking role of its reformist leaders
Monument for the men and women fighters of the Democratic Army of Greece, heroes and heroines of the revolutionary Stalinist-Zachariadist KKE (1918-1955)
Norwegian communists made serious steps towards their reorganization and unity
Issue 252
A trip of destabilization and war – The visit of the American imperialism’ leader, Bush
“K”NE members: From the ranks of the social-democratic “K”NE to dangerous embraces with the nazi-fascists Psomiadis-Karatzaferis
Nikandros Kepesis: Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism (continued from issue 250)
The collaboration of “K”KE and “Communist” Party of Iraq as part of American imperialism’s plans
All together against G-8, for international solidarity
Issue 251 (1-15 June 2007)
“Operation” to cover up the government bonds scandal - Let the “blue” stock brokers and the “blue” Mafiosi, who stole the money, pay and not the working people through taxes
The general strike of the 15^th of May and the strike breaking attitude of the PAME reformist leaders at the service of the “blue” stock brokers.
Student elections 2007: The reorganization of the students’ movement is essential.
The ultra-reactionary, anti-communist and fascist B. Yeltsin and the “K”KE Kruschevian leaders
CP Spain (marxist-leninist): Fascist nostalgia in action.
Issue 250
Nikandros Kepesis: Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism
Statement-denunciation: The fascist thuggery of the “K”KE (’56) leaders
“Lift” of EU supervision and even harsher, anti-popular measures for the next four years
Berthold Brecht, the Stalin Prize and the Goebbelist arch-liars of “Rizospastis”
Long live Worker’s 1^st of May. All the stolen money to be return to the worker’s insurance funds
Statement of the Communist Workers’ Party of France (PCOF) on the final result of Presidential elections: All together against neoliberalism and the police state!
Issue 249
The great and unprecedented scandal about government bonds, rightly, remains at the centre of political current affairs
Let the “blue” stock brokers and the “blue” Mafiosi, who stole the money, pay and not the working people through taxes
Let the working people claim the return of ALL the sums stolen from their Pension Funds
15^th May. All in the GSEE strike
62 years from the Great People’s Anti-Fascist Victory under the guidance of I.V. Stalin
1^st May 2007. The reformist leaders of “K”KE-PAME: capital’s lackeys and provocative advocates-spokespersons of the “blue” thieves of the workers’ Pension Funds
The recent crisis in the social-democratic “K”NE: crisis emanated from the total bankruptcy of the treacherous, counter-revolutionary line of the “K”KE leadership in relation to the university teachers and students movement. The great students’ struggle led to the ousting of the “K”NE secretary
Karl Marx: 5/5/1818 – 14/3/1883
Estonia: Pulling down the Antifascist Monument in the capital Talin is a provocation to all the people that fought nazi-fascism
Statement of the Labour Party of Iran (Tufan) on the American plans for the Middle East
Statement of the Communist Workers’ Party of France (PCOF) on the second round of Presidential elections
Issue 248:
Nikos Zachariadis: 104 years from his birth
Unity of the communists is essential!
Statement of the Worker's CP of France for the 1st round of the penitential elections
Worker's CP of France: We expand our campaign for the immediate and complete legalization of all immigrants
Statement of the CP of the Workers of Tunisia: Attacks against Hamma Hammami and Radhia Nasraoui
(more contents coming soon)
Issue 247:
Nikos Belogiannis: 55 years from his execution-murder
(more contents coming soon)
Issue 246:
Statement of the CP of Benin: President Boni Yayi must resign
Against the war in Iraq
Japan
(more contents coming soon)
Issue 245:
Nicolas Guillen: A song for Stalin
Statement of the Party of Labor Iran (Toufan) about the sanctions of the resolution 1737
Iraqi Resistance: Endless attacks against the conquerors and their marionettes
(more contents coming soon)
Issue 244:
Stalin peace price
Sourlas -Admiral Antoniadis - Hristodoulos
The Chinese presence in Africa
China & oil in Africa
(more contents coming soon)
Issue 243:
Strengthening of fascist terrorism
The fighting struggle of student-academics "breaks" the collaboration of government-PASOK for amendment of Article 16 of the Constitution
August Bebel and the sorry state of the social-democrat A. Papariga
V.I. Lenin (22.4.1870-21.1.1924)
A. Brezimenski: Lenin's death ("Rizospastis", 21/1/1934)
ICMLPO: Resolution on the Situation in the Middle East
Issue 242:
The fight of Academics-students against the reactionary reform of Karamanlis' government's escalates and strengthens
Right answer: the repeated long-term Strikes and the Mass Long-term Occupations
The cooperation of New Democracy-LAOS in the local elections
Nikos Temponeras - 16 years from his brutal assassination
Long Live the Democratic Army (on the occasion of its 60th Anniversary)
XII Plenary of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (ICMLPO)
Statement of the ICMLPO to APPO
Issue 241:
ARTICLE 16 - ACADEMIC ASYLUM in immediate danger
The reactionary Karamanlis' government  intensifies its attack on EDUCATION
ND-PASOK-"C"PG tremble the mass long-term OCCUPATIONS
D. Glinos - Statement of the PB of the CC of KKE for his death (27/12/1943)
Berthold Brecht - 50 years from the death of the ingenious dramatist and great revolutionary communist poet
The revolutionary ideological direction of B. Brecht and the two urban-revisionist fables
The Stalin prize and the LIES of the anticommunist bunch of  the Khrushchevian revisionists
Reconstruction of the CP of Spain (marxist-leninist): Party in the service of the Spanish and the international proletariat
Official notice of the EC of the CP of Spain (marxist-leninist) (November 06)
Issue 240:
The facist delirium of the ridiculous Minister of Public Order
J.V. Stalin: 127 years from his birthday
G. Kotzioulas' poem: Josef is coming
Leonidas Raftis: A revolutionary communist hero of our people (60 years from his execution-murder)
Extracts from his fighting, brilliant, splendid plea in army's court
Cooperation between OTE-Vimpel
Official report of the CC of the CP of Mexico (M-L): About the events in Ooxaca
Issue 239:
Hands off the University asylum
Against the privatization of education and the reactionary amendment of the Constitution
Only the militant UNITY of academics-teachers and mass OCCUPATIONS students-pupils can stop government's reactionary reforms
Against the instrumentalization of education (Declaration of the XX. International Anti-Imperialist and Anti-Fascist Youth Camp)
Giogros Kotzioulas the brave poet of the poor, the Revolution and the National Resistance (50 years from his death)
Issue 238:
Down with the fascist violence of the reactionary Karamanlis' government - Vicious and murderous attack on a young student in Thessaloniki - Regression to fascists times of 50's and 60's
55 years from the foundation United Democratic Left (EDA)
(more contents coming soon)
Issue 237:
The "Waterloo" of the reactionary "C"PG-New Democracy cooperation in Karditsa
Comrade Nikos Zachariadis: "Brave Party Leader" ("Rizospastis", 18/5/1945)
"Rizospastis"-"Avgi"-Benediction for the beginning of new Session of Greek Parliament: The deputies of ND-PASOK-"G"PG wise and compliable "children" of Hristodulos
Long Live Great October
50 years from the trial of the Khrushchevian revisionists against the Greek communists in Tashkent (part 6 and last)
Fascist and would-be murderer Ant. Andritsopulos ("Periandros") sentenced 21 years of imprisonment
(more contents coming soon)
Issue 236:
Teacher's strike ended - The movement continues
Municipal-prefectoral elections: A brief glance in the type of the two big bourgeois parties, the monarch-fascist party of New Democracy and PASOK, in that of the two social-democratic parties, "C"PG-Synaspismos, but also in to the minor Left Organizations shows that all marked "successes" and "increased" their electoral percentage
What did the parties of the Opposition state concerning the murder of the trade-unionist M. Gurniezakis from the DAKE fascists and what are their gravest political responsibilities
Oil and rivalry in the Arctic
Issue 235:
Extreme and very hazardous development: Government plans to prohibit the demonstrations and the operation of worker's organizations in "Public Services"
Avgustos Bagionas (1931-2005): A farewell to a revolutionary Marxist philosopher
The great teacher's strike continues for the 5th week
Leaders of PAME: From the opposition of the 5-days strikes to the repeating separate demonstrations for the government’s benefit
The "brave kids" of the Khrushchev-Breznief-Gorbatchev faction climb the Grammos Mountain in the quest of votes
Testimonies of Ah. Papaioannou and V. Karagiannis for the two great defeats of H. Florakis in the DA
-Testimony of Ahilleas Papaioannou, brigadier of the DA
-Testimony of Vasilis Karagiannis, major of the DA
Issue 234:
International Exhibition in Thessaloniki: PM' speech
Great teacher's strike - Only the UNITED MASSIVE struggle can lead to the victory
Nationalist delirium - Nationalist Greek "wolfs" attack with unprecedented ferocity to young Karahasan
Declaration of the XX International Antifascist and Anti-imperialist Youth Camp
Franscisco Caraballo: Opinions on the Political Accord between the PCT and the PTD
Comrade Seref Aydin died
Letter from our movement to the Revolutionary CP of Turkey (TDKP)
Issue 233:
The cooperation of the "anti-Khrushchevian" left organizations
The cooperation "C"PG-New Democracy in the local elections
Vagelis Kelepouris died in Tashkent this year
Issue 232:
The Israeli war crimes against the Lebanese people
The myth of the invincible Israeli army collapsed
The Khrushchevian persecutors of the DA's soldiers and murderers of Nikos Zachariadis, instead of "honoring" hypocritically the DA, it's better to denounce the fascist tenths of thousands persecutions of the guerillas in the revisionist countries
Nikandros Kepesis: The assassination of Nikos Zachariadis
Additional Comments-Facts from "Anasintaxi": The three versions of Nikos Zachariadis' death (1. Murder and the two mutually exclusive versions of the Khrushchevian revisionists: 2. "Heart Attack"-3. "Suicide")
1st Conference of CEOC Spain Revolutionary step of unity on the road of marxism-leninsm-stalinism
Letter from our Movement to CEOC Spain
Issue 231:
The Middle East ablaze with the promotion of the US imperialists - Mass murder of innocents
The Khrushchevian myth of "cult of personality" of Stalin-Zachariadis
Eric Hobsbawn about the attitude of the communists against their parties and Stalin in the period of the 3rd International
50 years from the trial of the Khrushchevian revisionists against the Greek communists in Tashkent (part 5)
(More contents coming soon)
Issue 230:
The twin scandals: Kidnapping of Pakistanis - Tapped phones 
The government's dangerous turn to the US and the cancellation of the order of the 10 additional F-16.
50 years from the trial of the Khrushchevian revisionists against the Greek communists in Tashkent (part 4)
(More contents coming soon)
Issue 229:

