Introductory speech by the GS of KKE D.Koutsoumbas at the Balkan Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties

«The dangerous role of the EU and ΝΑΤΟ in the Balkans,  the monopoly antagonisms that bring imperialist war, refugees, nationalism and the response of the peoples» (Thessaloniki, 15 May 2016).

Speech by Dimitris Koutsoumbas, General Secretary of the CC of the KKE (Source: inter.kke.gr).

Dear comrades,

We thank you for your participation in today's meeting of the Balkan communist and workers parties, as well as for the contribution of all our parties to the maintaining of the Balkan meetings, which provide us with the opportunity at this level as well, at the level of the Balkans, to examine the current developments and to exchange thoughts and experiences from our activity.

Our experience confirms the constantly increasing necessity for the closer collaboration of the CPs, the collective examination of the developments, internationalist solidarity and joint activity and also the necessity to intensify the efforts to form a unified strategy of the communist and workers parties in Balkans and beyond.

We must develop these elements and of course each CP must intensify its efforts to establish solid foundations, to elaborate its political line and strengthen its bonds with the working class, to gain ground inside the labour-people's movement of its country.

Dimitris Koutsoumbas: "Tsipras and SYRIZA are fighting to save the rotten and exploitative capitalist system"

Dimitris Koutsoumbas, General Secretary of Greece's Communist Party (KKE) unleashed a fierce attack against the SYRIZA government of Alexis Tsipras during a public speech on Sunday in Thessaloniki. Speaking at an open public party-organised event honoring the 80th anniversary of May 1936 workers uprising, Koutsoumbas included a well-pointed attack against the social-democratic reformism and hypocrisy of Prime Minister Tsipras and the SYRIZA-ANEL government. 

Among other things, the GS of the CC of KKE said the following:

"Lately, SYRIZA delivers 'courses' of leftism and radicalism, like Mr.Tsipras did recently in the Parliament by saying, speaking to our Party, that "in today's difficult circumstances, left and radical is not to fantasize a virtual society, which you know that, even if you fight for that, isn't easy to come, but to 'bleed' in order to crerate- even slowly but steadlily- the circumstances when changes for the protection of rights of many will be able to thrive"!!!

But our difference with SYRIZA isn't that we are fighting for another, 'victual' society as Tsipras says, each party with different way.

Thousands participated in Athens' 36th Marathon Peace Rally in memory of Lambrakis

Thousands people of every age took part in the 36th Marathon Peace Rally in Athens, organised by the Greek Committee for International Détente and Peace (EEDYE). The marathon march began from the town of Marathon in the early morning of Sunday and ended in front of the Defense Ministry. The participants walked through the Attica towns of Nea Makri, Rafina, Pikermi, Pallini and Agia Paraskevi, before reaching the building of the Ministry. 

The Marathon Peace Rally ended with a speech by Giorgos Lambrakis, Vice-President of EEDYE and son of assassinated politician and peace activist Grigoris Lambrakis, following with a music concert by Giorgos Sarris and his band. 

Below you can see some photos from the Peace Rally (Source: 902.gr).

CIA was behind the arrest of 'dangerous communist' Nelson Mandela, reveals former US spy

A former CIA agent has finally confirmed what the world has long suspected: the US agency was behind the arrest that put Nelson Mandela in prison for 27 years.

Two weeks before “unrepentant” 88-year-old Donald Rickard died, the CIA spy confessed to filmmaker John Irvin that his tip led to Mandela’s arrest, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

Rickard defended the arrest of South Africa’s most wanted man in 1962, which he says was necessary to capture “the world’s most dangerous communist outside of the Soviet Union.”

Rickard, who was officially working as US vice consul in the South African city of Durban at the time, said he learned Mandela was on his way to Natal, traveling between Johannesburg and Durban.

Thessaloniki: Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties from Balkan countries - The dangerous role of the EU and NATO in the Balkans

Being an iniatitive of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties from Balkan countries takes place today, Sunday 15 May, in Thessaloniki. The topic of the meeting is "The dangerous role of the EU and NATO in the Balkans, the monopoly antagonisms which bring the imperialist war, refugees, nationalism and the response of the people". An introductory speech was delivered by the General Secretary of KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas while the KKE Member of the European Parliament Sotiris Zarianopoulos welcomed the foreign delegations on behalf of the Communist Party's local organisation which hosts the meeting.

