Solidarity with the students in Istanbul's Bogazici University — Statement by the Communist Youth of Turkey

Once again, the reactionary regime of Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey has shown its repressive and authoritarian face. This time, the target of police violence are the students of Boğaziçi University who protest against the appointment of Melih Bulu, known for his close ties to the ruling party AKP, as the new rector of the institution. 

Melih Bulu has held various managerial positions within the AKP since 2002. He was a mayoral candidate in 2009 as well as a candidate for parliamentary deputy position from the AKP in the 2015 elections. 

Trump's fascism shall not pass! America's communist and pro-worker parties react to Washington DC riots

In public statements and posts on social media, Communist and pro-worker parties in the United States strongly condemn the riots caused by Trump supporters in Washington DC, pointing out that the far-right, fascist and nationalist menace must be defeated by the people's struggle. 

In a comment on Twitter, the Party of Communists, USA (PCUSA) pointed out:

"The situation that happened in Capitol Hill today should show the whole country the danger of nationalism and the type of danger that Trump and his base represents. This was a taste of the terror we can expect from this group is nothing is done about it. Join and organize."

KKE General Secretary Koutsoumbas on U.S. Capitol events: The mirror of a society in deep decay

Commenting on the events in the United States and the storming of Capitol by pro-Trump supporters, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas said:

“The incidents in Washington DC and the planned invasion of far-right, reactionary forces in the Capitol, cannot be solely explained by Trump's idiosyncrasy. It is the mirror of a society in deep decay, a world of massive competitions,  realignments in the correlation of power, crises and impasses, whose consequences are paid by the people and which are now becoming more apparent, even in the most powerful capitalist country in the world.

Capitalist Crisis in Spain: Accelerated by the Pandemic and managed by Social Democracy

By the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE)

 

Spain is living in 2020 the worst capitalist crisis of 121 its history. The economy is shrinking on double-digit figures; there are millions of unemployed workers, and dozens of thousands of victims dead because of the pandemic.

A superficial glance could determine that the causes of the current crisis are completely due to the effects of the pandemic and the paralysis of economy during confinement. However, the analysis we had made before the pandemic were already predicting the looming of a capitalist crisis, being the Coronavirus actually a catalyst, rather than the cause of it. One that affects the capitalist relationships worldwide and not only its national expressions.

British communists welcome court ruling against Julian Assange extradition to the U.S.

In a message posted on Facebook, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain Robert Griffiths commented on the extradition ban ruling made by a London court yesterday. The message reads:

"The Communist Party and all supporters of investigative journalism and democratic freedoms will welcome the court ruling today banning the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States. 

Is the Covid vaccine a "triumph of capitalism"?

 By Nikos Mottas.

One of the many myths that have been spread by bourgeois media during this period is that the Covid-19 vaccine consists a “victory” or a “triumph” of capitalism. In fact, they are trying to convince us that the – without doubt significant - progress made by large biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the fight against Coronavirus is an achievement of the capitalist system. 

This is simply not true. 

Iran's Tudeh Party expresses concern over U.S. provocations in the Persian Gulf

In a statement published on January 2, the Tudeh Party of Iran expresses its concern on the situation created by the dangerous manoeurves and provocations of the U.S. government in the Persian Gulf region. The full statement is as follows:

As the days of Donald Trump's presidency and those of the racist neo-con US administration draw to a close, the world's mass media have in recent days reported on the alarming news of a dangerous escalation in the possibility of a military conflict between the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Croatia Earthquake: Messages of solidarity by Croatian and Serbian Communist Parties

In public statements, the Socialist Workers' Party of Croatia (SRP) and the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (NKPJ) express their solidarity to the people affected by the 6.4 magnitude earthquake which hit the Sisak-Moslavina region of Croatia on December 29, 2020.

The earthquake's outcome was 7 people dead, at least 26 injured and the destruction of almost half of the town of Petrinja.