The glorious students’ revolt - The leaders of "C"PG allied with government against the OCCUPATIONS- Paris shows the road
Down with the atrocious attack from Police against students
50 years from the trial of the Khrushchevian revisionists against the Greek communists in Tashkent (part 3)
(More contents coming soon)
Issue: 228:
60 years from the foundation of the Democratic Army under the guidance of Nikos Zachariadis
To Nikos Zachariadis (poem by A.P., August 1998)
The socialdemocrat Mailis (member of the CC of CPG) throws tones of antizachariadic venom
"6th Plenum" (March '56): A Khrushchevian illicit meeting that marked the dissolution of the revolutionary CPG (1918-55) and the foundation of today's bourgois-revisionist "C"PG ('56)
Issue 227:
The black hawk of USA in Athens for Iran - The banning of the protests to the American Embassy and the theatrical play between the leaders of "C"PG ('56) and the government in the Athens Concert Hall
Atrocious attack from Police against protestors
The conversation in the Parliament reveals the idyllic relation Karamanlis-Papariga
May 9th, 1945 - Day of a great antifascist victory of the people with leader Josef Vissarionovich Stalin
Long Live May First: Day of solidarity of the international proletariat - Hands off Iran
Pakistan: Unity of parties in antifascist anti-imperialist direction
50 years from the trial of the Khrushchevian revisionists against the Greek communists in Tashkent (part 2)
Senegal: In the darkness of the multinational companies
Issue 226:
Disgraceful agreement of GSEE and Industrialists
The anticommunist memorandum of the EPP - golden chance for the "C"PG ('56) to embellish the ultra-reactionary EPP and the monarchist-fascist party of "New Democracy"
Student elections - Struggle for the reorganisation of the student movement is necessary
Nikos Zachariadis: 103 years from his death
Senegal
Iraq: The Iraqi Resistance becomes stronger
USA-Russia: Continuous intensification of their relation
Worker's CP of France (PCOF): CPE is dead - United, we won
Issue: 225:
FRANCE: The VICTORY of youth-workers - a VICTORY with great meaning for the working class in the whole EU
The March strike, the police attack and Rizospastis' attitude
Nikos Belogiannis: 54 years for his execution-murder
Kostas Varnalis: To Belogiannides
50 years from the trial of the Khrushchevian revisionists against the Greek communists in Tashkent (part 1)
Dominican Republic: For a revolutionary unity (common declaration of PCT and PTD ML)
Issue 224:
Iraq - 3 years under the fascist occupation of the US-British armies
Lenin: In Memory of the Commune (published in the occasion of the 135th anniversary of the Commune)
Worker's CP of France (PCOF): To achieve the withdrawal of the CPE
Issue 223:
Cabinet Shuffle in reactionary direction
Fascist recruitment of the harbor workers - "Rizospastis" hushes and hides completely the attack of police against the workersVasilis M. Yotopoulos
J. Stalin: 53 years from his death
Secrets documents reveal Stalin was poisoned
Worker's CP of France (PCOF): All united for the withdrawal of the CPE, against new-liberalism
Issue 222:
Sleepy government of “live transatlantic bugs”
Atrocious attack from police against workers in Fertilizers and Banks after government's command
Captain Sofianos - 30 yeas since his death
Efthimios Malezas: Sofianos
50 years from the XX Congress of the CPSU (part 2 and last)
Romania: Agreement for establishing US bases
Issue 221:
The countries - members of the imperialist EU are the backyard of the USA
The socialdemocratic leaders of the "C"PG embellish the ultra-reactionary EPP and the monarch-fascist part of "New Democracy"
50 years from the XX Congress of the CPSU (part 1)
Offer in memory of Eleni Muratidi and Galatia Salimka-Gkavela
Communique of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations against the criminalization of communism

Issue 220:
Gangster kidnappings of Pakistan workers from British secret agents in cooperation with the Hellenic National Intelligence Service
V.I. Lenin: 82 years from his death
Stalin's speech to his voters on 9 February 1946 (part 4 and last)
Iraq: 34.183 attacks (93 per day) made the Resistance against US and their puppets during 2005
(More contents coming soon)
Issue 219:
Two years of reactionary Karamanlis' government
50 years from the historic 5th (26-28.12.1955) and last plenum of the revolutionary CP of Greece 1918-55
Stalin's speech to his voters on 9 February 1946 (part 3)
(More contents coming soon)
Issue 218:
Josef V. Stalin - His revolutionary work lights the road of the workers of all the world
H. Florakis: From guerilla "captain Yotis" to the capitalist "paradise" and in the embrace of the reactionary bourgeois class
Issue 217:
The leaders of the "C"P of Greece defend and support the traitors of the Iraqi "C" P
Leaders of "C"P of Greece: Despicable lies to cover the I"C"P and justify their position
Iraqi "C" P Speech to Perissos in 2004: Admission of betrayal of the Iraqi people
Stalin's speech to his voters on 9 February 1946 (part 2)
Issue 216:
Long live the Polytechnic popular uprising
Iraq: The US imperialists burned civilians with chemical weapons
Documents and resolutions of ICMLPO
- Message to the Iraqi Patriotic Coalition and to the Iraqi Resistance
- On the situation in Tunisia
- On the situation of the living conditions of the Iranian working class
Stalin's speech to his voters on 9 February 1946 (part 1)
Issue 215:
Political resolution of the XI Plenary of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations
US forces in Bulgaria-Romania
Russia-China from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to the joint military exercises
Nikos Zachariadis: Positions on the history of the CP of Greece (part 5 and last)

Issue 214:
Nikos Zachariadis: Our position to the war
Christos Sartzetakis' monarchism-fascism gibber
50 years since the massive revolt of the Greek communists in Tashkent against the Khruchevian revisionism
Russia-China from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to the joint military exercises

Issue 213:
The leaders of the "C"P of Greece and their "Quislings" comrades of the Iraq "Communist" Party
Kostas Dimos (1927-2005)
Nikos Zachariadis: Positions on the history of the CP of Greece (part 4)

Issue 212:
50 years for the "Tashkent events" - September '55: the interference of Khrushchevians to CP of Greece and the revolt of the Greek communists against the Khrushchevian revisionism
"The Party they honor"
Savvas Palles' Letter, volunteer to the Spanish Civil War

Issue 211:
Stop the "festival of hatred" - Nazis out of our country
Nikos Zachariadis: Theses on the history of the CP of Greece (part 3)
Issue 210:
NIKOS ZACHARIADIS - 32 years from his death
The funerals of Cunhal - Florakis and the nationalism of the leaders of the "C"P of Greece
The last volunteers of the Greek Democratic Army
Issue 209:
The imperialist EU in deep crisis
Offer in memory of Lefteris Lazaridis - "captain Lazarias"
Issue 208:
Offer in memory of Galatia Gavela
Nikos Zachariadis: Theses on the history of the CP of Greece (part 2)

Issue 207:
Lefteris Lazaridis - "captain Lazarias" (1917-2005)
Nikos Zachariadis: Theses on the history of the CP of Greece (part 1)

Issue 206:
Visit of K. Karamanlis to the USA
Harilaos Florakis died
Three months since Eleni Issak Mouratidi passed away
Free comrade Francisco Caraballo
Issue 205:
60 years from the great Antifascist VICTORY of the people
Long Live Red May First
Communique of the Marxist Leninist Party of Ecuador
Issue 204:
Further cooperation of European-Russian imperialists
Nikos Zachariadis: 102 years from his birth (April 27th, 1903)
Summit of EU Ministers of Education in Bergen
The big lies of the revisionists about the legalization of their party in 1974
Tilemahos Ioannidis (1931-2004)
Kirghizia
The distribution of world's wealth
Russia: Fast Increase of deaths from non-natural causes
3 million fugitives every year in the world
Issue 203:
One year of reactionary Karamanlis' government
Student elections: The reconstruction of the student movement is necessary
X Plenary of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations - On the situation in Venezuela
Issue 202:
C. Stefanopoulos: President of the "imprisoned Greeks"
C. Eleni Muratidi passed away
Nikos Belogiannis - 53 years from his execution
Moldova: Party of "Communists" of the Republic of Moldova - Split and reform to an openly socialdemocratic party
Issue 201:
J.V. Stalin: 52 years from his death-assassination
The student elections in April 13th
Offer in memory of Hristos Bakos
Vasiliki Athanasiadou-Vlahokosta (1929-2005)
Issue 200:
The visit of the leader of US imperialism Bush to the "Old Continent". He came, saw, pressed and returned with "empty hands". Formidable and continuously increased are the differences between USA and EU
V.I. Lenin (22.4.1870 - 21.1.1924) 79 years from the death of the great revolutionary
A. Papariga: Only "candidate" for the 21st century's "NOBEL" price of Economics
Pablo Neruda: "Nuevo Canto de Amor a Stalingrad"
Issue 199:
The restoration of the historical truth about the resistance and the struggle of the CP of Greece 1918-55 against the Khrushchevian revisionism is imperative (An intervention of the "Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55" in a meeting)
Issue 198:
J.V. Stalin: 125 years from his birth
Guerillas Communists of ELAS-DSE
-Thodoros Polihronidis
-Olga Polohronidu
-Dimitris Diamantis
527.222 unemployed as of December 2004 in our country
Increase of racism violence in Russia. 44 murders during 2004
Iraq: The Iraqi "C"P supports the participation in the elections - The downfall of the conquerors' collaborators has no end
Issue 197:
Considering the 17th Congress of the "C"PG: "C"P of Greece – a bourgeois, social-democratic party in the service of the service of the class interest of the Capital
Kostas Varnalis - The great revolutionary communist poet of the proletariat 30 years after his death
Kostas Varnalis' In Exile
Kosta Varnalis' Triptptyque

Read More »

Mr. Ekissi, Secretary General of the PCRCI: “Ivory Coast is far from being a State of law”

Interview by Alex Raymond-Loukou [9/8/2008]

Mr. Ekissi, Secretary General of PCRCI

---

On Wednesday, August 13, 2008, the Revolutionary Communist Party of the Ivory Coast will hold the fourth commemoration of the assassination of one of its members, Abib Dodo. Before this important ceremony to be held at Adjame City Hall, the Secretary General of that party Mr. Achy Ekissi agreed to an interview with us.

