KKE: Statement regarding Turkish President Erdogan’s remarks on the Treaty of Lausanne

The Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued the following statement regarding the remarks of the President of Turkey Tayip Erdogan on the Treaty of Lausanne:

"Erdogan’s statements are dangerous and provocative and are part of the systematic efforts of the Turkish leadership to dispute the Aegean islands and the borders and sovereign rights of Greece more generally, to raise the issue of “grey zones”.

The period when these statements were made was no accident, as the negotiations are intensifying around the “closure” of the Cyprus question, on the basis of two component states, while the bargaining over the refugee issue between Turkey and the EU is underway. With these specific statements, Turkey is objectively exerting pressure in order to settle these matters in an even more negative direction for the peoples.

Once again, the government and the other political forces have been exposed, which for many years have been reassuring the Greek people that the alliance between Greece and Turkey, in the framework of NATO, is an agent for the “peace and security in the region”, the moment when NATO not only does not subdue the aggressive designs of Turkey, but on the contrary foments and reinforces them.” 

The downward spiral of European opportunism has no end

The downward spiral of European opportunism has no end.

Comment published on 'Rizospastis' (24/9/2016), 
Source: inter.kke.gr.

It is well-known that European capital and its union, the EU, have acquired for many years now its "leftwing chorus". Various parties are playing this role, parties that call themselves "progressive" and "leftwing" even some parties that keep a "communist" title, having for many decades now been assimilated into the opportunist, social-democratic current of "Eurocommunism". 

The latter, such as, for example the French Communist Party (PCF) have for many years been divorced from Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism, have even abandoned the historic symbols of the communist movement and in the name of the "left' have become the "tail" of social-democracy and also whitewash the capitalist system and the imperialist unions of the EU and NATO. However, they keep the "communist" name and in this way, apart from their misleading activity in their own countries, even participate in the International Meetings of the CPs, seeking to play a similar role. If we can judge from the events of the recent festival of "L'Humanite", the newspaper of the PCF, the downward spiral has no end.

The EU officially denies to compensate people affected by large wildfire in Greece

Photo from the large forest fire in northern Euboea, last August.

According to the portal 902.gr, the European Union denied to use solidarity and regional funds in order to compensate the- affected by extensive forest fire- residents and retsina producers in northern Euboea, Greece. Replying to a question by the EU Parliament delegation of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the EU tries to downgrade the importance of the damage created by the wildfires. Additionally, from the answer of the EU becomes clear that the Greek government, which bares huge responsibilities for cuts in public spending including in firefighting equipment and personnel, didn't claim any compensation for the victims of the wildfire.

Below, you can read the question submitted by the KKE MEP Konstantinos Papadakis and the reply provided on behalf of the EU by commissioner Ms.Corina Crețu.

Question by KKE MEP Kostas Papadakis, 5 August 2016.

KKE: Statement regarding PM Tsipras' remarks on the refugee-migrant crisis

Regarding the speech of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the 71st UN General Assembly- and his remarks on the refugee crisis- the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece issued the following statement:

"The Prime Minister not only didn't find a word to say about the real causes and those responsible for the wars and the refugee crisis in our region, but, furthermore, he justified the violation of the refugees' rights and of the Geneva Convention by adopting the arguments of the imperialist staffs about the "maintaining of social cohesion" and "public safety".

However, the refuge isn't a natural phenomenon; it is caused by the imperialist war, the antagonisms between the powerful ones, the poverty that capitalist exploitation creates.

KKE General Secretary D.Koutsoumbas: "Tsipras has surpassed all limits of political deception against our people"

The General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas visited the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on Wednesday and Thursday, where he attended a press conference. The General Secretary delivered an introductory speech and then he answered to the questions of the press. 

In his speech c.Koutsoumbas accused the SYRIZA-ANEL government and the EU for their antipeople policies as well as the New Democracy opposition and the other bourgeois parties. The General Secretary refered to the contemporary political and socio-economic issues, from government's attack against labour rights to various racist, anti-refugee incidents in the country. 

Here are some basic parts of c.Koutsoumbas speech:

"The EU cannot be humanized"- Statement of the KKE about the EU Summit in Bratislava

On the ocassion of the European Union Summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued the following statement:

"The contrasts within the EU do not concern the peoples' rights, but the fight about how every state will protect it's own monopolies, especially under conditions when the economic capitalist crisis hasn't been overcome and the forecasts about the economy in the EU and Eurozone are even more ominous.