The Socialist Worker's Party points out:

¡Aborto legal!: Argentinian communists hail Senate's decision to legalize abortion

Argentina’s Senate voted on Wednesday to legalize abortion, a first for a big country in Latin America and a triumph for women’s rights campaigners achieved over the visceral objection of the reactionary Catholic Church.

“It was the first triumph of a battle that began decades ago in our country. Yesterday (Wednesday) the militancy, the collective strength won and today Argentina is more just since the State assumes the responsibility of guaranteeing us the right to health and a full life”, said Guadalupe Viñuela Flores, a member of the National Secretariat of the Federation of Communist Youth (FJC), the youth wing of the Communist Party of Argentina.  

Communists of Luxembourg mark the 100th anniversary of their party's foundation

100 years ago, on 2 January 1921, the Communist Party of Luxembourg (KPL) was founded in the working class town of Differdingen in the south of the country. Immediately after its constitution, the party took up the struggle for the rights of the working class, especially the miners and steelworkers in Luxembourg, and many members of KPL proved themselves in demonstrations and strikes. 

 

In the 1930s, the KPL engaged in the struggle against rising fascism in close cooperation with the sister parties of neighbouring countries. In the Spanish War, communists and numerous anti-fascists from Luxembourg provided a strong contingent of the International Brigades for the defence of the Republic against the Spanish, German and Italian fascists.

62nd anniversary of the Cuban Revolution - Somos Continuidad!

By Nikos Mottas.

Sixty-two years ago, on January 1, 1959, the rebel forces of the 26th of July Movement, led by revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, seized the capital Havana, forcing dictator Batista to flee. Hence started a long and tumultuous journey of rebuilding a nation based on the principles of socialism.

The Cuban Revolution, the first socialist revolution in the Americas, was one of the 20th century's most significant events. It became - and continues being - a reference point for the workers-people's movement in Latin America and the whole world.

Communist Party of Britain: The UK-EU Brexit trade deal is a compromise between the big monopoly capitalists

In a statement about the recent UK-EU Agreement on Trade and Cooperation, the Communist Party of Britain's General Secretary Robert Griffiths and international secretary John Foster point out the following:

The UK-EU trade agreement is a compromise between the interests of British state-monopoly capitalism, on the one side, and those of German and French monopoly capital – represented by their states and the EU – on the other.  

Happy and Militant 2021: Messages by the WFTU and PAME

In a video message, with the Athens' Acropolis in the background, the General Secretary of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) George Mavrikos sends his best wishes for a Happy New Year "with faith and knowledge". 

 

Farewell to comrade Kostas Pateras

Comrade Kostas Pateras, a humble communist and member of the Communist Party of Greece , has died at the age of 42. “With great sorrow, the KKE bids farewell to cde Kostas Pateras who died so early, at 42 years of age, after a strong battle”, reads a statement by the Press Bureau of the CC of the Communist Party.

Born in London to a Greek-British working class family, Kostas was deeply affected by the militant past of his grandfather, a British communist who fought in the Spanish Civil War through the ranks of the International Brigades. 

Pakistan's communists condemn the violation of human and citizen rights in the country

The International Department of the Communist Party of Pakistan (کمیونسٹ پارٹی آف پاکستان) has issued a statement concerning the violation of human and citizen rights in the country. The statement is as follows:

The Communist Party of Pakistan strongly condemns the Pakistani establishment particularly the military establishment inhuman practices of suppression and violation of human and citizen rights.

The matter of missing persons, mutilated dead bodies in the province of Baluchistan, khyber  Pukhtoon Khwa and Sind provinces are the well known facts and still need answers.

George Blake, famous British double agent who worked for the KGB, died at 98

George Blake, the legendary British double agent who fled to the Soviet Union, has died in Moscow at the age of 98, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service reported.

Blake, a member of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), became affiliated with the communist ideology while serving as a prisoner of war in Korea. He said he volunteered to work for the Soviet Union after witnessing the atrocities of U.S. army in North Korea.