Mr. SG, what special significance do you give to this fourth commemoration of the death of Abib Dodo?

The fourth commemoration of the death of Abib Dodo is a call to mobilize all democrats, defenders of human rights and revolutionaries, to firmly take up the fight against impunity for political crimes. Indeed, since September 2002, people living in Ivory Coast have been killed, not on military battlefields but in their homes or in secret. Some of these crimes have been taken to court. But so far in no case has there been a start of a solution.

Four years have passed since then and the justice system has still not found the perpetrator of the murder. Do you believe that things will improve?

We are convinced that without political pressure the case will be dismissed, unless the government is replaced by one that respects human rights. It should be noted that the case of Abib Dodo is not an isolated one. All those accused of being “rebels” have been killed and experienced the same fate.

Last year, on the occasion of this same ceremony, you have pointed at FESCI [High School and University Federation of the Ivory Coast] as the main perpetrator of the assassination. Do you still hold this position?

Yes, we hold this position and are even more convinced that government is dragging its feet to bring the accused to trial.

Kuyo Serge, the former Secretary General of the FESCI, whom your party has strongly suspected of being behind that assassination, was killed in an accident. Can we say that justice has been served?

No! Justice has not been served. The justice that we demand is the justice of the republic and not divine justice. We do not call, nor do we wish for the death of the accused. We demand that they be tried and punished under the law of the republic.

Do you really think that justice can contribute to the demonstration of the truth when we know that FESCI has always been called secular arm of the government in office?

Justice that is supposedly independent in a State of law should be able to contribute to the demonstration of the truth. The fact that FESCI is a member of CNRD [National Congress of Resistance for Democracy] that is in office does not authorize justice to close the case. Otherwise it is one more demonstration of the fact that we are in an autocracy where justice is only at the service of the government in office.

Abib was also a member of FESCI. Don’t you think he was the victim of a settling of accounts?

Abib was a member of the FESCI until 2001. Since then, Abib was no longer a member of that organization. We believe that he was assassinated because he contributed to the birth of the AGEECI [General Association of Students of the Ivory Coast], another organization of students that denounces the FESCI for its links with the government, which tramples the freedoms of the students underfoot, which turns its back on the demands of the students.

What will be the exact content of this day of commemoration?

The event will take stock of freedom in the Ivory Coast, of cases of political crimes including that of Abib. In addition, a film about political crimes will be shown. Finally, a petition to demand justice, the application process of the case to be adopted will be sent to the Ministry of Justice and the prosecutor.

Have human rights organizations been associated with this event?

This event is organized jointly by the PCRCI, the MIDH [Ivorian Movement for Human Rights] and AGEECI. The AGEECI will deal with the student freedoms, the MIDH the cases of political crimes and the PCRCI the case of Abib.

Have you gone before international courts in the case of Dodo Abib?

No, we have not gone before international courts. But if the Ivorian justice system does not respond we will be obliged to go before international courts.

Are you launching an appeal?

The appeal we are making is that the people of the Ivory Coast should know that the State of law is built through struggle. These struggles are organized around case Congress of injustice, of violations of human rights, of political and economic crimes. Ivory Coast is far from being a State of law, and we all have a duty to struggle to break all resistance, to denounce all perpetrators of political crimes and to demand that our justice be fair and at the service of the republic.

Translation by us of a French text found in: http://www.rezoivoire.net/interview/article/106/m-ekissi-secretaire-general-du-pcrci-la-cote-d-ivoire-est-loin-d-etre-un-etat-de-droit.html

Thanks cmd. George G for his corrections

Read More »

Grækenland: Kapitalisterne flår den arbejdende befolkning via pris- og skattestigninger

Af Anasintaxi
Kommunistisk Politik 18, 2008

Der er krise i Euroland, og overalt søger de herskende at vælte krisens byrder over på den arbejdende befolkning – og overalt gås der til modstand.
De græske marxist-leninisters blad Anasintaxi beskriver her situationen i dette land.

I løbet af de seneste fem år, hvor det monarkistisk-fascistiske parti “Nyt Demokrati” har været ved magten, har der været tale om en brat og betydelig nedgang i levestandarden for størstedelen af befolkningen. Årsagen til dette er de gentagne pris- og skattestigninger, der er blevet pålagt af Karamanlis’ regering som led i dens ekstreme nyliberale økonomiske politik.

Statsministeren og hans kabinets holdning til den høje inflation og de næsten daglige prisstigninger på masseforbrugsartikler er så meget mere provokerende, da den eneste “grund”, de kan diske op med, er stigningen i priserne på råolie og den såkaldte “importerede inflation”. 
Deres påstand er anstødelig, da fødevareartikler er meget billigere i andre EU-lande på trods af den kendsgerning, at produktionsomkostningerne dér er højere, og de ansatte tjener omgang tre gange så meget som de 7-900 euro, som er gennemsnitslønnen i Grækenland.
De borgerlige økonomer begrænser, som ægte forsvarere af kapitalismen, den økonomiske substans af inflationen ved at identificere den med en af dens ydre former, der udtrykkes via stigningen i priserne. Inflationen er imidlertid ikke et nyt eller ukendt fænomen i den kapitalistiske økonomi. Den er et uundgåeligt fænomen i den kapitalistiske produktionsmåde, generelt set, og i cirkulationssfæren i særdeleshed, hvis kanaler oversvømmes med overflødige bankregninger, som resulterer i en stigning i priserne på livsfornødenheder.

Ved siden af det generelle spørgsmål om inflation, der bruges af kapitalen som middel til omfordeling af indkomsterne på bekostning af arbejderklassen, ligger kilden til den nuværende prisstigningsbølge i det faktum, at monopolerne selv har fastsat priserne på et meget højt niveau med det åbenbare mål at øge profitterne, og endvidere ved den spekulative måde, hvorpå industrialisterne, de store grossister og detailhandlerne fastsætter priserne. Alt i alt er det ikke væsensforskelligt fra den mafia-agtige kapitalisme i Rusland eller andre østeuropæiske lande.
Tilfældet med landbrugs- og mejeriprodukter er helt typisk eksempel på dette. De store forhandlere og supermarkederne putter kæmpe profitter i lommerne, samtidig med at landmændenes indkomster endog ikke dækker produktionsomkostningerne, og resten af det arbejdende folk bruger store pengebeløb på fødevarer og andre masseforbrugsartikler.

En anden faktor, der medvirker til den uhørte stigning i priserne, er den ekstreme nyliberale økonomiske politik, som forfølges af Karamanlis’ regering. Denne politik støtter blandt andet den tøjlesløse spekulation, og den har gennemtvunget gentagne prisstigninger på elektricitet (to gange i 2008), vand, telefon, porto og en fordobling af busbilletter, færgebilletter og andre billetter.

Den skyhøje inflation, de enorme prisstigningsbølger (hovedsageligt på masseforbrugsprodukter) og de gentagne skattestigninger sammen med de uforandrede lønninger og den i stort omfang udhulede realløn, har resulteret i et alvorligt (og langt mere mærkbart end de foregående år) fald i levevilkårene for arbejderklassen og tvunget millioner ud i underernæring, sult og subsistensløshed – ikke mindst dem på lavindkomster på 7-900 euro, de mange arbejdsløse og deltidsansatte (semibeskæftigede) og de mange tusinde pensionister.
De nuværende realiteter for landets kapitalistiske økonomi modbeviser på daglig basis myten om, at “priserne falder som en følge af konkurrencen”, som er blevet lovprist som den absolutte sandhed af forsvarerne for de kapitalistiske interesser.

Det eneste råd, som det latterlige og inkompetente kabinet giver til den arbejdende befolkning, er at løbe dagen lang fra det ene supermarked til det andet for at lede efter billigere varer. På den måde undervurderer de brutalt befolkningens intelligens.

Forkortet version af en hovedartikel fra avisen “Anasintaxi” 31. juli 2008, som er oversat dansk af Kommunistisk Politik.
“Bevægelsen for Reorganisering af det Kommunistiske Parti i Grækenland 1918-55
Hjemmeside: www.geocities.com/anasintaxi

Read More »

ON THE CAUCASUS WAR

Communicate from the Communist Platform of Italy

Recent events in the Caucasus and questions posed by the war between Georgia, allied of the USA, and Russia, demands to take a clear position.

First of all we must be conscious of the reactionary and imperialist nature of this war. This is a war for the distribution of influence zones and the resources (the oil reserve of the Caspian Sea, the second ones after Persian Gulf’s reserves): This war, incubated since years, is the continuation by other means of the politics of the great foreign powers and the internal struggle of its dominating classes.

Particularly for the USA this is the continuation of its politic of enclosing and isolation of Russia, the control of the energetic resources and the transport channels in a region midway between Europe and Asia.

North-American imperialism uses its military, politic and economic weight in the struggle for the sharing of the zone in its favor. It wants to affirm its domination in the region, reinforce its military presence and maintain its world supremacy by weakening its imperialist competitors which depends on the oil and the gas.

The free way to the Georgian offensive, is in fact one more act of the “infinite war”, after the Iraq and Afghanistan ones; a war promoted by the interest of the military-industrial complex and the oil monopoles, supported by Zionism.

As for Putin and Medvedev, after having economically reinforced themselves, they try to break the barrier raised by their competitors, reestablishing their influence on the energetic resources from which they had been expelled. Without any doubts, with the military strike-back in Georgia and the recognition of Abjazia and South Ossetia, they have reinforced their position in the zone.

We are witnessing an inter-imperialist conflict, independently on who has initiated the armed aggression (in this case the Georgian marionette Saakashvili); the roots of this conflict have their origin in the politic followed by the great foreign powers since the collapse of the soviet revisionism until now.

