KNE Festival: Massive attendance surpassed all expectations - Report from Athens

ATHENS- With an overwhelming, massive participation of people of every age, this year's KNE-Odigitis Festival surpasssed any expectations. 

Dedicated to the 100 years of the Communist Party of Greece and the 50 years since the foundation of its youth wing, KNE, the festival took place at Athens' Tritsis Park, on 20-22 of September. 

Inspired by the lyrics of a poem written by Yannis Ritsos, the festival's slogan was “it's been a long road so far. A difficult road! A certain road. Now this road is yours to follow”.

Massive demonstration by PAME during the opening of Thessaloniki's International Fair

Thousands of workers, farmers, unemployed and self-employed men and women participated in a large demonstration organized by the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) in the center of Thessaloniki on Saturday evening. 

The protest was organized on the occasion of the opening, by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, of the 83rd International Trade Fair where the "honored country" is the United States of America. 

The 44th KNE-Odigitis festival to be held on 20-22 September in Athens

KNE-Odigitis festival (Archive photo).

Celebrating 50 years since its foundation and under the slogan "It has been a long road so far. A difficult road!... A certain road…100 years of KKE – 50 years of the KNE Festival…now this road is yours to follow", the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) organizes the 44th KNE-Odigitis festival. 

Like every year, events will be organized by KNE in many cities and towns across Greece, ending with a three-day large festival in Athens on 20-22 September 2018. Following a tradition of the last 7 years, the KNE-Odigitis festival will take place at "Antonis Tritsis Park" in the district of Ilion in Athens. 

The 27th Anti-imperialist camp of KNE to take place in Patras on 6-8 July

Archive Photo from previous KNE camp.

Under the slogan "Come with us in the struggle against the system which creates poverty, wars, refugees", hundreds of young people are going to participate in the 27th Anti-imperialist camp, organized by the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE).

This year's camp will take place in Alissos, close to the city of Patras, on 6, 7 and 8 July 2018. 

The central political event will take place on Friday 6th July in Patras, with the General Secretary of the CC of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas being the keynote speaker. 

Koutsoumbas: Tsipras surpassed all limits of adventurism in order to deceive the people

Commenting on yesterday's governmental show at Zappion Hall in Athens- where Prime Minister Tsipras wore a tie in order to “celebrate” the debt deal with the creditors- the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece Dimitris Koutsoumbas said:

“The ridiculous fiestas of Tsipras and Kammenos can only be characterized as a provocation towards the people who continue to be challenged with old as well as new measures agreed by the SYRIZA-ANEL government. Mr Tsipras may wore and took off the tie, but the noose he put around our people's neck remains and tightens even more, with the “post-memorandum” austerity memorandum he has put on their shoulders […] and if there is something with which we agree with the Prime Minister is that he actually managed to do the dirty job, on behalf of the big capital, of the EU and NATO, thus being the “best student”!” said the KKE General Secretary.

Thousands of workers joined PAME in strike demonstrations throughout Greece

Under the slogan "your development crushes our lives! Struggle, organization and counterattack is our choice!" thousands of workers, young men and women, unemployed and self-employed people, pensioners joined PAME in demonstrations throughout Greece on the occasion of the 24-hour nationwide strike. 

In Athens, the demonstrators gathered at Omonoia Square, marched through the city's central avenues and reached Syntagma Square, outside the Parliament where they protested the antipeople, antiworker policies of the SYRIZA-ANEL government.

KKE: Successful event in honor of political refugees held in Athens

The event held by the Central Committee on 21/4/18 at the Conference Hallof the Communist Party of Greece in Perissos was dedicated to a special aspect of our Party's 100 years of life, to the life of Greek political refugees in the People’s Republics.

The KKE headquarters were filled with political refugees, as well as their descendants who earlier visited the exhibition with deep emotion and also met old acquaintances, friends and comrades. The presence of the youth, which is thirsty to learn about a relatively unknown aspect of our Party History, was also special.

KKE Gen. Secretary Koutsoumbas warns of a “hot” incident between Greece and Turkey

“As the situation goes on, I am afraid that we will not avoid a “hot” incident” said Dimitris Koutsoumbas, General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece during a TV interview on Tuesday.

Speaking to ANT1 News, Koutsoumbas expressed his Party's concern about the latest developments in the Greek-Turkish relations. More specifically, he said:

“It seems that the policy of the Turkish bourgeois class, of the Turkish government, of Mr Erdogan, is oriented to put on the table- he already does verbally as well as practically- the violation of Greece's sovereign rights, the challenge of the Lausanne treaty, of Greek islands and islets in the Aegean which are Greek territory." 