Arya Rajendran: India's youngest elected mayor is a communist

Arya Rajendran, a 21 year-old member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has been elected mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala.

Arya, a second year Mathematics student, is set to become the youngest person to hold a mayoral post in the country, the Hindustan Times reported. She presently serves as the state president of Balasangam, a children’s organisation affiliated to the CPI(M). 

State vandalism in Ukraine: Lviv authorities plan to dismantle monument dedicated to the Red Army

Another disturbing episode of anti-communist frenzy comes from Ukraine as the local authorities of Lviv are planning to dismantle the city's Monument of Glory – a memorial dedicated to the heroic Red Army soldiers - by the end of February 2021.

The decision was strongly condemned by the country's communists. Petro Symonenko, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Ukraine, said that the dismantling of the monument is “an act of state vandalism and moral terrorism” and added: “This is a crime against the memory of the soldiers of the Red Army, a crime against the memory of compatriots who died in the fight against the fascist infection, it is a slap in the face of the international community and all members of the anti-Hitler coalition”. 

KKE: Démarche against the attempt to ban the Communist Party of Poland

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) made a démarche to the European Commission representation in Athens and the Polish embassy in Athens, against the new attempt to ban the Communist Party of Poland at the request of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Polish government. 

In the démarche delivered by the KKE MEP Kostas Papadakis to the European Commission, it is noted: "The attempt of the Polish government to ban the CP of Poland as well as the methodical distortion of history are unacceptable. The EU also bears huge responsibilities, since the equation of the fascists - Nazis in the past and the present with those who fought against Nazism is an EU direction contained in anti-communist resolutions and declarations. This is a stance that encourages the action of the fascist-Nazi criminal formations". 

Capitalism is the virus, Socialism is the vaccine!

By Nikos Mottas.

The 2008 global capitalist economic crisis, the effects of which are still visible today, was a tremendous opportunity for the big capitalists to increase their wealth. During a period of ten years, from 2008 to 2018, the number of billionaires was doubled, like their profits. It has been proved that the crisis generates more capitalists.

The Coronavirus pandemic, which has plagued the world since the beginning of 2020, comes to confirm that capitalist barbarity “feeds” from the people's death, poverty, impoverishment and exploitation. The recent report by Forbes is revealing: 

Russia: Joseph Stalin's birth anniversary was honored in Moscow

In a simple but highly symbolic event in Moscow's Red Square, men and women, workers, members and friends of Communist Parties and Youths honored today the 142nd birth anniversary of Joseph Stalin, 

Holding red banners and portraits of the Soviet leader, the participants laid flowers to the tomb of Stalin in the Kremlin Necropolis. At the end of the ceremony, a statement to the reporters was delivered by the Chairman of the CC of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) Gennady Zyuganov.

Reaganomics Exposed: Keeping tax low for the rich doesn't boost economy, new research says

The so-called Reaganomics will be remembered by the people as a set of cruel, anti-worker economic policies in favor of the big capital, associated with supply-side theories and eliminating and restrictions on the free-market economy. 

The economic policy that U.S. President Ronald Reagan advocated for pushed for lower taxes for the wealthy and less business regulation by the government. The idea was that showering the rich with even more money would - supposedly - result in a greater supply of services and goods, at lower prices, and an increase in employment.

10 years after the illusion of the "Arab Spring"

It was like yesterday, 10 years ago, when an event that took place in Tunisia was to go down in history. It was the self-immolation, out of desperation, of young fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi outside the local governor's office at the small town of Sidi Bouzid. It was an act which marked a wave of protests that the bourgeoisie named “Arab Spring” and which continued in Northern African countries, Libya, Egypt and crossed into Syria. In fact, opportunist forces, like SYRIZA in our country, talked about a “popular revolution”. 

WHY does the EU refuse to disclose COVID-19 vaccine contracts with pharmaceutical companies?

The European Union has officially declined to disclose the contracts with the pharmaceutical companies over the COVID-19 vaccines thus violating the right of the people to full transparency about issues directly related with their safety and health.