Communist Youth of Greece (KNE): Statement on the decision of Athens Municipality to grant space for neo-Nazi gathering

In a statement issued today, the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) condemns the decision of the Municipality of Athens to grant a city park ("Gendarmerie Grove"/Alsos Horofilakis) for a gathering by the neo-Nazi 'Golden Dawn' party's youth wing:

"The decision of the Municipality of Athens to grant space at "Gendamerie Grove" to Golden Dawn for the organisation of the "Festival of Greek Youth" legalizes it's criminal activity. They give space to the Nazis in order to pour their racist and fascist poison.

If the Golden Dawn's Nazis want to organise a gathering, let them go to one of their leader's 10 properties; he is the richest political party leader.

The positions of Golden Dawn are positions which support the interests of the rich oligarchy and for that they are hostile towards the young people of the poor families. Golden Dawn, like a mastiff, serves the rotten and corrupt capitalist system which tortures the majority for the enrichment of the few.

KKE: Large political and cultural event to be held on Sunday 15 May in Thessaloniki

On the 80th anniversary of the 1936 workers' uprising, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) organises a large political and cultural event in the country's second largest city, Thessaloniki. The event- honoring the dead workers of the May 1936 Thessaloniki strikes- will take place on Sunday May 15th afternoon (19:30 local hour) at the city's ancient Roman market. 

The major speaker will be the Party's General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas. 

The event will include a concert comprised of songs composed by Mikis Theodorakis based on Yannis Ritsos' poetic masterpiece "Epitaphios". 

José Reinaldo (Partido Comunista do Brasil): "Coup opens a new phase of the political struggle in Brazil"

Source: Solidnet.org

The legislative-judicial-mediatic coup d’etat in Brazil is going on. On April 17, under authoritarian and farcical driving, the House of Representatives approved the admissibility of impeachment proceedings against the President of the Republic. In the coming days, the Senate welcome the decision, by simple majority, authorize the opening of the procedure and immediately result in expulsion for up to 180 days of President Dilma Rousseff from the post to which she was democratically elected, with 54 million votes.

By José Reinaldo Carvalho (*).

In few months, the Senate will took the predicable final decision, converted to the Court, under the Presidency of the Supreme Court. The traced and executed script in both congressional houses showed so far that there is a game of marked cards and the exercise of a relentless power of the majority made up of reactionary parties. There are not worth logic, rationality or the truth of the facts. It is an abominable counterfeit trial, led by disgusting politicians. A ritual used to give a false constitutionality to something that is already decided. . A judgment made as an expression of a coup, which does not take into account consistent legal criteria.

In recent days, another throw into unbelievable coup plot, aimed at medium-term future: the request of the Attorney General to the Supreme Court to investigate President Dilma Rousseff and former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for "obstruction operation Lava Jato[1]". Invested of Torquemada powers, the attorney general has denounced Lula as "head of a criminal organization" in the operation of the so-called "petrolão[2]".

€600,000 for Hitler's political descendants: How the EU funds Neo-Nazi Parties

Here's another prove of how Imperialist institutions, instruments of the European bourgeoise, promote fascism and nazism. We republish here an article appeared on EurActiv (27 April 2016) which reveals that the EU gave 600,000 euros to the so-called 'Alliance for Peace and Freedom' (AFP)- member of which is the prosecuted for criminal activities Greek Neo-Nazi party of 'Golden Dawn'.

European Parliament funding of neo-Nazi conference rings alarm bells.

 By Daniel Mützel.

The far-right Alliance for Peace and Freedom (APF) party has received EU-funding to the tune of €600,000, highlighting the ease with which neo-fascist groups have access to European Parliament financing. EurActiv Germany reports.

“It is a terrible and disturbing state of affairs that we are helping to finance such activities,” Swedish MEP Marita Ulvskog told EurActiv.de, in relation to a financing scandal uncovered by the Expo Foundation. Expo, a Swedish anti-racism magazine, reported that the Parliament had granted €400,000 to a foundation linked to the APF and a further €197,625 in funding that will be used to organise a neo-Nazi meeting in Stockholm this summer.