The theories from who defends the purely “defensive” nature of the Russian imperialism in order to safeguard its threatened interests in its borders are wrong. This is a position which is typical from the opportunists. The “defensive” nature of the Russian military action is not what Lenin indicated, because Russia is not an oppressed state, which is deprived of its rights, struggling against a greater power, so it cannot be defended in any way.

Russia is an imperialist country which is preparing, with all the means it got (which are not different from the ones of its North-American, European and Asiatic imperialist rivals) for conflicts of greater dimension. The action of the Russian bourgeoisie has got no progressive nature.

At the same time it is necessary to remind that between the USA and the others foreign powers like Russia, Germany, France, Japan, China, Italy, etc, are differences of strength, of military capacity, of political positions, etc, etc, but not of quality. They are no countries “less imperialists” tan others.

The conflict in the Caucasus is comprehended into the tendency of the imperialist war, of the new distribution of the world, that characterize the last decades as the consequence of the imbalance created by the collapse of the revisionist USSR.

In order to get out of the economic and financial crisis, which is getting deeper, the imperialism resorts more and more frequently to war. At the same time, the conflict in the Caucasus stresses the rivalry and the contradictions between foreign imperialist powers, creating the conditions for bigger conflicts.

The second aspect that must be underlined, is the question of the auto determination of the nations that have nothing to see with the real motivation of the war, which is a war of the oppressors of the most of the nations in the world for the reinforcement and extension of their oppression. The bourgeoisie is trying to hide its eagerness for pillage with lies about the “liberty and the national independence” of this or that nation. What they really want is to oppress the nationality and not to liberate it. The USA and Russia do not fight for the auto determination of the peoples of the region, but to oppress them and include them into their respective strategic areas, yet as a military force, yet as instruments of diplomatic and political-economical pressure.

The imperialism is oppression for the peoples that suffer also the political tyranny of the corrupt regimes that governs them. The peoples of the region are all victims of the imperialist domination that suffocates them, their liberty, their sovereignty, their culture and their right for life and peace.

To recognize the right for the auto determination of the peoples of Abjazia and South Ossetia, is fair; but no political support can be given, from a communist and internationalist point of view, to the national bourgeoisies that want to take refuge under the “protective” shelter of Putin’s Russia, who cynically pretend to tutelary the army and the peoples.

In this case, this is not about a fight for conquering the national independence from al the imperialist states. If it would be like that, we communists should give them all our political support; but today, any nationality from the Caucasus that choose to take shelter into any of these imperialist powers fighting against the others, will be dependent of this power and become a protectorate, as in the case of Kosovo. At the same time we have to unmask the positions in favor of the “territorial integrity of Georgia”, supported by who has favored with all means the disintegration of Yugoslavia and Iraq!

At last, we must signal that there have been many manifestations of contradictions into the occidental field, particularly between the USA, in an offensive strategy, and the EU searching for an agreement, in spite of being in the same field, with the NATO. Particularly the Italian bourgeoisie, in a position of weakness, has shown herself as very worried by allying with the French and German positions. It is clear that the government of Berlusconi is trying to have its feet in two shoes: into the NATO and as a friendly client of Russia who with he does not want to have antagonism… It will be difficult to maintain this balance in when the NATO will spread in the Caucasus, the anti-missile shield will become a reality and the conflict will extend to Ukraine, Moldavia, etc.

In this sense the reactionary and military forces, connected to the USA and the Vatican (well represented in the Democratic Party) are working on a bigger alignment and subordination with the NATO, and they are taking the opportunity to deviate the attention from the growing dissatisfaction inside the country and to break the resistance mass movement.

We call for mobilization! We must not allow our country to be an accessory of the raise to a war which is opposite to the interests of workers and peoples! We refuse to pay the price of the military adventure of the bourgeoisie!

Stop the “infinite war” for oil! USA, Israel and NATO out of the Caucasus! No the expansion of the NATO and to the anti-missile shield! No to Russia’s imperialist and chauvinist voracity! Out of the NATO and the EU! North-American bases out of out of our territory! No to the raise of the military expenses in detriment of social expenses and salaries! Next to the peoples in fight against imperialism!

Let’s conquer a better society, without exploitation, misery nor oppression and pillage wars! For socialism!

¡Let’s rebuilt the Communist Party!

August 2008

PIATTAFORMA COMUNISTA

Read More »

Capital Once Again Sets the Caucasus on Fire

Madrid, August of 2008
Communist Party of Spain (Marxist-Leninist)
Secretariat of the Central Committee

Once again the Caucasus region has become a scene of confrontation between great powers.

On repeated occasions, our Party has referred to the attempt of Yankee imperialism to tighten the net around Russia: the recently concluded agreement with Poland and the Czech Republic to establish an anti-missile shield in the area, as well as the attempts, so far unsuccessful, to integrate Ukraine and Georgia into NATO, were clear examples of this.

On this occasion, with at least the consent of the U.S., their Georgian ally, the Mafioso Mikhail Saakashvili, set out to massacre the population of South Ossetia (which is in favor of joining Russia), an attack that was also a warning to the equally rebellious region of Abkhazia. The Russian response, in defense of both its peacekeeping troops that were stationed there as well as of its citizens in Ossetia, was not long in coming and was more forceful than expected, leading to the destruction of key military installations in different cities of Georgia, in a harsh counter-offensive.

Naturally, contradictory reports were put out by both sides, regarding both attacks against the civilian population and non-military infrastructure, as well as the use of prohibited weapons. However, we must emphasize the shameful role of the Western press, which has brazenly supported Washington’s version, gradually developed by the U.S., systematically hiding the responsibility of Georgia in beginning the conflict and exceeding even the position of the leaders of the EU, who quickly but in a “friendly” manner have worked to obtain an agreement among the opposing parties, conscious of what they were risking.

The aggression has concluded, for the moment, in a draw, in which the U.S. (with the support of France and the United Kingdom) is trying to go back on the agreements for the cease fire, while the Russians have suspended their collaboration with NATO, increased the area controlled by their troops in Georgia and opened the “Pandora’s box” of the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. With the blocking of any possible solution in the UN, the immediate result of Saakashvili’s adventure will therefore be a precarious equilibrium, filled with uncertainties about the future of his country and, of course, of its population.

However, the key point of the clash is not just political. As Medvedev stated, “we will never let anyone kill our citizens, soldiers and peacekeeping officers unpunished. Russia has economic, political and military options for that.” In effect, with its response Russia has expressed more than its anger at Western policies in Kosovo, or at the expansion of NATO. Russia has shown that it is in a position to begin to recover its influence and to intervene effectively in the shaping of international politics, on the three fronts mentioned.

It is clear that this was a political and diplomatic victory of Moscow over Washington: it has "bruised" the Georgian Mafioso ally of the U.S.; it has opened the door to the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia under its tutelage, before the entrance of Georgia into NATO; and it has paid the U.S. back with interest for the slap in the face it received in Kosovo, leaving Bush without arguments against the future independence of those two regions. As for the EU, the division of opinions that already occurred at the Bucharest Summit regarding Russia has been consolidated. Although the United Kingdom, France the Baltic Republics and Poland are aligned with the U.S., Condoleezza Rice could not impose U.S. authority at the extraordinary meeting of the NATO Council, called on August 19 at the demand of the U.S., to “put Russia in its place”. The Alliance did not accept Bush’s proposal to reduce its links with Russia, nor was it willing to accelerate the incorporation of Georgia, which is the goal the U.S. is seeking as a result of the conflict.

On the military level, the clash in Georgia can be related to the struggle that the U.S. and Russia are maintaining, with the clear predominance of the former, but in which Russia is preparing to advance its positions: besides its military collaboration with Byelorussia, Moscow is trying to renew its military presence in Cuba, as was announced just a few days before the Georgian attack against South Ossetia; with this, the Russians “moved their piece” under the pressure of the U.S. deploying its missile shield in Poland; their Foreign Minister also stated that “we will have to react, and not only with diplomatic protests”. The demonstration of force in Georgia faced with Saakashvili’s aggression can therefore be a warning of what Russia will not tolerate in the future.

But the touchstone, the unifying element of all these contradictions is undoubtedly the economic one. The resolution with which Russia has faced the crisis, going way beyond assuring its Ossetian citizens, has the same profound causes as the attitude of Washington’s European allies: economic interests. Russia, which is extending its economic influence around the world thanks to trade agreements and investments, makes up a third of its Gross Internal Product with its profits from oil and gas, which are primarily purchased by the European Union. In fact, the commercial trade between Russia and the EU is some seven greater times than that between Russia and the U.S. These figures explain the relative coolness with which the Europeans and the Russians have carried on their relations in the last weeks, above all within NATO in relation to the U.S. Besides, the Europeans should look favorably on the fall of an element such as Saakashvili, who is not very good for their business; and, with him, the loss of influence of the U.S. in the Caucasus, which complicates the relations between Russia and the EU.

However, the strategic importance of Russia for the transport of hydrocarbons, both their own as well as those from the Caspian region, has diminished since the opening in 2005 of the BTC [Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan] oil pipeline, that connects Azerbaijan with Turkey, passing through Georgia. Currently, besides, countries such as Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and probably Uzbekistan are trying to escape from the dependence on Russia’s gas lines, leaning toward Turkey (via Armenia), a country that is trying to put an end to Gazprom’s status as the only buyer of Central Asian gas, with the approval of Israel. Without a doubt, the deepening of the instability in Georgia contributes to making the transport of hydrocarbons through the BTC less attractive, and serves to show the EU (and its oil companies and the BTC stockholders) that their best option is Russia. As Konstantin Simonov, General Director of Russia’s National Energy Security Fund, stated: “this situation increases the attractiveness of the Russian routes of supplying energy resources to Europe”. Thus the war in Georgia would have as a result, whether consciously or not, of definitively dissuading Europe from using the corridor from the Caspian Sea and Central Asia via Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia. Moreover, the Russian demonstration can serve as a “warning for seafarers”, directed at the other former Soviet republics of the region to maintain their economic and political links with Moscow, after years of Yankee penetration.

Finally, without forgetting that the origin of the conflict was the aggression by the Georgian chauvinist State, backed by the U.S., we cannot forget that at the base of the problem are the inter-capitalist contradictions, the fight for access to and control of strategic regions for the extraction and transport of hydrocarbons. And that is the fundamental reason not only for the pressure and the aggressiveness of the U.S. and its main allies against Russia, but also of the latter’s efforts to respond to the attacks and to build new alliances.