As 902 portal reported, the EU Parliament group of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) raised the issue during the discussion for “EU's vaccination strategy against COVID-19” in the Parliament's Plenary. In his intervention, KKE MEP Kostas Papadakis asked from the Commission to publish the contracts between the EU and Pharmaceutical industries concerning the COVID-19 vaccines. 

Kerala: Communist-backed LDF alliance wins landslide victory in local body elections

As counting of votes in the local body elections in the Indian state of Kerala is inching towards the final lap, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has gained a clear edge in village, block, district panchayats, municipal and corporation councils. 

The LDF, which had won a majority of local bodies in 2015, is poised to either retain its existing numbers or improve its tally further.  

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that it will be a historic election and the Left Democratic Front will win seats even in areas which have not been its strongholds earlier. 

KKE: Greek government's 2021 state budget is a "monument of unpopularity"

The 2021 state budget submitted by the conservative New Democracy (ND) government is a "monument of unpopularity against the working people", said the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas during a speech in the Parliament. 

Koutsoumbas strongly denounced the policies of the government during the pandemic, adding that the measures announced aim at strengthening the capital at the expense of the workers and people's rights. The KKE General Secretary pointed out that ND, opposition party SYRIZA and all the other bourgeois parties in the parliament are "strategically aligned" in the same policy, despite minor differences. 

Questo è il capitalismo: Queues form outside Milan food banks as capitalist crisis deepens

The scenes you are going to see are from Milan, the industrial, commercial and financial center of Northern Italy and one of the Europe's wealthiest cities. Hosting a significant number of large multinational groups (e.g. Amazon, Apple, Coca Cola, HP, Huawei, IBM, Microsoft, Nestle, Samsung, Siemens, Vodafone, Whirpool, etc), Milan has in terms of GDP the second-largest economy in the EU after Paris.

But behind the impressive facade of capitalist growth, there is another Milan which reflects the deepening class inequalities and the results of long-time policies by the bourgeois Italian governments and the European Union. 

Teleconference of the Parties of the European Communist Initiative: "The necessity of Socialism is highlighted every day"

A Teleconference of the full Plenum of the European Communist Initiative (ECI) parties took place on Sunday 13 December.

The following parties participated in the Teleconference: Party of Labour of Austria, Union of Communists in Bulgaria, Socialist Workers' Party of Croatia, Communist Party in Denmark, Communist Workers' Party - For Peace and Socialism (Finland), Communist Revolutionary Party of France, Pole for the Communist Revival in France, Unified Communist Party of Georgia, Communist Party of Greece, Hungarian Workers' Party, Communist Party, Italy, Socialist Party of Latvia, Communist Party of Norway, Communist Party of Poland, Russian Communist Workers Party, Communist Party of the Workers of Spain, Communist Party of Sweden, Communist Party of Turkey, Union of Communists of Ukraine.

EU's stance is a 'green light' for Turkish aggression: Statement by KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas

The outcome of the recent EU Council and its failure to adopt sanctions against Turkey was sharply criticized by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). After hours of decisions, the EU leaders proceeded to the usual verbal condemnations of Ankara's aggression in Eastern Mediterranean but deferred decisions on trade tariffs or arms embargo until they have consultations with the US President-elect Joe Biden and his administration. 

In Athens, the General Secretary of the CC of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas made the following statement:

Who will pay for the crisis? Lufthansa receives $10 billion state bailout and cuts 30,000 jobs

On November 14th we were writing that at least 90,000 people will lose their job by the end of December as a result of mass layoffs by major U.S. airline companies. Aviation giants, such as United Airlines and American Airlines laid off 32,000 workers last October in an attempt to blackmail the U.S. government for higher subsidies.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a serious impact on the aviation industry due to travel restrictions and a significant slump in demand among travellers. No travellers means less profits for the big airliners. In order to reduce losses, the monopolies of aviation proceed to a series of anti-labor measures, including pay cuts, furloughs and, of course, layoffs. 