"Europe's Day" or "People's Antifascist Victory"? KKE's intervention in the European Parliament

Information from 'Rizospastis', 11 May 2016.

On the anniversary of the Peoples' Great Antifascist Victory of May 9th, the European Parliament organised unhistorical "celebrations" about the "Day of the European Union" accompanied with a lot of anticommunism. That happened within the frame of EU's provocative effort to re-write History, to erase from people's memory, especially of the youth, the great achievements of the working class in Socialism, the irreplaceable achievements of the first socialist state in the world, of the Soviet Union and it's people, of the millions of communists who decisively contributed to the defeat of nazism and fascism.

The German social-democrat president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, managed, through using anticommunist slogans about "communist dictatorship", to show what bourgeoise and the politicians who serve her, fear most...

A response to the distortion of the historical truth and anticommunism of the EU was issued by KKE's MEPs. Addressing the plenary session of the Europarliament, KKE MEP Sotiris Zarianopoulos said the following:

European Communist Initiative: Announcement on the 9th of May - The day of the antifascist victory of the peoples

Source: Initiative of Communist & Workers' Parties.

Long live the antifascist victory of the peoples!

The Great Patriotic war of the Soviet people against the Nazi Germany, which was promoted as being invincible at the time, and its allies in Europe ended with the crushing and unconditional surrender of fascism. The 9th of May is the day that signals the end of the 2nd World War in Europe. The Red Army, by raising the red flag with the hammer and sickle over the Reichstag, completed a great people’s victory against fascism.

Fascism was created and supported by the capitalist system itself as a naked and reactionary form of bourgeois management for the protection of capitalist exploitation. The main factor of the fighting capacity and endurance of the Soviet Union was its socialist character, the planned economy, the fact that the people held power in their own hands.

Armed national liberation movements emerged at the side of the USSR in many European countries, movements which acted under the leadership of the communist and workers parties. The communist and workers parties themselves paid a high price in blood in order to crush fascism.

9th of May: Honoring People's Antifascist Victory!

Спасибо! (Thank you) - Veterans of the Red Army.

By Nikos Mottas.

9^th May 1945: The day when the Red flag with sickle and hammer was raised thriumphantly over the Reichstag in Berlin. The day when Nazi Germany surrended unconditionally to the Red Army, marking a great victory of humanity over fascism. The 9^th May is, without doubt, one of the brightest dates in human history, a glorious day for the first Socialist state, for the Soviet Union and it's people.

On this day, we pay tribute to all those heroes, men and women, who gave their own lives on the battlefields. We remember all those heroes who fought against the monster of Fascism. From the bottom of our heart we express our gratitude to the fighters of the Soviet Army, to the communist and anti-fascist partisans in Europe who led the liberation struggles against the Nazis. We remember and honor all those men and women, of every age, who maintained a heroic stance against the firing squads of the fascists. 

Greek Parliament ratifies barbaric law on Social Security - KKE: The governmental policy destroys people's lives for the sake of monopolies

KKE MP Thanasis Pafilis.

In Defense of Communism © Report.

With the votes of governmental majority (SYRIZA-ANEL) the Greek Parliament approved on early Monday the monstrous law on social security and tax system. The legislation- combined of 166 articles- passed with the 153 votes of SYRIZA and ANEL (Independent Greeks), while 143 MPs voted against. A total of 296 legislators participated in the roll call vote held Sunday night; four were absent.

The "law-guillotine" sparked fierce reactions from labor and trade unions. The All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) organised a massive rally in Syntagma Square where thousands of working people expressed their condemnation for the governmental policy. 

In their speeches, the KKE MPs denounced the barbaric measures of Tsipras' government. Refering to the SYRIZA-ANEL government, the General Secretary of KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas said among other things:

"Once more you prove that you are very good students of the previous governments, "capable" successors of the most reactive (situation) this country has lived through the neoliberal management of New Democracy, as well as the most rotten and corrupt PASOK's Social Democracy offered". 

[...]