For the Self-Determination of the Peoples and Against Capitalist Looting

Imperialists Out of the Caucasus!

Read More »

Allow the free repatriation of the Slav-Macedonian political refugees and their families

The social-democratic leadership of “K”KE: militant vanguard and standard-bearer of the nationalist reaction

During the past few weeks, Greek mass media have focused on the letters sent to the Karamanlis government and the international organizations by the ultra-reactionary and nationalist Gruevski – a puppet of American imperialism. However, two very important issues are being systematically hushed up:

1. The fact that the Slav-Macedonian political refugees and their families are forbidden to return to their homeland

2. The denial of the existence of a local Slav-Macedonian population in the Western part of Greek Macedonia

Towards both of the above issues, the reactionary bourgeois class and its parties – the nazi-fascist LAOS, the monarchist-fascist ND, PASOK and the social-democratic parties (“K”KE, SYN) – maintain a hostile attitude adhering to a chauvinist policy that often culminates in nationalistic outbursts.
Of course, the revolutionary Marxists know very well that nationalism, religion and minorities are utilized by the great imperialist powers in order to steer trouble in smaller countries; therefore, they are adamantly against such efforts and decisively fight them without any vacillations. But they are also aware of the fascist and repressing policy of the reactionary bourgeois class towards the minorities; a repression that, on one hand, precipitates their natural resistance – supported by the communists without any reservations actively standing by their side – and on the other hand “drives” these minorities to seek for unlikely protectors among the various imperialist powers. Such an attitude is a disgrace in the history of their struggle and the communists must condemn it; the reception of the NATO imperialists by the Kosovar Albanians and the Anglo-American troops by the Iraqi Kurds as saviors and liberators are some of the latest cases.
All this, of course, by no means allow to deny the reality, in other words, to declare minorities as non-existent, a practice followed by the Greek bourgeois class and its parties including “K”KE and the social-democratic leadership of Florakis-Papariga (“there is no Slav-Macedonian minority for KKE”, “Rizospastis” 16/9/1988, p.3).


A. Allow the free repatriation of the Slav-Macedonian political refugees and their families.

As it is known, the issue of the free and unconditional repatriation of the political refugees was resolved as late as 1982, 35 years after the end of the Civil War, with a joint decision from the Ministries of Interior and Public Security. This decision mentions, among others, that “only those of Greek origin (our italics) who fled abroad as political refugees during the Civil War, 1946-1949, can return to Greece even if they have been deprived of the Greek nationality”. It is obvious that formulation “of Greek origin” excludes the Slav-Macedonian political refugees, that is to say, they are not permitted to “to return to Greece”: they are forbidden to come back to the place where they were born, grew up and lived, the place for which they spilled their blood for its liberation by the invaders when the country was under the Nazi-fascist occupation. It was a crime of massive scale, without precedent in the history of the country, that has been committed by the reactionary bourgeois class against thousands Slav-Macedonian political refugees and their families.

Through this decision, the bourgeois class took – and is taking – the most brutal revenge on the Slav-Macedonians; more brutal than cutting off partisans’ heads and showing them in common view during the Civil War: it forbids them to return to the place where they were born grew up and lived; the place for which they fought under arms, sacrificing everything, against the German, Italian and Bulgarian invaders, with a view to see their country liberated from monarchism-fascism, Anglo-American imperialist dependence and capitalist oppression and exploitation.

Apparently, the reactionary bourgeois class hates the Slav-Macedonians because of their anti-fascist struggle against the foreign invaders (Germans, Italians and Bulgarians) whereas she collaborated with them. She hates them even more because of their struggle in the ranks of the Democratic Army of Greece (DAG), in 1946-1949, against herself, monarchism-fascism and Anglo-American imperialism.

In relation to the above– unacceptable from every point of view – decision a fundamental and well-timed question is raised: is the decision to forbid the repatriation of the Slav-Macedonian political refugees an act of only the bourgeois government of PASOK or of all parties that serve the reactionary bourgeois class, that is, act of an “inter-party” consensus? It is the second as it is shown below.

In connection to this issue, the honorary president of the monarchist-fascist party ND, K. Mitsotakis, is most revealing. In the foreword of the book “In the name of Macedonia” by Th. Skylakakis, he writes the following: “the citizens of Slavic consciousness (sic) who had fought together with the communists left after the end of the Civil War” and he informs us that “all the Greek parties (including the orthodox Communist Party) have agreed (our italics) that they are not going to return”.

Following this, he discloses that the issue of the Slav-Macedonian refugees had been discussed amongst all the parties since the time of the military junta’s regime having agreed not to permit the return of the Slav-Macedonian refugees to Greece: “during the military dictatorship, when I was in close collaboration with K. Karamanlis, I had discussed the issue with the Greek left and we had agreed that after the fall of the junta there was going to follow the legalization of “K”KE and the return of all the political refugees except (our italics) the Slav-Slav-Macedonians (sic)”

Having written what is above, Mitsotakis reveals that there was already since the time of the junta regime a SECRET inter-party agreement among the bourgeois politicians and the “K”KE leadership not to allow the return of the Slav-Macedonian political refugees to Greece.
Besides this most revealing disclosure by Mitsotakis, the existence of an AGREEMENT is confirmed also by the following:

First, the leadership of “K”KE never denied this particular disclosure, confession made by K. Mitsotakis.

Second, the leadership of “K”KE never vigorously protested about this grave crime committed against the Slav-Macedonian political refugees. Its “reaction” was lukewarm, at best; a demagogic, a show of reaction just enough to avoid the political cost and cover up its treason.

Third, never, until today, did they fight for the return the Slav-Macedonian political refugees and systematically avoid dealing with the issue.

Fourth, never did raise this question in the parliament.

Fifth, they did not raise it even when “K”KE participated in the reactionary Jannis Janetakis government allying with the monarchist-fascist party of ND and in the all-party government of X. Zolotas.

Sixth, the political refugees’ organizations attached to all parties (PASOK, “K”KE, SYN) did not even raise the question of the return of the Slav-Macedonian political refugees to Greece let alone fight for it.

Seventh, not only was the return of the Slav-Macedonian political refugees to Greece forbidden but the Janetakis government exempted them from the benefits of the so-called “national reconciliation” and the “final removal of the consequences of the civil war”. The only statement that H. Florakis made (for demagogic purposes), at the same period, was that the formulation in the 1982 decision deprives a certain number of Greek refugees of the right to repatriate because they have “a different origin” without daring to mention even the word “Slav-Macedonians” since according to him and his friend Mitsotakis, “there is no Slav-Macedonian minority”.

Eighth, the social–democratic leadership of “K”KE not only betrayed the Slav-Macedonian political refugees by concluding an agreement with the reactionary bourgeois politicians so that they will not return to their place but reached a point of no return: the denial of the existence of Slav-Macedonians in the western part of Greek Macedonia: “for KKE there is no Slav-Macedonian minority” (Florakis’ statement published in “R” on 16/9/1988). Such shameful and treacherous statement was, quite justifiably, praised by the whole reaction.

The above statement first confirms that the existence of an agreement between the bourgeois politicians and the social–democratic leadership of “K”KE as to forbid the return of Slav-Macedonian political refugees to Greece and second goes much further: it adopts the crude bourgeois lie that there no Slav-Macedonians today in the western part of Greek Macedonia, aligning thus with the nationalist reaction.

Given the double treason on behalf of the social–democratic leadership of “K”KE, i.e. a) the agreement with the bourgeois parties as to ban the return of Slav-Macedonian political refugees, b) the denial of the existence of a Slav-Macedonian minority in the western part of Greek Macedonia, “Rizospastis” has the unbelievable insolence to manipulate the name of the heroine Slav-Macedonian teacher Mirka Ginova, a member of the Stalinist KKE 1918-1955, who was executed by the monarchist-fascists on the 26th of July 1946, in a demagogic piece with the title “Mirka, do you hear them?” (“Rizospastis”, 20/4/2008, p. 15). This was done allegedly in order to “refute” the “Rainbow” party which claims to defend the national and cultural rights of the Slav-Macedonians living in Greece. This organization the only thing that really knows is to look for new “bosses” and imperialists-“protectors” like the US General Consulate inThessaloniki Blandford, with whom representatives of the “Rainbow” party has a meeting in late August 1992.

But had Mirka survived the war and also ended up as a political refugee, she would not have been able to come back to her birthplace and she would have died in a faraway country like thousands of other Slav-Macedonians including leading members of DAG such as Dimitris Prikos (brigade commander) and, recently, Pantelis Vainas (division commander).


B. The existence of Slav-Macedonians in the Western part of Greek Macedonia.

Although the monarchist-fascist reaction in Greece, before 1945-46, was compelled to partly accept the existence of a few thousands of Slav-Macedonians, who were subjected to the most brutal suppression, the official estimate of their number was always much smaller – about a factor of 2/3 – than the actual one. Since 1950 onwards, their existence has been, one or way or the other, doubted and today it is denied altogether. This myth is being propagated by all bourgeois parties: ND, LAOS, PASOK, “K”KE while SYN avoids to express a clear opinion.
In July of 1945, an article in “Rizospastis” with the title “The truth about Slav-Macedonians”, in reply to the claims made by the then assistant Press Secretary, D. Zakinthinos, that, allegedly, there was no “national minority” and that “the people who speak the Slav-Macedonian idiom” are not more than 82,000, estimated that “145—150,000 are Slav-Macedonians” (“Rizospastis”, 8/7/1945). In the following January, in an article with the title “The barbarous persecution of the Slav-Macedonians” (“Rizospastis”, 13/1/1946), S. Grigoriades estimated them to be about 180,000, while the “People’s Voice” (12/4/1946), organ of the Slav-Macedonian Bureau of the Central Committee of KKE, estimated them at 180,000-200,000.

During the second partisan struggle (1946-1949), thousands of Slav-Macedonians decisively joined the DAG and heroically fought against monarchism-fascism and the Anglo-American imperialism and this fact augmented the reaction’s class hatred of them, a hatred that has not died out until nowadays. A part of the survivors fled to the People’s Republics, another ended up in jails and exile while the rest continued living in their places.

