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| Photo: Eurokinissi |
“A strong KKE, steadfast in every trial, ready to answer the call of History, for Socialism!”. With this slogan dominating the indoor Galatsi Olympic Stadium, amid an atmosphere of emotion and militant uplift, and in the presence of a large crowd of members and friends of the KKE and the KNE, the opening “kick-off” of the KKE’s 22nd Congress was given on Wednesday afternoon.
The keynote address was delivered by the General Secretary of the CC of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, who took the podium to prolonged applause.
The keynote address was delivered by the General Secretary of the CC of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, who took the podium to prolonged applause.
In his opening address to the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the General Secretary of the Party’s Central Committee, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, began by warmly greeting the dozens of Communist and Workers’ Parties from around the world that had sent messages of solidarity to the Congress, underlining the importance of proletarian internationalism in the current period.
A central part of his speech was devoted to international developments and the KKE’s unwavering stance against imperialism. He expressed strong solidarity with the long-suffering Palestinian people and their heroic struggle against genocide and decades-long occupation imposed by the Israeli state with the support of its allies. He stressed that the KKE continues to fight for the Palestinian people’s right to their own independent homeland and demanded that the Greek government immediately recognize the Palestinian state, in line with the unanimous decision of the Greek Parliament in 2015.
Koutsoumbas condemned U.S. imperialist intervention in Venezuela, the threats of U.S. imperialism, and the barbaric blockade imposed on Cuba, reaffirming the KKE’s solidarity with the Cuban people and the Communist Party of Cuba. He also addressed the Cyprus issue, emphasizing the need to intensify the struggle for a united, independent Cyprus — one state, not two — with a single sovereignty, citizenship, and international personality, free of occupation forces, foreign troops, and military bases, with the people as masters in their own land.
He denounced the threats of the United States against the peoples of Iran, Greenland, Colombia, Mexico, and other countries, stressing that only the peoples themselves have the right to determine the course of developments in their countries, based on their own interests. In this context, he highlighted the need to intensify the struggle against anti-communism and the falsification of history, which he described as official ideology of the European Union, as well as against bans and persecutions targeting Communist Parties by bourgeois states and governments. “Proletarian internationalism is our strength,” he underlined.
Turning to domestic developments, Koutsoumbas referred to the pre-Congress discussions and explained in detail why the KKE is, in his words, “the most democratic party,” rooted in collective decision-making and active participation of its members. He spoke about the large-scale struggles of small farmers and the growing alarm across workplaces over deadly working conditions, referring specifically to the deaths of five women workers in a food factory in Trikala — yet another crime highlighting that the working class pays a heavy blood toll in the daily struggle for survival.
He stressed that the true way to honor the victims is to intensify workers’ struggles in every workplace for the strict enforcement of health and safety measures and for stronger organization at work. Only organized workers, he said, can form a protective barrier against employers’ lawlessness, the ruthless drive for intensification, profit, and exploitation.
Koutsoumbas emphasized that the responsibility the KKE sets for itself through the decisions of the 22nd Congress is to align even more closely with its strategic task: to lead the struggle of the working class, popular forces, and their social allies for socialism. He noted that exploitation, crises, and wars constantly reappear on the agenda of the capitalist system, not as signs of its strength, but as expressions of its deep, incurable contradictions.
He explained that in order to overcome crises and resolve their internal rivalries, capitalist powers are increasingly turning toward the war economy and military conflicts, attempting to postpone the next crisis at the expense of the peoples, who ultimately pay the price. In this context, he stressed that Greece’s participation in NATO and the implementation of its war plans do not ensure security or protection of the country’s sovereign rights.
Koutsoumbas warned that a broader confrontation is being prepared, particularly between the United States and China for dominance at the top of the imperialist pyramid, and that this confrontation will be ruthless. He underlined that although alliances may change and realign, their class character remains determined by the capitalist economic base, monopoly interests, and capitalist ownership — whether in Euro-Atlantic or Eurasian alliances. Therefore, he stressed, the crucial issue for the Greek people is not to choose between rival “camps of robbers,” but to strengthen the struggle for disengagement from the imperialist slaughter promoted by the current government.
He pointed out that the sharpening of contradictions within the system can lead to destabilization of bourgeois power, mass movements, uprisings, and even revolutionary conditions. Expressing confidence in the working class and the people, he emphasized that victory can be achieved through the Party’s strategy and strong organization.
Finally, Koutsoumbas called on the people to reject the pretexts used by the Greek government and its imperialist allies to justify involvement in war, to refuse new sacrifices, and to take their place in the broad front of confrontation and overthrow. He stressed that the capitalist system is not omnipotent, despite efforts by the bourgeois political system to obscure this reality by setting new traps through old and new parties in order to contain popular discontent.