Dimitris Koutsoumbas: "Greece's people have nothing to divide with Turkish people"

"Our people have nothing to divide, the Greek people have nothing to divide with the neighboring people of the Balkans, of Turkey, eastern Mediterranean and northern Africa" said, among other things, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas speaking today in Brussels. 

In a statement from Brussels, where he participated in the European Communist Meeting, the KKE General Secretary said:

Greece faces the risk of direct engagement in a war, KKE's General Secretary warns

Dimitris Koutsoumbas, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece, has expressed his deep concern about the danger of Greece's direct engagement in a war, during an interview with the newspaper “Ethnos” on Sunday. Koutsoumbas accusses the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government for cultivating an environment of complacency regarding Turkey's escalated aggression.

Responding to those who repeat the argument that Greece's membership in NATO consists a “factor of security”, the KKE Gen. Secretary reminds that NATO and the EU are responsible for border changes in the region since 1990s, always through wars and with the people's blood.

KKE Gen. Secretary Koutsoumbas expresses deep concern about Greek soldiers detained in Turkey

The deep concern of the Communist Party of Greece about the two Greek soldiers who remain detained in Turkey was expressed by the Party's General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas during his today speech at the KKE anti-imperialist rally in Thessaloniki. 

Koutsoumbas highlighted the heavy responsibilities of the Greek government for its policy of complacency, which hides the dangerous sharpening of the contradictions in the region. 

More specifically, the KKE General Secretary said:

"NO to imperialists!" - Greek communists send powerful message during KKE rally

With the major slogans being "NO to the plans of Government-Imperialists" and "Disengagement from NATO-EU", thousands of people attended the anti-imperialist rally organised by the Communist Party of Greece on Tuesday afternoon in Athens' Syntagma Square. 

Workers, students, unemployed people, pensioners as well as soldiers raised their voices against the NATO-EU plans in the Balkans and the Middle East and expressed their solidarity to the struggle of the people who fight against imperialism in every corner of the world. The rally was addressed by the General Secretary of the CC of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas who refered to the developments in the Greek-Turkish relations, the dangerous role of the US-NATO-EU in the Aegean and the Balkans and condemned the government of SYRIZA for being a loyal servant of the imperialist unions. 

Novartis scandal: Greek Parliament to probe 10 politicians in alleged bribery case

Greek Parliament voted early on Thursday in favour of the SYRIZA-ANEL proposal to probe 10 politicians over allegations that they were involved in the Novartis scandal.

A parliamentary committee of 21 members will be set up and the process is expected to last for at least one month. 

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called on lawmakers late on Wednesday night to back a government proposal to form a parliamentary committee to investigate whether 10 prominent politicians were involved in an alleged bribery scandal perpetrated by Swiss drugmaker Novartis.

Koutsoumbas' statement on the aggression of Turkish government in the Aegean

Regarding the escalation of the Turkish aggression, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece Dimitris Koutsoumbas made the following statement:

"The latest events consist an escalation of the Turkish aggression, after the formalization of Turkey's claims during the recent visit of Erdogan in Greece.

Before the- day before yesterday- collision of the Turkish ship, we had:

- Continuous encirclement of islets by Turkish ships

- Nearly a collision of a Turkish ship with a Greek gunboat. 

- Intervention of Turkish ships during the wreath laying in Imia by the Minister of Defense.

Political event for the 100 years of the KKE held in Piraeus: "Capitalism- imperialism are the past - the KKE fights for a new world"

"A century of struggle and sacrifice, the KKE in the vanguard". Under this slogan, hundreds of workers, self-employed people, pensioners, trade unionists, students, people of sports and arts participated in the political event held on Monday evening in Piraeus, in honor of the 100 years since the foundation of the Communist Party of Greece. 

The event, which was organised by the Party's Central Committee, took place at the Piraeus' Municipal Theatre, just a few metres from the historic building when, on November 1918, the founding congress of SEKE (Socialist Labour Party of Greece), later KKE, was held. 

The General Secretary of the CC of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, was the major speaker, presenting the Declaration of the Central Commitee for the Party's 100 years which was published on "Rizospastis" on Saturday 13th January. The event also included a magnificent cultural performance dedicated to the 100 years of the KKE's existence and activity.

