Turkish communist leader Kemal Okuyan talks about the economic crisis

Kemal Okuyan, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), elaborated on the ongoing economic crisis for soL news portal. 

Okuyan highlighted that crises are inevitable under capitalism, and that they result in further monopolization as well as the reallocation of funds from toiling masses to capital. 

Emphasizing that expecting the crisis to lead Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan or his AKP government to a political stalemate would be too optimistic, Okuyan pointed out that the political outcomes of the crisis would be determined by the struggle of the working class.

Interview with Domenico Losurdo: Marx and the counter-history of Liberalism

Domenico Losurdo, one of the most significant contemporary Marxist thinkers, died at the age of 77. He was a Professor of Philosophy at Urbino University as well as President of the International Association Hegel-Marx for Dialectical Thought. Despite any possible disagreements of different views regarding his work, the death of Losurdo consists a major loss for marxist thought in the academic and literature sector. Below, we republish an interesting interview he gave to the Platypus Affiliated Society in 2012, based on one of his latest books titled "Liberalism: A Counter-History". 

Tsipras regrets 2015 referendum, expresses full obedience to EU anti-worker reforms

In an interview to the German newspaper Die Welt, Greece's Prime Minister and SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras confirmed with his own words his total transformation into a docile impementer of the anti-people, anti-worker reforms, imposed by the EU and the capitalists. 

Speaking like a man who expresses repetance for his past, Tsipras had kind words for the German chancellor Angela Merkel, praising her role in dealing with the refugee crisis that swamped Greece in 2015, coming in the first few months of the Tsipras government's assumption of power.

Interview with Ástor García, Gen. Secretary of the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)

Special interview with Ástor García, General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE). 

IDC: According to your party's statement the dispute in the Parliament, between the People's Party (PP) and PSOE, consists the result of a competition between differents parts of the capital. Do you think that the big capital wants new anti-worker, anti-people reforms that a PSOE government under P. Sanchez premiership could implement easier than the previous government? If yes, could you briefly tell us what kind of reforms the new government is planning to implement?

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." 

Interview with the Communist Party (Italy)

Special interview with Guido Ricci, member of the Political Bureau and head of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Italy (Partito Comunista). 

IDC: Taking into account the existing difficulties and the political correlation of forces, how do you evaluate the result of the March elections for the Communist Party, Italy? Did you achieve the basic objectives you had set before the elections?

PC: As you know, our Party does not consider elections and the parliamentary activity as the only possible form of struggle. According to the teachings of Lenin and Gramsci, the presence in the bourgeois parliament must be used to develop the work outside and against it. We approached these elections as an opportunity to verify our Party's mobilization ability, improve our organizational skills and attract new militants. We considered the elections as a means of making the party grow. Actually, a considerable number of workers and young people came into contact with the Party during the signatures drive and the election campaign. New party organizations have been established and the existing ones have been strengthened thanks to new comrades joining them.

Elissaios Vagenas: "Greece must not become a “launching pad” for the imperialist wars of the USA and NATO"

In the recent period, the SYRIZA-ANEL government has granted new military bases to the USA and NATO, while it is participating in all of the military operations and police missions of NATO and the EU. Concerning the position of the KKE on the issue of the bases, Elissaios Vagenas, member of the CC and head of the International Relations Department of the CC of the KKE made the following statement in the newspaper “Russian Gazette”.

“We have repeatedly condemned and we continue to condemn the granting of military bases, such as the huge naval and air force base of Souda, and other infrastructure for the military operations of the USA and NATO in the Eastern Mediterranean, in North Africa, in the Balkans, the Black Sea and in other regions.” – stated the head of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee of the KKE, Elissaios Vagenas.

Interview with the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (NKPJ): "NATO murderers out of Balkans!"

Special interview with Marijan Kubik, Secretary for International Relations of the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (Nova Komunistička Partija Jugoslavije NKPJ), on the occasion of the 19th tragic anniversary of the NATO bombing against Yugoslavia. 