Besides, while they are fighting about the management mixture (policy) and the future of the EU/Eurozone, they - both social democratic and neoliberal governments - jointly crush the working-peoples' rights and co-decide the more active EU involvement in wars and interventions, within the framework of her antagonism with other imperialist centers.

The provocative stance of the EU and Tsipras' government on the issue of Germany's WWII Reparations

In a joint press conference held in Strasburg on Tuesday, the KKE delegation in the European Parliament and the National Union of Fighters of the National Resistance and the Democratic Army of Greece (PEAEA– DSE) denounced the decision of the Europarliament's Petitions Committee to reject, without any investigation, the report regarding the German WWII reparations towards Greece.

European Communist Initiative: Statement on the meeting of the so-called “Alliance of the South” in Athens

From left to right: French President Francois
Hollande, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and Spain's
PM Mariano Rajoy. (Archive Photo).

The European Communist Initiative carried out an important intervention regarding the upcoming meeting of the heads of the states of the so-called “European South”, which the Greek government is organizing on the 9^thof September in Athens.

The “European Communist Initiative” notes in this statement that the organizers of this meeting aim to utilize it to reinforce the illusions of the peoples of Europe about an “Alliance of the South”, which will allegedly “put an end to austerity” and calls on the peoples to strengthen their struggle to overturn the anti-people political line of the EU and the capitalist system which they serve.

The full statement of the Secretariat of “European Communist Initiative” can be found below:

“A conference of the leaders of the Mediterranean countries of the EU, of the so-called "South" of the EU, will be held in Athens on the 9th of September, at the initiative of the "left" SYRIZA-ANEL government of the new memoranda and the dozens of anti-worker measures, and will be focused on the developments in the EU, the refugee-immigrant question and the notorious issue of "development".

Mr. Tsipras' new fairytale can no longer convince the people

Source: inter.kke.gr.

The overwhelming majority of the Greek people are being called on in this period by the "left" government to pay an unbearable property tax, which had been introduced by the previous government. This is a tax that has been kept in place and intensified by SYRIZA, despite its pre-election promises to abolish it. And it is precisely this period that the Prime Minister, A.Tsipras chose to spread new illusions amongst the people, by supporting with gusto in an interview with the newspaper "Real News" the fairytale of supposedly "just" development. He also seeks to utilize the upcoming meeting of the leaders of the EU's Mediterranean countries, which he is convening in Athens, in this direction.

He said, when explaining the goals of the attempted coordination of the states of the "South" on behalf of their bourgeoisies,  that the aim was to push for the transfer of funds to the periphery in order to support the capitalist recovery and the way out from the economic crisis. And he noted: "We do not want to be the poor periphery of the EU, we want to be a new centre, with an agenda and positive proposals for development and social cohesion."

European Parliament Group of KKE: Denouncement of the anticommunist events of EU and Slovak Presidency

Source: 902.gr

The European Parliament Group of KKE denounces the anticommunist events organised by the EU and the EU Slovak Presidency. The events are taking place in the framework of the so-called "European Day of Remembrance for victims of the totalitarian regimes" which the EU has set to be observed on August 23rd. Participants in these events are representatives of the Ministries of Justices of the EU member-states, various "institutes" and NGOs which are financed by EU funds having as an ordered mission the slandering of Socialism and the rewriting of History.

A clear aim of this anticommunist gathering is the manipulation of the conciousness of the working people, first and foremost of the youth, using as weapons the counterfeiting of History, the slander against the unprecedented gains of the working people in Socialism. Through the unhistorical equalization of fascism and communism, they finally seek to acquit the fascist monster and the "womb" which gives birth and reproduces it; the capitalist system. 

The EU justifies the shameful anti-communist hysteria in Poland

The EU does not condemn the anticommunist persecution in Poland, but even seeks to justify it.

Source: inter.kke.gr.

The answer of the EU commission is unacceptable in relation to the question of the KKE’s delegation in the European Parliament regarding the unacceptable decisions of the Polish courts against members and cadres of the CP of Poland, with sentences of up to 9 months in prison, because it is considered an “offense” and crime to disseminate their ideas in the “Brzask” newspaper and the website www.kompol.org. Not only did it not condemn the anticommunist persecution, but it even attempted to legally justify it by invoking the non-application of the reactionary EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. 

While the Commission and other EU bodies are very noisy in other instances that are convenient for their interests, in the face of the anticommunist hysteria it pretends to “wash its hands of it”. While it presents itself as being … sensitive and an unsolicited “defender of human rights”, intervening in the internal affairs of states all over the world, using all forms of imperialist interventions and pressure, it finds nothing to say about anticommunist persecution and bans.

