Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee: 70 years of hurt

The following article was originally published in Challenge Magazine, the official organ of the Young Communist League of Britain (UCL), under the title "Seventy years of hurt", on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's 70th anniversary since her ascension to the throne.

By James Meechan*

Armed constables amass in Westminster; police drones and helicopters flutter in the skies; Her Majesty’s homeless subjects are cleared from the streets. Tom Cruise takes a moment out of promoting Top Gun: Maverick to gurn through a televised royal circus show. The bunting flies resplendently above emaciated high streets. ‘Midst the worst immiseration in 40 years, there’s momentous pomp, procession, and pageantry — the platinum motherfucking jubilee.

G. Marinos (KKE): The joint struggle of the communists against NATO and the imperialist war

Following an invitation of the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain, the KKE and the Communist Party of Turkey attended an event in Madrid on the occasion of the NATO Summit that will take place in Madrid in June 2022, under the tile “Your wars, our dead – no to the imperialist war”. Giorgos Marinos, member of the PB of the CC of the KKE, delivered a speech on behalf of the KKE, which reads as follows:

“Dear comrades and friends,

We would like to thank you for the opportunity given to the KKE to participate in today’s event, which is organized by the CP of the Workers of Spain on the 40th anniversary of the accession of Spain to NATO, and to shout out loud our will to strengthen the joint struggle against bourgeois classes, against NATO and all imperialist alliances, against imperialist wars and interventions. 

Down with Erdogan's repression: Solidarity to Turkish communists and Gezi Park protesters

Source: haber.sol.org.tr

Once again, the government of Rejep Tayyip Erdogan resorts to violent repression against protesters, young men and women who resist his authoritarian regime.

On the 9th anniversary of the Gezi Park protests, known as June Resistance, dozens of people were detained following a police attack against protesters in Taksim, Istanbul. Among the detainees are 16 members of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and its youth. 

KKE slams Mitsotakis' government for sending tanks to Ukraine

BMP-1 tank of the Greek Armed Forces.

The Greek government's decision to supply additional armored vehicles to Ukraine consists a “very serious development” which boosts the dangerous participation of the country in the war, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) stresses out in a statement. More specifically, the KKE statement (here in Greek) reads: 

 

“The ND government continues unabated and “gets off the ground” the dangerous participation of our country in the Ukraine war, this time through the sending of armored vehicles. In fact, the issue became known by the German Chancellor Scholz, announcing a Greek-German agreement for their replacement, while Mr Mitsotakis concealed it in his own press conference.  

Greek communists: Alexandroupolis must be a port of the peoples, not a base or a target of the imperialists!

On 27–29 May, the organizations of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) in the universities of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, Central Macedonia, and Western Macedonia, set up a camp in Alexandroupolis, sending a strong message against the transformation of the city into a launching pad for war and the involvement of the country in the imperialist war. 

Based on the new Greece-US agreement on bases, Alexandroupolis has been selected for the establishment of a new US base, while it is already being used for the transfer of NATO weapons and troops to Eastern Europe.

100th anniversary of the Young Communist League of South Africa

In a statement about the 100th anniversary of the Young Communist League of South Africa, the South African Communist Party (SACP) points out:

"The South African Communist Party (SACP) salutes the Young Communist League of South Africa on this important occasion, the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Young Communist League of South Africa. Young Communist activity in our country, to be more specific in the centre of our economy, Johannesburg, dates back to before 1922. It dates back to 1921, just after the formation of the Communist Party. However, it was not until the 25th of May 1922 that the Party established the Young Communist League as a national youth organisation, as the scientific socialist voice of the South African youth.

Communist Parties held anti-NATO event in Madrid

Source: PCTE Twitter

Communists from Spain, Greece and Turkey joined their voice against NATO and the imperialist war in a political event organized by the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) on Saturday 28 May in Madrid. In a fully packed hall at Centro Cultural El Madroño, under the slogan “Their Wars, Our Dead”, the participants denounced the criminal role of NATO and claimed the disengagement of their countries from the imperialist organization. 

 

Representatives of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) were invited and attended the event, delivering speeches on behalf of their parties. The KKE was represented by Giorgos Marinos, MP and member of the Political Bureau, while the TKP was represented by Ekin Sönmez, Central Committee member and responsible for international relations. 

Russia: Communist Party deputies in Primorye region demand an end to Ukraine War

CPRF deputy Leonid Vasyukevich.