Introduction by the NKPJ:

Between 24 March and 11 June 1999, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its 12 million inhabitants were faced with the ruthless attack of the strongest military force in the world. Bearing in mind the human potential of the aggressor countries 764 million inhabitants, the ratio was 1:70. The territorial ratio was 1:234, and economic power 1:676. A comparison of the military might is hard to set, due to the complete qualitative and quantitative disproportion. In the NATO aggression on FR Yugoslavia, nearly 27.000 sorties, were made. More than 8.200 involved the use of weaponry.. About 2.300 strikes were carried out against 995 sites ("targets") in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Union de la Jeunesse Communiste (UJC): The potential for France's communist youth

The Communist Youth Union (Union de la Jeunesse Communiste- UJC) is the youth wing of the Revolutionary Communist Party of France (PCRF). The text below is an interview published on international communist press:

ICP: On the centenary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, it has become more and more important to understand well the necessity and role of the communist youth both in the struggle for the rights of the youth and in the working class struggle. How do you consider the potential that communist youth can reveal today in an imperialist country like France?

"President Putin is bluffing" says ROT Front leader Viktor Tyulkin

Bluff of President Putin or on intervention of USA in Russian elections.

Viktor Tyulking talks to Dmitry Volgin, March 5^th, Leningrad.

As the address of Russian President to the joint assembly of the two chambers of Russian Parliament was unusual and caused a lot of agitation and questions in local society, we decided to ask the 1^st Secretary of ROT Front Central Committee Viktor Tyulkin to comment on the presidential speech.

KKE MP: "The Greek government becomes NATO's flag-bearer in the region"

The effort of the SYRIZA-ANEL government to play the role of NATO's flag-bearer in the region, in order to serve the aims of the capital, thus involving the Greek people in great dangers, was underlined by the KKE Central Committee member and MP Giannis Giokas during a radio interview earlier on Friday.

Giokas said that the government's policy is to play the role of NATO's flag-bearer in the region, making agreements for new military bases and arms purschase, as well as by closing a series of issues such as the FYROM name case. Through this way, the government argues that it will contribute to the country's upgrade in the region for the benefit of the people. 

Macedonia name dispute: KKE is opposed to FYROM's accession to NATO

The firm opposition of the Communist Party of Greece to NATO's plans in the Balkan region and the role of the imprialist alliance in the Macedonia name dispute, was stated by Nikos Sofianos, member of the Political Bureau of the Party's Central Committee, during an interview on ERT1.

“The negotiations that are currently taking place between Greece and the neighboring country [FYROM] are taking place under the umbrella of NATO and the Americans. These are the ones who accelerate the talks, aiming at the accession of FYROM in NATO” said Sofianos. 

He also added that both the government and other cosmopolitans as well as the organizers of the upcoming nationalist rally (which will take place on Sunday in Athens) “do not disagree with FYROM's accession to NATO, the alliance which is responsible for slaughtering the Balkans, dissolving Yugoslavia, bombing Serbia, creating minorities and utilizing irredentisms”.

Interview with Marco Rizzo, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Italy (PC)

The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Italy (Partito Comunista), Marco Rizzo, gave a very interesting interview to the International Communist Press:

ICP: Before starting, could you inform our readers about the discussions within the Italian Communist Movement that led to the founding of your party, the Communist Party of Italy?

Marco Rizzo: The ideological and political origins of our Party refer to the political area of ​​the legendary organizer of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) during the Resistance, Pietro Secchia, who was an opponent of Togliatti for what concerned its moderatism according to the "Italian Way to Socialism". This area kept living through the magazine Interstampa and the Marxist Cultural Centers, born in Italy during the ‘80s. This area was, in fact, the backbone of the struggle of the pro-Soviet opposition within the PCI and the establishment of the new party, Rifondazione Comunista, after the PCI dissolution in 1991.

Interview with Ástor García (PCPE): "The antidote for nationalism is class identity"

SoL news portal interviewed Astor Garcia, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the People of Spain (PCPE), who was in Izmir, Turkey for the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution event by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP). You can see the video of the interview in the end of the transcript.

soL: Wellcome to Izmir. How were the activities on the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in your country and what were its repercussions?