He concluded by emphasizing that only the KKE represents a genuine, militant popular opposition capable of opening the way toward a new course for the people and the country. With the decisions of its 22nd Congress and its revolutionary Program, the KKE, he said, calls on all working people to march together with the Party for the revolutionary overthrow of capitalist barbarism and for socialism — a necessity arising from every aspect of today’s reality.
A central part of his speech was devoted to international developments and the KKE’s unwavering stance against imperialism. He expressed strong solidarity with the long-suffering Palestinian people and their heroic struggle against genocide and decades-long occupation imposed by the Israeli state with the support of its allies. He stressed that the KKE continues to fight for the Palestinian people’s right to their own independent homeland and demanded that the Greek government immediately recognize the Palestinian state, in line with the unanimous decision of the Greek Parliament in 2015.
Koutsoumbas condemned U.S. imperialist intervention in Venezuela, the threats of U.S. imperialism, and the barbaric blockade imposed on Cuba, reaffirming the KKE’s solidarity with the Cuban people and the Communist Party of Cuba. He also addressed the Cyprus issue, emphasizing the need to intensify the struggle for a united, independent Cyprus — one state, not two — with a single sovereignty, citizenship, and international personality, free of occupation forces, foreign troops, and military bases, with the people as masters in their own land.
He denounced the threats of the United States against the peoples of Iran, Greenland, Colombia, Mexico, and other countries, stressing that only the peoples themselves have the right to determine the course of developments in their countries, based on their own interests. In this context, he highlighted the need to intensify the struggle against anti-communism and the falsification of history, which he described as official ideology of the European Union, as well as against bans and persecutions targeting Communist Parties by bourgeois states and governments. “Proletarian internationalism is our strength,” he underlined.
Turning to domestic developments, Koutsoumbas referred to the pre-Congress discussions and explained in detail why the KKE is, in his words, “the most democratic party,” rooted in collective decision-making and active participation of its members. He spoke about the large-scale struggles of small farmers and the growing alarm across workplaces over deadly working conditions, referring specifically to the deaths of five women workers in a food factory in Trikala — yet another crime highlighting that the working class pays a heavy blood toll in the daily struggle for survival.
He stressed that the true way to honor the victims is to intensify workers’ struggles in every workplace for the strict enforcement of health and safety measures and for stronger organization at work. Only organized workers, he said, can form a protective barrier against employers’ lawlessness, the ruthless drive for intensification, profit, and exploitation.
Koutsoumbas emphasized that the responsibility the KKE sets for itself through the decisions of the 22nd Congress is to align even more closely with its strategic task: to lead the struggle of the working class, popular forces, and their social allies for socialism. He noted that exploitation, crises, and wars constantly reappear on the agenda of the capitalist system, not as signs of its strength, but as expressions of its deep, incurable contradictions.
He explained that in order to overcome crises and resolve their internal rivalries, capitalist powers are increasingly turning toward the war economy and military conflicts, attempting to postpone the next crisis at the expense of the peoples, who ultimately pay the price. In this context, he stressed that Greece’s participation in NATO and the implementation of its war plans do not ensure security or protection of the country’s sovereign rights.
Koutsoumbas warned that a broader confrontation is being prepared, particularly between the United States and China for dominance at the top of the imperialist pyramid, and that this confrontation will be ruthless. He underlined that although alliances may change and realign, their class character remains determined by the capitalist economic base, monopoly interests, and capitalist ownership — whether in Euro-Atlantic or Eurasian alliances. Therefore, he stressed, the crucial issue for the Greek people is not to choose between rival “camps of robbers,” but to strengthen the struggle for disengagement from the imperialist slaughter promoted by the current government.
He pointed out that the sharpening of contradictions within the system can lead to destabilization of bourgeois power, mass movements, uprisings, and even revolutionary conditions. Expressing confidence in the working class and the people, he emphasized that victory can be achieved through the Party’s strategy and strong organization.
Finally, Koutsoumbas called on the people to reject the pretexts used by the Greek government and its imperialist allies to justify involvement in war, to refuse new sacrifices, and to take their place in the broad front of confrontation and overthrow. He stressed that the capitalist system is not omnipotent, despite efforts by the bourgeois political system to obscure this reality by setting new traps through old and new parties in order to contain popular discontent.
He concluded by emphasizing that only the KKE represents a genuine, militant popular opposition capable of opening the way toward a new course for the people and the country. With the decisions of its 22nd Congress and its revolutionary Program, the KKE, he said, calls on all working people to march together with the Party for the revolutionary overthrow of capitalist barbarism and for socialism — a necessity arising from every aspect of today’s reality.