Defying their Party's official policy, two communist lawmakers in Russia's far east Primorye region on Friday expressed their disagreement over the imperialist war in Ukraine and called President Vladimir Putin to end the military campaign.  

“We demand the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. We demand an end to military action”, legislative assembly member Leonid Vasyukevich said during Friday’s session. Vasyukevich, a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), said continuing Russia’s three-month campaign in Ukraine “would lead to an imminent increase in military deaths and injuries.” 

Portuguese Communist Party slams anti-democratic remarks by Ukrainian associations

In what seems to be a blatant intervention in the internal affairs of Portugal, the president of an association of Ukrainian refugees (Refugiados Ucranianos) proceeded to unacceptable remarks against the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP).

Speaking during an event in Lisbon earlier this month, Maksym Tarkivskyy targeted the PCP over its position in the Russia-Ukraine War, saying that he cannot understand how “a democratic country continues to have a Communist Party”!

KKE on the seizure of Greek ships in the Persian Gulf

"The policy of flag-bearer of the US-NATO plans pursued by the Greek government exposes the country and the Greek people to great dangers”, underlines the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party Greece (KKE) on the occasion of the seizure of two Greek-flagged ships by Iranian naval forces in the Persian Gulf on Friday.

More specifically, the KKE statement (here in Greek) points out:

Jean-Luc Godard: "Cannes Festival is a propaganda tool - Zelensky a bad actor"

The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival  kicked off on Sunday 22 May, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appearing on a video message during the opening night, giving a speech about the importance of film-making in the midst of war. 

Commenting on Zelensky's propagandistic appearance at Cannes, the legendary French-Swiss film director Jean-Luc Godard, one of the most influential European filmakers of the 20th century, wrote:

On Sweden and NATO: Interview of SKP leader Andreas Sörensen in Evrensel

Andreas Sörensen, the chairman of the Communist Party of Sweden (SKP), was interviewed by the left-wing Turkish newspaper "Evrensel" on the issue of Sweden's accession to NATO. Read below the text of the interview:

— "What is your approach to Sweden's (and Finland if you'd like to comment also) NATO membership process? Why are you against it?

— As communists, we oppose the strengthening of every imperialist alliance. This applies to NATO as well, in particular as it is the strongest imperialist alliance in the contemporary world. 

Western media glorifying Ukraine's neo-Nazi criminals

The recent fights in Azovstal and the surrender of the paramilitaries to the Russian army, provided another opportunity to Western media to present them as heroes within the broader effort to “whitewash” the neo-Nazis of Azov Battalion. The fact that the Azov fighters are now part of the Ukrainian army do not absolve them from their Nazi ideology and the heinous crimes they have committed since 2014. 

According to Reuters, in 2020 the number of paramilitaries in Ukraine reached 120,000, accounting for about 40% of the country's Armed Forces. Their ranks are filled by mercenaries of various nationalities, who were equipped, trained and funded by the United States, Canada, Britain and France. 

Greece: Mass rally at the Ministry of National Defence against involvement in the imperialist war

A mass rally was held on Sunday 22/5/2022 at the Ministry of National Defence of Greece, the finishing line of the 40th Marathon Peace March, which had started at 8 am from the Marathon Tomb, conveying the message of opposition to the imperialist war, Greece’s involvement in it, and the country’s entanglement in the dangerous plans of NATO.

The march was organized by the Greek Committee for International Détente and Peace (EEDYE), which on the same day organized other mass anti-imperialist demonstrations in Thessaloniki as well as in cities in the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, and Thrace. 

British Communist Youth: No NATO, no nukes! Shut down all US bases in Britain!

Air Force base in Lakenheath, Eastern England

In a statement the Young Communist League East of England explores the grave dangers of US Nuclear Weapons' presence in Britain and demands the immediate disengagement from NATO and the closure of all US bases in the country. The statement reads:

England has for many years been plagued with an unwanted menace, growing like cancer across its green fields and spilling over into its towns and cities. It began in the summer of 1949 when two groups of American B29 bombers arrived supposedly for “training purposes.” It was a short stay, the government said — they soon would be leaving us.

Sudan's regime arrests Communist Party leaders

In a message published in social media, the Sudanese Communist Party informs that security forces proceeded to the arrest of the Party's Political Secretary Muhammad Mukhtar Al-Khatib, as well as a member of the Political Bureau. 

