Greek Elections 2023 — Now is the time to decide how much stronger the KKE will be

The General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas, was the keynote speaker at the mass rally organized by the organizations of the KKE and KNE in the city of Patras on Monday 19/6. The communist mayor of the city, Kostas Peletidis, also attended the rally. 

In his speech, Dimitris Koutsoumbas stressed the following:

“Another crime that was bound to happen, the shipwreck off Pylos that continues to shock us all, was carried out a few days ago. The KKE is once again at the forefront of the struggle and clearly states that, despite the decay and cynicism of all the voices of the system, there is the choice of action and organized struggle against barbarity.

NATO Killers Go Home: Protesters in Greece threw red paint at NATO warships

Members of the Communist Party (KKE), workers, peace activists demonstrated today in the Patras, Greece, against the docking of NATO warships in the city port, 902 portal reported.

Following a rally in the city, the protesters approached the port where they threw red paint at the ships, shouting slogans against the presence of NATO imperialists in the region. 

Greek communist mayor declares US ambassador unwelcome

Kostas Peletidis, the communist mayor of Patras, Greece's third largest city, has once again expressed his firm anti-imperialist stance by declaring the U.S. ambassador as “persona non grata”. 

U.S. ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt has been invited by a local newspaper to participate in a conference that will be held on June 3rd. Peletidis, a Communist Party (KKE) member  who has been mayor since 2014, issued a statement saying that the presence of Pyatt in Patras consists a “provocation” that insults the people's peaceful sentiments.

Patras' communist mayor Kostas Peletidis wins a landslide victory with over 70% of the votes

The communist mayor of Patras, Greece's third largest city, Kostas Peletidis, has been re-elected in office in the second round of the local elections that took place on Sunday. 

Peletidis, who has the support of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), gained 70,91% winning a landslide victory over his opponent G. Alexopoulos. 

Greece: Five communist mayors go to second round of local elections on June 2

From left: Peletidis (Patras), Stamelos (Kesariani), Selekos (Haidari), 
Simos (Petroupoli), Lardas (Ikaria).

The five communist (backed by the KKE) mayors are going to the second round of municipal elections in Greece, after the results of May 26th. 

The five mayors, heads of the "People's Rally" (Laiki Sispirosi) lists, will have the opportunity to re-claim their mayorship in the local elections run-off next Sunday 2 July. More specifically:

In Patras, mayor Kostas Peletidis received 40.59% of the votes (approximately 39,500 votes). 

In Kesariani, the heroic district of Athens, mayor Ilias Stamelos received 29.87% (app. 3,525 votes).

Greece's communist mayors will run for re-election in May 2019

From left: Ilias Stamelos, Michael Selekos, Vangelis Simos.

In mass political events that took place on Monday in three different municipalities of the Athens region, the Communist Party-backed mayors announced that they will run for office in the local elections which will be held in May 2019. 

More specifically, the local Party organisations of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) in Kesariani, Haidari and Petroupolis organized political events under the title "The activity of the KKE in the municipality's administration to support the people in their struggle for the rights and contemporary needs". The KKE-backed mayors, heads of "People's Rally" electoral lists, gave detailed accounts of their policies during the last four years thus highlighting numerous examples of their solid support towards the working class.

Dangerous games - Does the US plan to install nuclear warheads in Greece?

On the 20th of September, the daily newspaper "Rizospastis"-organ of the CC of the KKE-on its front page highlighted the continuing suspicious and conspicuous silence of the government in relation to this accusation made by the KKE.

"Rizospastis" denounces the plans to transfer US nuclear weapons to Greece, which it characterizes as "playing with fire". At the same time, it reveals that the coalition government of the "left" party SYRIZA and the allegedly "patriotic" ANEL has agreed to provide upgraded services at the naval-airforce base of Souda, after the recent renewal of the agreement with the USA regarding its use. It is also discussing "hosting" US marines from Incirlik.

Patras' communist mayor Peletidis in the forefront of the popular struggle against unemployment

Back in March 2016, the communist (KKE-backed) mayor of the city of Patras Kostas Peletidis had initiated the Patras to Athens 220km march against unemployment.

This year, the mayor who is always by the side of the working class and the people of his city, undertook a similar initiative by organizing an anti-unemployment demonstration in order to raise the public awareness on the issue. 

On June 25 2017, a major demonstration was carried out in Patras at the initiative of the municipal authorities with the slogan "Work for all, Work with rights." The demonstrators began from Patras' city center and reached the Rio-Antirio bridge covering a distance of approximately 9km. 
 

Thousands of protesters sent a clear message for work, for measures to protect the unemployed and their families, for projects that the people need, for an increase of spending on social policy, for the satisfaction of the needs of the people today.

