The Democratic Army of Greece was the armed force led by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) during the 1946–1949 Civil War. Fighting against the Greek bourgeois state and the British- and later U.S.-backed government, the DSE became one of the most significant chapters in the history of the Greek communist movement. This year's camp was dedicated to preserving that historical memory while drawing political conclusions relevant to contemporary class struggle.
Before the political rally, thousands of participants marched through the streets of Florina carrying the flags of the KKE, KNE and the DSE. The event concluded with a wreath-laying ceremony at the KKE monument commemorating the fighters of the Democratic Army who fell during the Battle of Florina, paying tribute to those who fought during the Civil War.
A central feature of this year's camp was the participants' direct engagement with the historic sites of the DSE. Hundreds visited the restored Medical Services complex of the Democratic Army in the village of Tirnovo, where a permanent exhibition was inaugurated, highlighting the remarkable organisation of healthcare developed under wartime conditions in the liberated areas. The visit illustrated not only the military history of the DSE but also its efforts to build institutions that served the needs of the people.
Participants also hiked to the summit of Vigla, where they visited former DSE fortifications and defensive positions overlooking the mountains in which some of the Civil War's most decisive battles were fought. Guided by members of the KKE's History Department, the excursion became what the organisers described as a "living lesson of history", allowing young communists to experience first-hand the terrain where the Democratic Army fought its final battles.
🚩 Northern #Greece - Thousands of young communists hiked up the historic, fog-covered peaks of Mount Vitsi during a large-scale political camp to honor the communist guerrilla fighters of the 1946-1949 civil war. Separated by the clouds, the split groups symbolically exchanged… pic.twitter.com/FzKqLSwDDD
— In Defense of Communism © (@id_communism) July 3, 2026
Saturday evening featured a large political and cultural tribute dedicated to the fighters of the Democratic Army. Revolutionary songs, historical narration and cultural performances honoured those who struggled for the cause of socialism, while a traditional concert by local musicians celebrated the close connection between the communist movement and the region's popular traditions. Throughout the camp, political discussions, exhibitions, book presentations, sports and cultural activities further explored the legacy of the DSE and contemporary anti-imperialist struggles.
Held annually since the early 1990s, KNE's Anti-Imperialist Camp has become one of the organisation's most important political initiatives. This year's edition carried particular symbolic significance, taking place in the Vitsi mountains, where the General Headquarters of the Democratic Army, the Provisional Democratic Government and the KKE leadership operated during the Civil War. Eighty years after the DSE's founding, thousands of young communists gathered in the same mountains to honour that revolutionary legacy while reaffirming their commitment to the struggle against imperialism and for socialism.