The urgent statement reads:

"The security forces of the brutal coup d’état authorities arrested today, May 19, 2022, Muhammad Mukhtar Al-Khatib the political secretary of the Sudanese Communist Party as well as Salih Mahmoud, member of the party’s political bureau upon their arrival in Khartoum coming from Juba, South Sudan.

Communists save Sweden's dignity — “NO to NATO membership!”

The government of Sweden has formally submitted the application to join the imperialist alliance of NATO. In a ceremony held on Wednesday 18 May in Brussels, the Swedish ambassador to NATO Axel Wernhoff handed over the application to the organization's General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg.

While the Swedish government, the ruling Social Democratic party and the other bourgeois forces have been completely surrendered to the sirens of imperialism, it is important to underline the stance of those who, firmly and consistently, say NO to the country's NATO membership: The Communist Party (SKP).

Communist-backed Panspoudastiki triumphs in Greek university student elections

Celebration for the electoral victory in Athens.

In what can be characterized as an electoral triumph “Panspoudastiki KS” (All Student Cooperation Movement), supported by the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE), emerged first in the nationwide student elections held on Wednesday 18 May throughout the country's universities and technological institutes.

Thousands of students supported the lists of Panspoudastiki thus giving a significant boost for the regroupment of the students movement, especially during a period when the conservative New Democracy (ND) government tries to implement reactionary reforms in Education. 

Turkish and Greek communists: "USA and NATO, get out of our neighborhood"!

With a large anti-imperialist political event held on Sunday 15 May in the southern Turkish city of Adana, the five-day visit of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) delegation in Turkey was concluded. 

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and the KKE, two parties that share a long history of fraternal relations, organized bilateral meetings and joint events in Turkey between 11 and 15 May. 

During the week, cadres from the two parties jointly traveled in different provinces, visiting TKP's District Houses and attended in political activities. Communists from the two countries have voiced their demands together, against NATO and US imperialism, against exploitation and capitalist barbarity.

NATO's "good boy": KKE comments on Mitsotakis-Biden meeting in Washington DC

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis "is 'selling' the Greek state's role as the "good boy" in NATO but also as an "intermediate" for the business deals in energy that are being promoted - with the USA in a dominant role - on the background of the war in Ukraine," the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) comments on the meeting between the Greek PM and U.S President Joe Biden in Washington DC. 

Sweden's Communist Party slams Social Democrats over NATO bid

The Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) condemn the decision of the ruling Social Democratic Party to back the country's membership in NATO. In a comment published in SKP's official gazette “Riktpunkt”, the Communists remind that by accepting Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic imperialist alliance, the Social Democrats actually violate the decisions of their own Congress.

On Sunday, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced that Stockholm will seek broad support for an application to join NATO, after her party dropped its long-standing opposition to membership. 

Eight reasons why Finland should not join NATO

Following the decision of the Finnish government to seek NATO membership, the country's communists, alongside other progressive and anti-imperialist forces, have expressed their opposition to the accession of Finland in the imperialist alliance. 

The Communist Workers' Party for Peace and Socialism (KTP), a member of the European Communist INITIATIVE, participates in the STOP NATO campaign. 

Below, you can read eight reasons why Finland should not join NATO but remain non-aligned militarily:

KKE in EU Parliament: Question about the targeting of communists by "myrotvorets.center"

With a written question submitted to the EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) brings to the European Parliament the issue of the Ukrainian website “Myrotvorets” (Миротворець) which targets thousands of the people by publishing their personal data (name, photos, postal address, phone numbers, email address).

The site (myrotvorets.center) is online since August 2014 being under the “auspices” of the Ukrainian authorities. Thousands of people who have been identified either by the Ukrainian state or by the site's administrators as “enemies of Ukraine” have been blacklisted and some of them have been subject to murderous actions, threats, blackmails, etc. 

Thousands of protesters in Greece raised their voice against the Greek-American Military Agreement

By Nikos Mottas.

Thousands of people, workers, students, pensioners, men and women of every age, participated on Thursday afternoon in demonstrations in Athens and other major Greek cities against the Greece-USA Agreement which upgrades and extends the existing network of US-NATO military bases in the country. 

The rallies were organized by the the Struggle Committee against the Greece–USA Agreement on Military Bases, with the support of the Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE), the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME), the Federation of Greek Women (OGE), numerous Workers' Unions and Associations, Students' Unions and other groups of the people's movement.