Polish government's plan to outlaw the Communist Party shall not pass!

By Nikos Mottas.

It's been a long time since Poland, under the far-right government of Andrzej Duda, is driven into a very dangerous, anti-democratic path. With the EU's tolerance, or even encouragement, the authorities of Poland have unleased a persistent “witch-hunt” against the country's communists.

We have many times referred to the persecutions and legal proceedings against the Communist Party (KPP) and its newspaper “Bzrask”. Communist and Workers' Parties across Europe and the world, such as the KKE, have undertaken numerous initiatives in the international forums (e.g. EU Parliament) about these anti-communist persecutions and restrictions imposed by the Polish government. 

Venezuela Elections 2020: The Communist Party (PCV) is back in the National Assembly!

The parliamentary election in Venezuela is over, the people voted and the Communist Party (PCV) is back in National Assembly! Despite facing censorship and blockade by the media, the electoral alliance “Popular Revolutionary Alternative” (APR), backed by the PCV and other political groups, received 2.75% of the votes.

The Communist Party will be represented in the National Assembly by its General Secretary Oscar Figuera who has been elected a deputy.

With a low turnout of 30.5% of eligible voters, Nicolas Maduro's social democratic United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies swept the December 6th parliamentary elections and regained control of the National Assembly. According to the National Electoral Council, the PSUV-lead “Great Patriotic Pole” alliance has gained 68% of the votes and is projected to win at least 189 of the 277-seat assembly. 

John Lennon's Communist Manifesto

John Lennon, the legendary English co-lead singer of The Beatles and one of the most popular songwriters of the 20th century, was murdered 40 years ago, on December 8th, 1980 in New York City.

A vocal opponent of the Vietnam War and a sharp critic of British government's crimes in Northern Ireland, Lennon expressed himself politically through some extraordinary songs. Among these are “Give Peace a Chance”, “Working Class Hero” and “Imagine”. 

India: Communist Party member stabbed to death by right-wing criminals in Kerala

A 52-year-old activist of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was stabbed to death in Kollam district, in the Indian state of Kerala, on Monday 7 December. According to local CPI(M) leaders, the murderers belong to the nationalist, right-wing RSS paramilitary organization.

This is the fourth CPI(M) worker murdered in the state in the last four months.

CPI(M) state secretary in-charge A Vijayaraghavan said the killing was an attempt to disrupt peace ahead of polling for the first phase of today's local body elections.

Swaziland communists struggle for women's rights, denounce Mswati regime autocracy

In the tiny landlocked south African country of Swaziland (also known as Eswatini), the local Communist Party is fighting for democracy, workers rights and women's emancipation against the autocratic monarchical regime of Mswati III. 

In a statement published on December 1st, the Communist Party of Swaziland refers to the deepening crisis in the country, the treatment of women as objects of sexual exploitation and Mswati’s insatiable thirst for splendour. 

Greece: New orgy of governmental authoritarianism and police repression — Statement by KKE leader Dimitris Koutsoumbas

Almost 20 days after the brutal attack of Greek police against a peaceful KKE rally on November 17th, another orgy of police repression and violence took place earlier today in Athens, on the 12th anniversary of the murder of 15 year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos by a special police officer. 

Grigoropoulos had been murdered by special police officer Epaminondas Korkoneas on December 6, 2008. Korkoneas had been convicted to life sentense. However, in 2019, a court reduced his term to just 13 years and, on the basis of the new legal code introduced by the then SYRIZA government, he was ultimately released from prison on July 2019! 

Tudeh Party of Iran: Condemns the murder of nuclear scientist Fakhrizadeh and opposes any foreign intervention

The Tudeh Party of Iran has issued a statement condemning the murder of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and expresses its opposition to any foreign imperialist intervention in the country. The full statement is the following:

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, head of the Research and Innovation Organisation of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, was killed in a terrorist attack in the Absardvicinity of Damavand on Friday, November 27, according to Iranian and international media. Fakhrizadeh, who was involved in research and development activities in the nuclear industry of the Islamic Republic of Iran, had been [a name] cited for several years in relation to the Iranian nuclear issue. 