The fascist, repressive and fascist policy of the monarchist-fascist governments towards the Slav-Macedonians is briefly described by our party, KKE, headed by N. Zachariades: “the national minorities, and first of all the Slav-Macedonians, are subjected to an annihilating persecution. Abolition of the right to be called Slav-Macedonians, prohibition of using their native language, deprivation of the most basic national rights, forceful de-nationalization, humiliations, degradations, imprisonments, exiles, assassinations, steering of chauvinism and racial hatred – this is the policy of the monarchist-fascist governments towards the Slav-Macedonians culminating in the barbarous uprooting pursued by Papagos on the basis of the Law no. 2536 of 4/8/1953 “On the re-colonization of the border areas” with the aim of national and physical extermination of the Slav-Macedonian people” (“Draft Programme of KKE”, March 1954, p. 55).

A completely different situation was experienced by the Slav-Macedonians in the People’s Republics. Besides their deliverance from exploitation, secured employment, insurance, free medical treatment, free education etc, they could learn their native language and the party saw to the printing of primers and other books in Slav-Macedonian for the different grades of primary school: “considerable work has been done in the field of our own national matters. The potential for our national development is secured. The majority of the Macedonians learned to read and write in Slav-Macedonian. We have schools teaching the Slav-Macedonian language. In all countries where Slav-Macedonians live, there is a special supplement in Slav-Macedonian in the newspapers issued by the political refugees. For the further development of our language and the satisfaction of our needs, a Slav-Macedonian publishing house was established producing 60,000 copies of various books and planning to publish 4,000 pages within 1952. This happens for the first time in our history. Moreover, cultural work has commenced among the Slav-Macedonians in all countries (songs, dances, theatres etc)” (“Introductory speech by P. Vainas in the 1st Congress of the ILINDEN organization”, April 1952).

The last official census, in 1951, that reports “around 40,000 Slavic speakers” (K. Tsitselikis, D. Hristopoulos: “The phenomenon of minorities in Greece”, p. 376, Athens 1997) is obviously unreliable because this number is intentionally decreased compared to the real one. The secret estimates made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs according to which the number of Slav-Macedonians, referred as “slav-speaking”, is about 130-150,000. This estimate is close to earlier estimates made by “Rizospastis” in 1945-46.

After the fall of the military dictatorship, however, the bourgeois class completely denied the existence of a Slav-Macedonian minority: “it is certain, that after 1950, such a minority does not exist in our country” (Th. Skylakakis, “In the name of Macedonia”, Athens 1995), arbitrarily crossing off even the “around 40,000 Slavic speakers” reported in the 1951 census.

The reason for not recognizing the existence of a Slav-Macedonian minority was, according to Mitsotakis, “to prevent the occurrence of a second minority problem in the region of Western Macedonia” (Th. Skylakakis, “In the name of Macedonia”, Athens 1995). And in order for this not to happen, the Slav-Macedonians in the Western part of Greek Macedonia are made disappear as if by magic, first by Mitsotakis and then by the social-democrat Florakis.
But before the adoption of this bourgeois myth by the Florakis-Papariga group, it is known that the Khruschevian leadership of the “K”KE after 1956 accepted the existence of a Slav-Macedonian minority: “the 7th Plenum once again declares that, through the struggle for the rights of the national minorities and having as a premise the situation arisen in Greece and in the Balkans, KKE fights for the equality of the Slav-Macedonians that reside in Greece” (“Neos Kosmos, 3/1957).

However, in 1988, thirty years after the “7th Plenum” of “K”KE, the “SlavSlav-Macedonians” disappear: “there is no Slav-Macedonian minority for KKE” (16/9/1988) – a shameful and treacherous statement that rightfully gained a enthusiastic reception by the nationalist, monarchist-fascist reaction.

Since then, and in every opportune moment, Papariga repeats the same statement. On April 2008 she entered a new stage: she joined the militant vanguard of the nationalist reaction outdoing the nazi-fascist LAOS, the monarchist-fascist party of ND, the PASOK nationalists, the priests and others. She raised the banner of the reactionary bourgeois nationalism in the Parliament about the “non-existent” minorities in Greece, she issues warnings and she carried it inside the European parliament: the “K”KE MPs sent an “open letter” to the president of the parliament, the heads of all Political Groups and to all other MPs urging them not to “raise the issue of a Slav-Macedonian minority in Greece” (“Rizospastis”, 12/4/2008) – a nationalist campaign, of course in the name of the imperialist threats against the country, which was carried out throughout April with full-page articles in “Rizospastis” and resumed every now and then.
All this explains why the social-democratic leadership of “K”KE stopped maintaining that there is a Slav-Macedonian minority in Greece and why it came into an agreement with bourgeois politicians as to forbid the return of the Slav-Macedonian political refugees to their homes: the latter, the former partisans of ELAS and DAG, were apparently “transformed” into “agents” of imperialism posing a “threat” to Greece.

Movement for the Reorganization of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55
August 2008

Read More »

A gang of ministers and mafia-type capitalists rip off and bring to destitution the working people through price and tax increases

During the last five years the monarch-fascist party of “New Democracy” is in the government, there has been an abrupt and significant decline in the living standards of great parts of the population. The cause of this is in the successive price and tax increases imposed by the Karamanlis government as a part of its extreme neo-liberal economic policy.

The attitude of the prime-minister and his cabinet to the high inflation and, the, almost daily, increases in the prices of articles of mass consumption, is all the more provocative because the only "reason" they can come up with is the increase in the price of crude oil and the so-called "imported inflation". Their claim is offensive when the food articles are much cheaper in other EU countries despite the fact that the production costs there are higher and the employees earn about three times more than the 700-900 Euros which the average salary in Greece. The bourgeois economists, as genuine apologists of capitalism, limit the economic essence of inflation by identifying it with one of its external forms expressed in the increase of prices. However, inflation is not a new or unknown phenomenon of capitalist economy. It is an inevitable phenomenon in the capitalist mode of production, in general, and in the sphere of circulation, in particular, whose channels overflow with redundant bank notes resulting in the increase of the price of the commodities.

Besides the general question of inflation, utilised by the capital as a means of income redistribution at the expense of the working class, the source of the current price increase waves lies in the fact that the monopolies themselves have determined the prices to a very high level with the obvious aim of raising their profits and, also, in the speculative determination of prices by the industrialists, the big wholesalers and retailers. All this is not much different from the mafia style capitalism of Russia and other East European countries.

The case of agricultural and diary products is quite indicative since the big traders and the supermarkets are pocketing huge profits while, at the same time, the farmers' income does not cover even the costs of production and the rest of the working people spent huge amounts of money for all foodstuff and articles of mass consumption.

Another factor that contributes to the unprecedented increase of prices is the extreme neo-liberal economic policy pursued by the Karamanlis government. This policy, among others, supports the unbound speculation and it has imposed repeated raise of the electricity (twice in 2008), water, telephone and postage rates, the doubling of bus and boat and other tickets.

The very high inflation, the huge price increase waves (mainly in the articles of mass consumption) and the successive tax raises together with the unchanged nominal wages and the greatly diminished real wages, have brought a serious and much more grave,than the previous years, decline of the living conditions of the working class and forced millions to under nourishment,hunger and utter destitution - especially those with low incomes, such as 700-900 Euros, the hundred of thousands of unemployed and semi-employed and the many thousands of pensioners.

The current reality of the country's capitalist economy disprove on daily basis the myth according to which the "prices fall through the competition" that has been hailed as absolute truth by all the defenders of capital's interests. The only advice that the ridiculous and incompetent cabinet give to the working people is to run all day from one supermarket to another seeking cheaper goods, brutally underestimating in this way their intelligence.

Shorter translated version of the main article of the newspaper "Anasintaxi", issue 277-278, 1-31 July 2008

Read More »

Hundreds Of People Showed Their Support For Hayat TV

Hundreds of people gathered for the call of the Association of Intellectuals for Democracy to protest the shutting of Hayat TV. From the Galatasaray Post Office in Istanbul, the group faxed the protest text “Turn On My Television” to the Ministry of Interior, the Supreme Council of Radio and Television (RTÜK) and Türksat A.Ş.

The Association of Intellectuals for Democracy is formed by the Turkish Writers Unions (TYS), PEN Center for Turkey, the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS), the Platform of Istanbul Branches of the Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions (Türk-İş), the Platform of Istanbul branches of the Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions (KESK), the Provincial Coordination of the Turkish Union of Chambers of Engineers and Architects (TMMOB). Hundreds of people, including representatives from non-governmental organizations, joined the press release organized by the Association of Intellectuals for Democracy to support Hayat TV, which is banned from broadcasting right at the centenary celebration of the end of censorship in Turkey.
“This practice reminds us the coup period”

Writer Adnan Özyalçıner read the press release, accompanied by various slogans.

Özyalçıner said that shutting of Hayat TV was an arbitrary measure.

“That Hayat TV helped another TV station by becoming its voice cannot be true, because Hayat TV does not have this kind of technical capability.”

Özyalçıner reminded that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) had said they were going to “erase the coup makers”, adding that “This practice reminds us the coup period.”

He declared they would continue their reaction until a just solution was implemented.
Bayhan: The Ministry of Transportation and Turksat are trying to form a monopoly

According to TYS’ second president Mustafa Köz, “Shutting of Hayat TV forced us to think again about our situation. This act told us to stick to each other.”

İskender Bayhan, coordinator of broadcasting for the channel, said, “The Ministry of Transportation and Turksat are trying to form a monopoly.”

Source: Bianet

Read More »

Hayat TV Is Back After Three Weeks

Hayat TV, whose broadcasting was stopped by the Turksat authorities following a warning by the Security Branch of the Ministry of Interior on the grounds that it was aiding the pro-Kurdish Roj TV, is open again.

Meeting with the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), Türksat, the Ministries of Interior and Communication, Hayat TV managed to start broadcasting again after it was taken off the air on July 15.

Çubukçu: Opening the channel was harder

Hayat TV’s Broadcasting Director Aydın Çubukçu told that it had become apparent how this banning was not based on the regulations as soon as they met with the authorities, but it was much harder to open the channel because of the bureaucratic obstacles. He also added that the public support was very helpful in the whole process, too. They are back on the same frequency.