As the communist mayor of Patras, Kostas Peletidis, stressed: "We do not believe that with such actions we will overturn the wave of unemployment and poverty that are surrounding us, but we want our people to raise the level of their demands, to advance their just cause and project their needs that are just and realistic, to decisively target the real enemy, bourgeois politics and its power." 

The mobilization was supported by dozens of trade unions from the region.

With info from 902.gr & inter.kke.gr. 

KKE GS Dimitris Koutsoumbas: "The Greek people do not believe anymore the fairy tale of Mr.Tsipras"

Visiting the city of Patras, where he met with the city's communist mayor Kostas Peletidis, the Secretary General of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas made the following statement:

"The Greek people do not believe anymore this oft repeated fairy tale which Mr.Tsipras and his government repeat, that the people's sacrificies finally have results, that development will come and will be for their benefit. The huge sacrifices that the Greek people done, do and will continue doing, under the policies of governments so far, are for the interests of the big capital, of a few monopoly groups. This is the essence of that and our people are kneeling, bleeding and will continue doing so under the lasting memorandums and the new measures that are coming". 

Source: 902.gr / Translation: In Defense of Communism.

Antifascist victory in Greece! Communist Mayor Peletidis acquitted of all charges by court

Not guilty! The KKE-backed Mayor of the city of Patras Kostas Peletidis was acquitted of all charges by Patra's magistrate court earlier today. The public prosecutor's proposal was also "not guilty". The decision of the court consists a victory not only for Mayor Peletidis himself, but primarily for the popular antifascist movement in Greece against the neo-Nazi criminal organisation of Golden Dawn. 

Peletidis had been charged with "breach of duty" by the Ministry of Justice's Public Administration Body of Inspectors, because during the 2015 parliamentary elections he refused to provide municipal space for the gatherings of the fascist criminals of Golden Dawn. Furthermore, the mayor refused to provide information to Golden Dawn's MPs about the number of migrant children attending Patras' municipal kindergartens. 

Solidarity with Greek communist Mayor Kostas Peletidis- Fascism shall not pass!

The solidarity movement for the communist Mayor of Greece's third largest city is growing. Kostas Peletidis, the KKE-backed Mayor of Patras, is being litigated by the Ministry of Justice's Public Administration Body of Inspectors for refusing to provide public space to the neo-Nazi, fascist party of Golden Dawn. 

More specifically, Peletidis has been charged with "breach of duty", because during the 2015 parliamentary elections he refused to provide municipal space for the gatherings of the neo-Nazis. Furthermore, the mayor refused to provide information to Golden Dawn's MPs about the number of migrant children attending Patras' municipal kindergartens. 

The trial has been scheduled to take place today, Monday 13th of February 2017.

March Against Unemployment, from Patras to Athens: The beginning of new peoples' struggles

Photo source: 902.gr.

With a massive demonstration in front of the Greek Parliament, in Syntagma Square, labour unions, working class associations, youth and women organisations welcomed the participants in the Great March Against Unemployment. After 7 days and covering a distance of 220 km, the march which began from the city of Patras arrived in Athens on Sunday afternoon. The KKE-backed mayor of Patras, Kostas Peletidis, whose initiative was the March against unemployment, was the major speaker in the rally. 

Patras municipality: Mass participation in the beginning of the 220km anti-unemployment marathon

The banner of the 220km march against
unemployment.

Latest news reports from the city of Patras refer to "mass participation" in the municipality's iniative to organise a 220km march to Athens having as a slogan "Jobs for everybody-Labour with rights". The march began at 9 am on Sunday at Georgiou square in the city-center. In the forefront of the march was the communist mayor of Patras, Kostas Peletidis, while hundreds of labour unions, women and youth associations, student organisations were following. 

The- marathon like- march will end in Athens' Syntagma Square on April 10 when a large demonstration will take place during the evening with the participation of hundreds labour unions and various associations from Attica.

"Jobs for everybody- Labour with rights": Patras' communist mayor campaigns against unemployment

Patras' mayor Kostas Peletidis.

Having as a major slogan "Jobs for everybody-Labour with rights", the City of Patras, in Greece, organises a 220 km marathon march to Athens. The march is scheduled to begin at 8:00 am on Sunday, April 3, and to end up seven days later, on April 10th, in Athens' Syntagma Square. 

The campaign is an initiative of mayor Kostas Peletidis- the Communist Party (KKE) candidate who won the 2014 local elections- as an outcry of solidarity against the increasing unemployment (25% according to official sources) in the country. The Municipality has invited a large number of workers unions, youth and women associations and organisations, local unions of merchants and farmers, as well as various cultural and sports-related associations to participate. 

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) has already expressed its solidarity.