Letter of the KKE to the National Electoral Council of Venezuela: On the anti-democratic censorship against PCV and APR

In a letter addressed to the President of the National Electoral Council of Venezuela Indira Alfonso, the member of the Political Bureau of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and MP Giorgos Marinos denounces the exclusion of the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) and the Popular Revolutionary Alternative (APR) electoral coalition from public and private media coverage ahead of the December 6th parliamentary elections. 

Read more about the censorship imposed on PCV and APR here. The letter is the following:

Cuba and Vietnam celebrate 60 years of a genuine friendship

Shortly after the successful revolution, on December 2, 1960, the Republic of Cuba, under the leadership of Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro, became the first country in the Western Hemisphere to establish full diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

This week, Cuban and Vietnamese senior leaders celebrated the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which they described as exemplary.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Statement by the World Federation of Trade Unions

Today, December 3, is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The Secretariat of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) issued the following statement:

On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, the World Federation of Trade Unions reiterates its support and solidarity with people with special needs and supports their demand for free, public and high quality healthcare which become even more urgent during the Pandemic of COVID-19.

Cuba: Who is behind the San Isidro counter-revolutionary show?

Recently, a small group of U.S-backed mercenaries in Havana, Cuba, tried to stage a despicable anti-Cuban show seeking to destabilize the country. This group of 14 people became the center of a new counter-revolutionary, sponsored and supported by the U.S. government, farce in San Isidro neighborhood in Old Havana.

But who is behind the anti-Cuban show in San Isidro? The following article published in Granma newspaper is revealing:

Who’s behind the anti-Cuban show in San Isidro? 

Friedrich Engels Bicentennial: Joint edition of Marx and Engels selected works to be published by PCM and PCTE

On the occasion of the 200 years since the birth of Friedrich Engels, the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) and the Communist Party of Mexico (PCM) announced their initiative to publish a joint edition of Marx and Engels Selected Works. Read the statement in English and Spanish below:

Being the bicentenary of Friedrich Engels’ birthday, the Communist Party of Mexico (PCM) and the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) consider that it is necessary to contribute to the diffusion of the work that he devoted most of his life to along with Karl Marx.

Engels memorial rally in Wuppertal marked by police violence

A public gathering commemorating the 200th birth anniversary of Friedrich Engels in his hometown Wuppertal in Germany, on Sunday 29th November, was marked by police violence. 

The report comes from “Engelsbündnis”, a group that organizes events in honor of the great philosopher and revolutionary since 2015. Taking into account the pandemic the gathering was successful but was marked with local police's "extreme arbitrariness and aggression". 

Venezuela's Communist Party denounces censorship ahead of the December 6th parliamentary election

In a statement addressed to the Communist and Workers' Parties of the world, the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) denounces the censorship that has been imposed upon the Party's electoral campaign, ahead of the December 6th parliamentary election. As the PCV points out, the communicational blockade against the Party was intensified following the decision to create the Popular Revolutionary Alternative (APR) together with other political and social organizations". 

The full statement is the following:

On the Anti-communist remarks of the Ecumenical Patriarch concerning the Holodomor

By Nikos Mottas.

“The Ukrainian term ‘Holodomor’ refers to the man-made and intentional famine, the devilish plan of the Stalinist system aimed at a well-planned genocide of a very pious people with the aim of eradicating the Christian faith and the Orthodox Church...”.

These words were not expressed by any extremist ultra-conservative bishop or priest, nor they were written in any right-wing newspaper. These are the words of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the head of the Orthodox Church, during a memorial service held at the Patriarchal Church in Istanbul on the occasion of the 87th anniversary of the so-called 1932-1933 Ukrainian famine (also known as “Holodomor”).