Çubukçu thanks the media institutions, the political parties, the unions, the intellectuals and the artists which stood on their side, when their broadcasting was ended for allegedly aiding the pro-Kurdish Roj TV.

Hatay TV, which broadcasts from the United Kingdom, had started its broadcasting with the slogan of “All Colors of Life” in December 2007.

Source: Bianet

Read More »

Stop the Imperialist Escalation in the Caucasus

Communiqué of the Communist Party of the Workers of France (PCOF)

For several days, the situation in the Caucasus is again becoming dangerously inflamed.

Pushed by the US imperialism, the Georgian reactionary regime began the hostilities with a military operation whose stated goal was to retake control of the "separatist" territory of South Ossetia supported by Moscow. The Russia of Medvedev and of Putin responded with a military counter-offensive of great scope. The bombs of the two camps have fallen on the civil population in South Ossetia, but also in Abkhazia and various towns of Georgia, leading to many casualties and hundreds of thousands of refugees.
This is not a "thunderbolt in a cloudless sky," but the result of a long escalation that has as a backdrop the struggles between the great imperialist powers for control of a region rich in hydrocarbons. Georgia represents for the Caucasus what Afghanistan represents to the Middle East: a transit zone to transport Azerbaijani oil from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea. As most of the former republics of the south of the Soviet Union, it is the instrument of a policy of destabilization used by US imperialism against Russia. This policy, which has already set fire and sword on the Balkans, took a more and more aggressive and provocative turn with the installation of the infamous "anti-missiles shield" in Eastern Europe and the pressures to accelerate the integration of Georgia into NATO.
Let us not be deceived; just as with Kosovo, it is not a matter of the United States and its allies defending democracy and the rights of peoples to run their own affairs! At the bottom of the energy crisis and the economic recession, it is a matter of a war of imperialist redivision! The violence of the Russian response, called "disproportionate" by the Western powers, is a sign by Moscow of limits that it will not allow anyone to overstep.
Sarkozy and his Minister of Foreign Affairs have gone to play mediators in the name of the 27 countries of the European Union. If the positions of the governments of the EU are far from being unified, it is become some do not want an open conflict with Russia, nor a too unstable situation, where they would be on the front line.
Our Party denounces this war between two reactionary camps, of which the peoples of the Caucasus are paying the price.
This confirms, if it was need, the danger of the "Atlantist" policy developed by Sarkozy. This policy, which was recently shown by a reinforcement of the French presence in Afghanistan - in response to Bush's expectation - and by the reintegration of France into all the structures of NATO, is a aggressive and warmongering policy.
Stop the imperialist provocations! Stop the bombardments!
Work to reinforce the international solidarity of the peoples in their struggles against the imperialist warmakers!

Paris, August 12, 2008

Read More »

Meeting of European Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations in Madrid

In June representatives of the Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations of Europe met in Madrid: the Communist Party of Spain (M-L), Communist Party of the Workers of France (PCOF), Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey (TDKP), Communist Platform (Italy) and the Revolutionary Organization of Norway, to deal with questions of the work of communists in the trade union movement.

In the first place the meeting analyzed the present political and economic context, characterized by a deepening of the aggressive policies of imperialism. The term “neo-liberalism” refers to the policies of imperialism today, at the exclusive service of the oligarchy, directed at guaranteeing maximum profit to the monopolies at the expense of the workers and their rights, and against the peoples. This policy could be summarized in the following terms: "Less State to defend and more State to attack the workers and the peoples."

Faced with the illusions that social-democrats and reformists preach, a so-called “protective” capitalism is not possible. This is the true face of imperialism whose attacks are being aggravated as a result of the growing crisis and the growing inter-imperialist contradictions in their fights for markets and areas of influence.

The consequences of this policy in Europe are: attacks on the social and labor gains, degradation and privatization of public utilities, an increase in police measures and militarism and armed aggression against the peoples. The European Union is trying to reinforce its role as an imperialist power in the international context of the politics of aggression of the United States. In this new conjuncture, a revival of the workers movement is taking place, the social mobilization is growing and the trade union struggle is acquiring a greater importance. For that reason the discussion centered particularly on the question of the work of the communists in the trade union movement. The trade union movement should propose its demands on the offensive, in accordance with the concrete situation and to develop the struggle for the trade union unity of class.

We communists believe in the need to work within the large mass trade unions that group the organized sectors of the proletariat and to politicize the trade union struggles to orient them in a revolutionary sense. We M-L Parties and Organizations call for the defense of the rights of workers and particularly of immigrants to unionize; to advance in the coordination of the struggles on a European level, for support and solidarity with the concrete struggles and the reinforcement of unitary actions, and the calls for coordination meetings among the class struggle trade unions.

SOLIDARITY WITH THE WORKERS OF THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY AND OF SEAT. The Parties participating in the European Meeting of M-L Parties and Organizations show their support and solidarity with the mobilizations taking place against the Employment Regulation Procedure [which allows a company to solicit the labor authority to cancel a contract providing workers with their labor rights – translator’s note] proposed by the bosses of SEAT, which affects 8,800 workers at the plant, and other enterprises of the automobile sector in Spain, with the excuse of the recent strike of transport workers.

The present crisis of capitalism is striking with particularly intensity at the workers sectors (fisher folk, peasants, transport workers, etc.), at the working class in general, on whose backs it wants to place its consequences and on the popular sectors that are suffering from the scarcity of basic products, the housing crisis and the attacks on their social rights. Given the aggressiveness of the bosses and the connivance of the Governments there can be no other response than unity and struggle.

Madrid, June of 2008

Read More »

Hundreds Of People Showed Their Support For Hayat TV

Hundreds of people gathered for the call of the Association of Intellectuals for Democracy to protest the shutting of Hayat TV.  From the Galatasaray Post Office in Istanbul, the group faxed the protest text “Turn On My Television” to the Ministry of Interior, the Supreme Council of Radio and Television (RTÜK) and Türksat A.Ş.  
The Association of Intellectuals for Democracy  is formed by the Turkish Writers Unions (TYS), PEN Center for Turkey, the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS), the Platform of  Istanbul Branches of the Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions (Türk-İş), the Platform of Istanbul branches of the Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions (KESK), the Provincial Coordination of the Turkish Union of Chambers of Engineers and Architects (TMMOB). Hundreds of people, including representatives from non-governmental organizations, joined the press release organized by the Association of Intellectuals for Democracy to support Hayat TV, which is banned from broadcasting right at the centenary celebration of the end of censorship in Turkey. 
“This practice reminds us the coup period”  
Writer Adnan Özyalçıner read the press release, accompanied by various slogans.
Özyalçıner said that shutting of Hayat TV was an arbitrary measure.
“That Hayat TV helped another TV station by becoming its voice cannot be true, because Hayat TV does not have this kind of technical capability.”
Özyalçıner reminded that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) had said they were going to “erase the coup makers”, adding that “This practice reminds us the coup period.”
He declared they would continue their reaction until a just solution was implemented.
Bayhan: The Ministry of Transportation and Turksat are trying to form a monopoly
According to TYS’ second president Mustafa Köz, “Shutting of Hayat TV forced us to think again about our situation. This act told us to stick to each other.”
İskender Bayhan, coordinator of broadcasting for the channel, said, “The Ministry of Transportation and Turksat are trying to form a monopoly.”

Source: Bianet

Read More »

The Youth Movement in Turkey

An interesting article found in http://www.emep.org

Unemployment, poverty, no social security, a reactionary education with fees, deprivation from basic rights and freedoms and the oppression and terror that accompany all this shape the circumstances that Turkey’s ruling classes present to the youth and hold them in.

The exploiting ruling classes want a youth that does not think, discuss or rebel, that is individualistic, indifferent, indolent and agnostic, running after instant “happiness”. That is why they use all the tools and opportunities at their disposal, from the media and press organs to sports, fashion, music etc. in a very systematic way. Already struggling with a bulk of multi-dimensional problems, the youth is at the same time held under an ideological-cultural bombardment in the real sense of the word.

Parallel to the increase in over-working, unemployment, poverty and doubt of the future; drug abuse, prostitution and all kinds of tendencies towards degeneration and corruption are also specifically encouraged among the youth. Research shows that the level of drug abuse among the youth has reached such horrifying numbers as 25-30 per cent. 

The youth of Turkey is waging a fight for their today and tomorrow surrounded by all these problems and under these circumstances.

Below; we will try to summarise the state and the problems of the youth sections of Turkey as well as the past and present of the youth movement.

The student youth

Universities and the higher education institutions in Turkey are almost held under a siege. Both the reactionary-chauvinist content of the education policies and the arrangements made for physical control have reached striking levels. There are textbooks the contents of which have not been updated for decades and hence are the projection of the scholastic understanding of the Middle Ages. Education is based on elimination and on a parrot-like understanding. Academic life is practically ran under a martial law, with all the plainclothes and official police forces, security cameras and special security units. Investigations and prosecutions on students, ‘disciplinary’ actions such as exclusion from school for a definite or indefinite period of time continue to be common practices.

While the education system is being “restructured” according to the needs of the day, steps are being taken in order to transform the universities, already hand in hand with the business, into companies and to surrender education to the private sector completely. While the right to free education is being liquidated step by step, the field of education is gradually being dragged entirely into capital relations, in other words, into relations of exploitation and profit.

There are a total number of 14 million students in Turkey in primary, secondary and higher education. Education’s share in the budget is continuously decreasing every year. In the 2004 Budget this proportion has receded to 2.3 per cent. On the other hand, a huge amount of money is flowing into private education institutions under the name of incitements and donations. Even as of now, students’ families cover important portions of the education expenses.

According to official figures there is a shortage of 366 schools, 15 thousand classes and 74 thousand teachers in secondary education. 30 per cent of secondary school students leave their education for various reasons. Average number of students per class differs from 50 to 94.

Only 15 per cent of students attain the right to go on to universities.

The working and the unemployed youth

The total number of young workers in Turkey is about 7 million, 1 million of which is comprised by children aged 5-14. The number of young workers who benefit from apprenticeship training is around 250 thousand.