Astor Garcia: We organized a number of activities in several cities in Spain on commemorating the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution. It started with the activity in Madrid on October 7 which aroused great interest among Party members, the Communist Youth Collective (CJC) and our sympathizers. The other activities are taking place in the regional capitals.

"The legacy of the Bolsheviks shows that Socialism is timely" - Interview with the KKE Politburo member Dimitris Arvanitakis

Special interview of Dimitris Arvanitakis, member of the Political Bureau of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece. Source: International Communist Press (ICP):

ICP: We have recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Great October Revolution, what does this centenary mean for the Communist Parties of the World?

Dimitris Arvanitakis: The Great October Socialist Revolution is a huge contribution to the people all over the World. There are many gains and  a massive experience left for the contemporary struggle of the working class movement and for the Communist Parties internationally. 

Interview of the KKE Secretary General Dimitris Koutsoumbas on "Pravda" newspaper (EN/RU)

Interview of the Secretary General of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas on "PRAVDA" newspaper, organ of the CC of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF).

Source: inter.kke.gr. 

1.   Which was the role of the Great October Socialist Revolution and the experience of the soviet power in USSR in the constitution and development of your party?

This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917 in Russia, which put its seal in the 20^th century. Its outbreak and victory has had a tremendous impact on global developments. The Russian working class with the October Revolution came to embody the vision of millions of working-popular masses for a better life. It has given great impetus to the development of the workers´ movement internationally, accelerated the process of establishing communist parties in many countries, including Greece. In November 1918, representatives of the socialist organizations of Greece originally created the Socialist Workers' Party of Greece (SEKE), which a few years later was renamed toCommunist Party of Greece (KKE). Among the decisions of the KKE's founding conference is a greeting to Soviet Russia, as well as a protest - denunciation against the planned military intervention by the imperialists against Soviet power.

Aleida Guevara: "The Cuban Revolution will endure because of social consciousness"

Major abstracts of an interview by Aleida Guevara, daughter of the heroic Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara, during her recent visit in Cyprus. The interview was published in the portal Dialogos / Translation in english: In Defense of Communism:

We talked about great personalities like Fidel, Che, Raul, Camilo. Their personalities frequently overshadow the Revolution of the Cuban people and the resistance which lasts for so many years. Something that imperialism feeds with illusions is (the perception) that the biological death of Fidel and Revolution's leaders will result to her collapse. How do you comment? 

Kemal Okuyan: "Turkey does not have any other choice. We need socialism as we need air and water" (Interview with TKP's First Secretary)

The interview by soL news portal with Kemal Okuyan, First Secretary of the CC of TKP (Communist Party of Turkey), on the results of the 16 April referendum in Turkey.

Source: International Communist Press, 17 April 2017.

soL: What can you say right away about the results of the referendum?

KO: We cannot talk about an arithmetical result. They did something they are good at, and they have stolen the results. Our logic, our mind and conscience tell us that ‘No’ won in arithmetic terms, too. 

Yet, there are other results. First of all, we see all they could muster despite all their repression, exploitation of public resources, and fraud; the picture speaks for itself. We saw that in reality their followers do not add up to more than 40 percent of the population in Turkey.

The voice of American Communists: PCUSA on Trump, Cuba-US relations and opportunism

The Party of Communists USA (PCUSA) was founded on May Day 2014. Formed out of the ashes of the Communist Party USA, the PCUSA aspires to become the base for a new beginning for the communist movement in the United States. On the occasion of Donald Trump's rise to power, we asked from the PCUSA to share with us the party's views on some topics. 

Below we publish the response we exclusively received by the PCUSA's Council of Secretaries.

"Trump will be a disaster for the US working class" - Interview with Zoltan Zigedy

On the occasion of the beginning of Donald Trump's presidency and the recent anti-Trump demonstrations throughout the United States, we asked from the US-based blogger and activist Zoltan Zigedy* to share his views.