Macedonia naming dispute: Commentary by the KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas

In an interview to "Real FM" radio on Friday 19th January, the General Secretary of the CC of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas was asked about the ongoing developments in the naming dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Below you can read abstracts from D.Koutsoumbas' answers to the questions regarding this matter:

"It is clear that during this period, the Greek government and to a certain degree the government of Skopje as well, are facing powerful pressures for a solution in the naming issue, especially from the side of the USA and NATO. These powers are keen for the accession of FYROM in NATO because, as well know, the contradictions and competitions, especially in the Balkans, are very intense.

Large economic interests are clashing and Russia does not want to lose its influence that traditional has in the Balkan region and the USA are interested to abstract countries from Russia's influence and to integrate them in the so-called euroatlantic axis, NATO and the EU. […] For that reason, according to our opinion, the nomenclature is preceded disconnected from the other issues. Its not that the name issue is not an existing matter, but I think we must get out of this sterile nomenclature.

Russian newspaper "Sovetskaya Rossiya" awards the General Secretary of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas

The General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, is among the 10 personalities (writers, politicians, journalists, etc.) who have been choosen by the Russian newspaper "Sovetskaya Rossiya" for this year's prize "A Word to the People" (Слово к народу). 

General Secretary Koutsoumbas receives the award for his speech at the 19th International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties which took place on November 2017 in Leningrad. 

"Sovetskaya Rossiya", founded on July 1956, is one of Russia's historic newspapers and the only one which has kept the name "Soviet" in her name, more than 25 years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Today, the newspaper is politically orientated towards the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). 

Dimitris Koutsoumbas: We draw conclusions, we become stronger - ДИМИТРИС КУЦУМБАС (КПГ): ИЗВЛЕКАЕМ УРОКИ, СТАНОВИМСЯ СИЛЬНЕЕ

ARTICLE OF THE GS OF THE CC OF THE KKE DIMITRIS KOUTSOUMBAS IN THE RUSSIAN NEWSPAPER “SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA”.

It is with particular joy that I address via the pages of the historical newspaper "Sovetskaya Rossiya" the workers of Russia, of the country where the "ice broke", as Lenin said, where "the way has been shown" as regards the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and the construction of the new socialist-communist society. 

The consequences of the counterrevolution and the overthrow of socialism did not cloud the eyes, mind and judgment of the communists of Greece, the KKE. Indeed on the 28th of December 1991, a few hours after the red flag was taken down from the Kremlin, Rizospastis, the journalistic organ of the CC of the KKE, wrote on its historic front page: "Comrades, hold the flag high! Hope is to be found in the struggles of the peoples"! 

Dimitris Koutsoumbas: "Socialism in the 20th century proved its superiority in comparison with capitalism"

The Secretary General of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, delivered the central speech during the KKE's political and cultural event for the 100 years since the Great October Socialist Revolution that took place on Sunday 26th November in Athens / Source: inter.kke.gr. 

In his speech, the SG of the CC of KKE noted that “The October Revolution is neither an accident of history, nor a Bolshevik coup d’etat, as the capitalists declare and write, nor immature and early, as all kinds of apostates and oportunists-adventurists declare and write”  and added that “The October Revolution has been the climactic world-historic event of the 20th century that sounded the start of the era when the working class would become the protagonist of the developments and would push forward the wheel of history, taking over the power and organizing the new socialist-communist relations of production, reforming the whole society. (…) The October Revolution gave impulse to the international revolutionary movement and filled with optimism the struggle of the peoples around the world, accelerated the process for the founding of a series of communist parties. Our Party, is a product of the revolutionary flame of October. In a few days we will welcome year 2018, year of climax for the celebration of the 100 years of the honored and heroic Communist Party of Greece.”

"The ice has been broken, the road is open": Massive participation at KKE's event for the 100 years of the Great October Socialist Revolution

With massive participation of people of every age, in a stadium filled with young communists, the KKE celebrated the 100 years since the October Socialist Revolution with a magnificent political and cultural event on Sunday in Athens. 

The event began with a speech by the General Secretary of the CC of the Party Dimitris Koutsoumbas and continued with a theatrical play dedicated to the 1917 October Revolution events. 

Thousands members, supporters and friends of the KKE and its youth wing, KNE, filled the Stadium of Peace and Friendship in Faliro, celebrating the epic revolution which inspired the people in all over the world and proved that capitalism is neither eternal nor undefeated.