Intervention of KKE: Anti-communism and the glorification of Nazism

Source: inter.kke.gr.

On the 29^th of June, the CP of Ukraine organized a meeting on the margins of the Summit of the Human Rights’ Council of the UN against anti-communism, the persecution at the expense of the CPU and the attempts to rehabilitate Nazism and its supporters in Ukraine. The KKE was invited to this meeting and its representative, Vangelis Katsiavas, cadre of the KKE’s delegation in the European Parliament, made an intervention as did the President of the CP Ukraine, Pyotr Simonenko and a representative of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers.

The speech of the KKE’s representative is as follows:

“INTERVENTION AT THE EVENT ON THE "GLORIFICATION OF NAZISM"

We would like to thank you greatly for the invitation to this exceptionally interesting discussion.

KKE: "The Warsaw Summit proved the criminal role of NATO"

On the occasion of the NATO Summit in Warsaw, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) released the following statement:

"Pro-Peace declarations with dangerous heated-war decisions".

Source: 902.gr / Translation: In Defense of Communism.

The Summit of NATO in Warsaw proved, once again, the criminal role of this imperialist organisation, which decided:

- the further concentration and redeployment of wartime military forces to countries which border with Russia,

- the completion of the installation and operation of the so-called "Missile Shield" with bases in Romania, Poland, with  the naval support and general infrastructure connected to the use of nuclear weapons in a destructive showdown. Its not accidental that the Declaration of the Summit's conclusions states the readiness of NATO to use nuclear weapons,

An Unholy Alliance: The ties of Social Democracy and the 'New Left' with NATO and Fascists in Ukraine

The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and its alliance with Ukrainian leftists supporting a pro-NATO course against Russia. 

Source: NewColdWar.org / Original Source: Junge Welt & [2].

An unholy alliance of leftists supporting a pro-NATO course against Russia, By Susann Witt-Stahl and Denis Koval, published in German in Junge Welt, June 25, 2016.

The Die Linke (Left Party)-affiliated Rosa Luxemburg Foundation wants to play it safe. It relies not on historical pro-Soviet or Marxist left traditions but instead promotes a “new left”. The foundation is named after a world-renowned icon of anti-capitalist movements whose identity is bound with communist and anti-imperialist ideas. But the members of the Foundation’s leadership recommend to the left a convergence with the ‘liberal imperialism’ of the global hegemon, the USA.

Understandably, this requires some political flexibility. Progressive forces should not plant themselves on one side or the other of competing imperialist powers, says the Facebook page Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Ukraine. It demands that the “independent left” distance itself from the NATO-EU bloc, on the one hand, and from Russia on the other hand.

One year since the Greek bailout referendum: KKE's position has been fully vindicated

One year since the Greek Bailout Referendum: KKE's position has been fully vindicated.

By Nikos Mottas.

5/7/2016.

It's been a year since the bailout referendum was held in Greece. The whole story surrounding the referendum, as well as what followed the referendum result, consists a major episode in a series of deceptions created by the Tsipras' coalition government. The referendum's question was whether the Greek people agreed or not with the bailout conditions proposed by the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank [1]. The outcome was a triumph of the “No” vote with 61.31%, while a 38.69% of the voters choosed the “Yes” choice.

However, the referendum itself was proved a political fraud. The SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government- and Prime Minister Tsipras personally- openly advocated in favor of the “No” vote. Thousands of “No” supporters gathered in mass demonstrations, while the country lived a short but intense polarised period, trapped between the “No vs Yes” dilemma. A fake and illusive dilemma, which had nothing to do with the real interests of the working masses who, once again, found themselves entrapped in bourgeois political antagonism.

'Rizospastis': Brexit and the perspective of the EU

Brexit and the perspective of the EU.

Source: Rizospastis / Translation: In Defense of Communism.

The result of the british referendum for exit from the EU has pulled to the surface contradictions between various imperialist centers regarding the future and perspective of the EU. The interventions of forces during the last days, both inside and out of the EU, confirm that. The President of the USA Barack Obama spoke about the need to avoid hysteria, because NATO exists and the Transatlantic Alliance hasn't been dissolved. On the same time, his criticism towards the process of the so-called political and economic deepening of the EU is of special importance. In order to explain what happened, he points out: "Regarding the issue of full European intergration, the pause button has been pressed", adding also that "the way the British voted is explained by the fact that, probably, the EU was moving faster than it should have". He expressed with clarity the dissagreement of the American monopolies regarding the way the German side promotes the deepening of the EU. Disagreements which of course meet other, respective dissents which are expressed also within the EU on the account of the bourgeois classes of France, Italy etc. Those who, the SYRIZA-ANEL government presents as "allies" of the Greek people, the same time when they crush the working-peoples' rights in their countries.