Those employed in industrial sites and Organised Industrial Regions (OIR) constitute an important section of the young workers who are commonly employed in all sectors, such as agriculture, industry and the services. The industrial sites and the OIRs, which are based on the exploitation of the labour of young workers, have become very widespread in Turkey especially throughout the last 10-15 years. Hundreds of thousands of workers are employed in some of these industrial areas where hundreds and thousands of small and medium size enterprises are gathered together. All these areas can literally be called as “young workers’ hell” due to extremely long hours, very low wages, drastic working conditions and prevention of trade unions from these areas.

Only 15 per cent of young workers have social security. The number of unionised workers in Turkey is about 800 thousand, and the rate of unionisation among young workers is much below the national average, with even lower rates among those who are employed in the industrial sites and OIRs where joining a union is a reason for an immediate dismissal.

A great majority of the young workers work for even less than the minimum wage, which is 210 dollars a month. Their average working hours is 12-13 hours a day. However, it is not an exception for this to increase to 16 hours a day or 36 hours non-stop as they often are forced to do so in the textile sector. Flexible working has become a rather common practice.

The other side of over-working is the high rate of unemployment, which is the direst problem for the youth in Turkey that has a very young population. Official statistics put the rate of unemployment 22 per cent. The youth forms the main body of the reserve army of the unemployed. An extremely intense circulation of workers takes place especially in the industrial sites and the OIRs. It is common practice to work for a few months of the year and be unemployed for the rest.

THE PAST AND THE PRESENT OF THE YOUTH MOVEMENT

The period of 1960-80

The mass-based organisation and struggle experience of the youth in Turkey -Turkish, Kurdish and other ethnic minorities- actually falls to the second half of the 20th century. The period from the mid-1960s to the military coup in 1980 holds a special place in the organisation and struggle of the youth. This is a period when democratic, anti-imperialist and socialist ideas have become widespread among the wide sections of the youth. It can be said that the youth created an independent and democratic mass organisation and tradition of struggle within this period. This is the period when professional and academic mass organisations became important centres of the anti-imperialist and anti-fascist struggle. It is also in this period that opposition to the repression on the Kurdish people, the demand for their ‘right to self-determination’ and the slogan ‘the unity and brotherhood of the peoples’ have been appropriated by a relatively wide section of the youth.

The youth also took progressive steps in this period in uniting its struggle with the struggle of the working class, and became an important dynamic of the popular movement.

Despite all its deficiencies and weaknesses, some characteristics of the youth movement of that period continue to set an example and be the source of inspiration to the youth of today: characteristics such as determination to struggle, solidarity and the commitment and devotion to the cause of the people.

The aftermath of the 1980 coup

The military coup of 12 September 1980 dealt heavy blows on the youth movement as well as the workers’ and the mass movement. Fascism and the junta eradicated all the de facto and legal rights and freedoms that the youth had gained to that day through their struggle, and dispersed all the mass-based professional and political organisations of the youth. Thus, the youth had their share of this dark period of terror during which hundreds and thousands of people were taken under police custodies, crammed into dungeons, tortured and murdered.

The workers’ actions and acts of resistance began to appear as of the mid-1980s, which also led to mobilisations among the university youth. Though in the beginning it was limited to the awakening sections of the university youth, actions for demands such as ‘autonomous and democratic university’ and ‘freedom to organise against the uniform association law’ began to take place at universities. Thus, the veil of “silence” hanging over the universities due to the dark fascist terror was torn to pieces.

It is necessary to underline the militant attitude of the Kurdish youth that constituted the main body of the developing Kurdish national movement throughout this period.

The efforts of the youth to struggle and get organised spread among the various sections of the youth, especially the working and the unemployed youth. These efforts became widespread around different demands and forms of organisation, and have come to the present day, laying the foundation of a new era of struggle.

Today, many student organisations with different functions and characterisations, such as research-investigation groups in the fields of literature, philosophy, economy, etc., culture-art and sports clubs and student unions-councils are present in the universities and in secondary education. A great part of these kinds of organisations are, as necessitated by the law, under the control of the school-university administrations. Parts of the student youth have clustered around such organisations. The progressive and socialist sections of the student youth also take part in these organisations. These sections of the youth are making every effort to turn these organisations into platforms of discussion of the problems and demands of the youth, and activities along these lines are held despite all their anti-democratic and controlled structures. In fact, such organisations in question are in the position of carrying out this function in spite of the laws-regulations and all the pressures. However, an overwhelming majority of the student youth is still unorganised.

At present, ‘free, scientific and democratic education’ is the most important demand of the student youth. Among other slogans that summarise the central demands of the student youth are ‘no to the commercialisation and privatisation of education, an autonomous and democratic university, abolishment of all bans on the Kurdish language and the right to education in the mother-tongue, and the abolishment of all the bans on the freedom of thought and organisation’.

As a fundamental base of the youth movement, the working and the unemployed masses of the youth bear a great potential of struggle today. Revolt against the conditions they are forced to live in and the inclination to surge into the struggle for their own problems and over their own demands is consolidating by each passing day. In the period we have left behind, many actions have taken place for the improvement of the working conditions, unionisation and for better wages, especially in the sweatshops and factories in the industrial sites and the OIRs, that are in the situation of being “exploitation havens”. More and more of such strikes and acts of resistance, a great majority of which are illegal, are being witnessed. The youth form the main body of these actions demanding the right to get unionised with thousands, tens of thousands of workers from the weaving, textile and the metal sectors participating in many cities around the country, from Istanbul to Ankara, Izmir and Usak. 

Besides the situation in their working lives, the working and the unemployed youth masses are also orientating towards organisations rising from solidarity, social, cultural and sporting needs, within the districts and the suburbs where they live. These places also serve as environments in which the young people gather together and discuss their common problems, their demands and the ways of finding solutions or search for ways of acting together.

Among their prominent demands are the ‘demand for jobs, the eradication of all obstacles for unionisation, the shortening of working hours and an income sufficient for leading a humane life’.

The anti-war and anti-imperialist struggle and the youth

Following the September 11, there are plans to make Turkey one of the fundamental bases of the “restructuring” operation led by the US imperialism and centred on the Middle East. This is the reason why the US and its collaborators have been running various manoeuvres in order to drag Turkey to the forefront of the occupation, both before and after the occupation of Iraq.

If US imperialism and the collaborating capital circles and government have not been able and are not being able to drag Turkey into the Iraqi occupation and the process of the restructuring of the Middle East as befitting the interests of the imperialists; the anti-US and anti-war reactions of the people and the youth of Turkey lie at the foundation of this.

Before the occupation of Iraq, the youth held demonstrations and actions in many provinces around the country against the occupation and Turkey dispatching troops to Iraq. At the same time, it was the youth that formed the great majority of the participations in the general protest manifestations that were organised at the time. And it was this reaction put forward by the wide masses of the people and the youth that played a determining role in the “dispatch of the Turkish troops to Iraq” not being approved in the Parliament.

Boycotts with 100 per cent participation and massive protests took place around many universities and high schools on the first day of the Iraqi occupation. Demonstrations on the streets and universities protesting the occupation continued throughout the first year of the occupation, with a bigger manifestation held on the 1st anniversary of the occupation. Preceding the ‘NATO Summit’ held in Turkey in June 2004, an extensive campaign was held on a national scale which aimed to protest this summit and the occupation, and which helped the promotion of demands such as the eradication of all US military bases around the country and Turkey getting out of Nato. Protests were organised by the youth especially in the suburbs. And the youth took part in great numbers in the demonstrations that were held in many places around the country, especially in Istanbul as the Summit approached. It could easily be said that this was the first time Turkey witnessed anti-imperialist youth demonstrations in such masses after 1980. This period has been one in which anti-imperialist struggle and demands have become more widespread and gained strength among the youth sections.

THE LABOUR YOUTH AS THE ORGANISATION OF THE SOCIALIST YOUTH

The Labour Youth is the youth organisation of the Party of Labour (EMEP), which is the party of the workers and labourers, fighting for the abolition of all kinds of exploitation and oppression. The Labour Youth was been established in 1996 and has been a resolute advocate of the interests and demands of the working and the unemployed youth, and the student youth sections since then. It organises in universities, secondary education institutions, industrial sites, suburbs and villages, in all areas of production, education and settlement, and among all youth sections, taking the working youth as its basis.

Having held three Conferences since its formation, the Labour Youth organises by electing all its administrating organs on the basis of democracy from the base to the top. Having groups and organisations at different levels in around 60 cities, including the Kurdish regions, the Labour Youth is an important force with significant influence with its thousands of members and the broadness of its organisations.

The Labour Youth encourages the professional, academic and trade union organisation of the youth in all the fields it is organised and holds activities to establish mass organisations among the sections of the youth and to expand the anti-imperialist and anti-fascist mass struggle of the youth.

The bourgeois liberal, religious orientated, nationalistic and chauvinistic currents and their extensions among the youth have no alternative, other than the dark scene offered by the ruling classes, to present to the youth which is surrounded by ever growing and deepening problems in relation to their present and future. The Labour Youth sees the emancipation and the future of the youth linked with that of the working class and the labourers. Thus, it acts with the understanding of uniting the youth struggle with the working class struggle for political power. The Labour Youth, is the mass organisation of the youth that is inclined towards struggle for their demands, that is searching for a way out and an alternative to the one offered by the system, and who want to struggle for a world without exploitation and oppression, where it is possible to live a humane life. 

The Labour Youth, holding a daily and broad educational and organisational activity according to the demands and needs of all the working, unemployed, student youth sections, Turkish and Kurdish, has become a fundamental dynamic force of the youth movement ever since its formation.

The Labour Youth publishes the bimonthly magazine Genc Hayat (Young Life), a supplement of Evrensel (Universal), the only daily workers’ newspaper in Turkey. It is also working to render the publications that come out from universities and secondary education institutions to have certain qualities so they can serve the struggle along the lines of the demands and needs of the youth.

The Labour Youth sees itself as the inheritor of the progressive, revolutionary and socialist struggle accumulation and tradition of the youth on the national and international scale. We believe that strengthening the relations and solidarity between the youth struggles of different countries and between the professional-academic, democratic, anti-imperialist youth organisations with socialist characteristics have gained even more importance in this period we are going through. And while we declare our readiness to act with this consciousness and fulfil what is required from us, we also call upon all concerned and progressive forces to have a more active role along this direction.

Read More »