Golden Dawn's neo-Nazis: Puppets of EU's Monopoly Capitalism

After the 'Brexit' victory in Britain, the Nazi-criminal party of 'Golden Dawn' issued a statement saluting "the brave decision of the British people to deny the ‘crows’ of Brussels and the financial oligarchy of Germany". However, once again, the Golden Dawn's Nazis contradict themselves. The contradiction is that the actual, publicly declared, position of the Nazi party is in favor of the EU; more specifically of Greece's membership in the Union.

Just a year ago, in an interview on the site bankingnews.gr, the leader of 'Golden Dawn' N.Michaloliakos had referred to a possible exit of Greece from the EU and the Eurozone as a "criminal mistake against the nation", adding that "Greece has no choice at the moment; for Greece there is only the Euro and under harsh conditions" (22/6/2015). Golden Dawn's 'Fuhrer' had expressed the same position four years ago, just before the 2012 national elections, speaking on ERT (Greece's Public Television). 

As a typical fascist party- which is actually the watchdog of the big Capital in Greece- Golden Dawn constantly lies to the people. In an interview given to a far-right blog on May 2014, the retired Army officer and current Golden Dawn MEP Giorgos Epitidios said: "I am in favor of the EU. Our country has the need to participate in international unions and organisations like the EU and NATO". What the Nazi Party's MEP said reflects the truth about Golden Dawn: It is a pro-imperialist, pro-capitalist party, despite it's delusive rhetoric.

For those who have not a clear idea what 'Golden Dawn' is, let us remind that:

Communist Party of Greece (KKE): Statement on the result of the EU referendum in Britain

STATEMENT OF THE PRESS OFFICE OF THE CC OF THE KKE ON THE RESULT OF THE REFERENDUM IN BRIΤΑIN IN RELATION TO BRITAIN'S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE EU.

The result of Britain's referendum demonstrates the increasing discontent of the working class and popular forces towards the EU and its anti-people policies. However these forces must disentangle themselves from the choices of sections and political forces of the bourgeoisie and acquire radical and anti-capitalist characteristics. The result records the dissipation of the expectations, which had been fostered by all the bourgeois parties-in Greece as well-together with the EU's mechanisms that the peoples could allegedly be prosperous inside the framework of the EU.

The fact that the issue of the departure of a country from the EU was posed so intensely- and indeed a country the size of Britain-is due on the one hand to the internal contradictions in the EU and the unevenness of its economies and on the other to the confrontation taking place amongst the imperialist centres, which sharpened in the conditions of the economic recession. These factors reinforce the so-called euroscepticism, break way trends, but also trends that seek a change in the form of political management of the EU and Eurozone.

#Brexit triumphed, but Capitalism is still here

COMMENTARY:

With 52% over 48%, the voters in Britain decided in favor of a Brexit in yesterday's EU referendum. The Communists of Britain who stood against the EU and the mainstream media propaganda deserve our congratulations for their stance and struggle. A significant proportion of Britain's working class- the class which has been largely affected by the antiworker, antipeople EU policies- voted in favor of 'Leave'. However, the triumph of Brexit does not change the capitalist framework of the country: the power remains in the hands of the bourgeoisie, the monopolies continue being the dominant force of British economy, the working class remains under capitalist exploitation. 

Britain's working class must have no illusions whatsoever: Unemployment, zero-hour contracts, layoffs, cuts in wages and social services will continue. The country, as a powerful imperialist member-state of NATO, will continue paying huge amounts in defense budget and participating in criminal, imperialist interventions.

V.I.Lenin: "A United States of Europe, under capitalism, is either impossible or reactionary"

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin- On the Slogan for a United States of Europe.

Sotsial-Demokrat No. 44, August 23, 1915. Published according to the text in Sotsial-Demokrat. Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers, [197[4]], Moscow, Volume 21, pages 339-343.

In No. 40 of Sotsial-Demokrat we reported that a conference of our-Party’s groups abroad had decided to defer the question of the “United States of Europe” slogan pending a discussion, in the press, on the economic aspect of the matter.

At our conference the debate on this question assumed a purely political character. Perhaps this was partly caused by the Central Committee’s Manifesto having formulated this slogan as a forthright political one (“the immediatepolitical slogan...”, as it says there); not only did it advance the slogan of a republican United States of Europe, but expressly emphasised that this slogan is meaningless and false “without the revolutionary overthrow of the German, Austrian and Russian monarchies”.