BELARUS: Statements-reactions by Communist and Workers Parties

With statements and declarations Communist and Workers Parties from Europe and across the world have reacted to the situation in Belarus which remains tense since the presidential elections of August 9th. 

Below you can read a collection of statements issued by CPs in face of the developments in Belarus: 

Click here to read the statement by the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). 

BELARUS: In the “millstones” of the exploitative system

The opposition to Lukashenko with the old flag of the country,
which was used during the German occupation

The article was published in “Rizospastis” newspaper, Organ of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), on 22/8/2020, under the title "BELARUS: In the “millstones” of the exploitative system".

The “baton” of imperialist intervention ended up in Belarus

By Elisaios Vagenas.

On August 10th, the day after the recent Belarus presidential elections, a tanker docked at the port of the Lithuanian city Klaipeda,  carrying 76,000 tons of crude American oil,  ordered by the “last dictator of Europe”, as the western Mass Media likes to call the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.

Belarus under the threat of a "color revolution"?

The landslide victory (with 80.23% of the votes) of incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus’ presidential elections on Sunday sparked violent protests by supporters of the opposition in Minsk and other cities. A protester was killed and dozens were injured following clashes with police forces. 

Opposition leader  Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who received 9.9% of the votes, refused to accept the results, stating that they were rigged. 

“I consider myself the winner of this election” Tikhanovskaya said in a statement before leaving the country for Lithuania.

KKE: Statement for the refugee crisis in Belarus-EU borders

The KKE calls the people of Poland and Belarus, as well as the other people of the region, to turn their backs on nationalism and racism, to strengthen the solidarity with the people who are victims of imperialist wars and exploitation, points out a statement of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) concerning the dramatic situation in the Polish-Belarusian border.

More specifically, the statement (here in Greek) issued by the Press Bureau of the CC of the KKE reads:

KKE condemns foreign intervention in Belarus, calls the people to organize their own struggle

In a statement issued on Monday 17 August, the Press Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) condemns the foreign intervention in the internal affairs of Belarus and calls the working people to organize their own independent struggle against capitalist barbarity.

The statement, which was published in 902 portal, reads:

Belarus’ white and red flag: A symbol of Nazi collaborationists and counterrevolution

A characteristic of the recent Belarus protests is the use by the demonstrators of the white-red flag. Shortly after the announcement of the elections’ result on August 9th, the streets of Minsk flooded with opposition-backed protestors waving white-red flags. 

But what is the actual meaning of the Belarusian white-red flag and what’s the history behind it?

It was used for the first time by the short-lived anti-Bolshevik Belarusian National Republic (BNR) between March 1918 and February 1919. During the interwar period, it was occasionally used by political and non-political organizations, including the conservative Belarusian Christian Democracy (1927). 

KKE blasts US and EU interventionist policy in Belarus

Concerning the forced landing of the Ryanair flight (operating the route from Athens to Vilnius) to Minsk and the interventionist plans by the EU and the U.S, in Belarus' internal affairs, the Press Bureau of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued a statement (here in Greek). 

The statement reads:

Russian Communist Workers' Party on Belarus: The "Belarusian Maidan" must be prevented

In a declaration about the elections and the ongoing protests in Belarus, the Political Council of the CC of the Communist Workers’ Party of Russia - Revolutionary Party of Communists (RKRP-CPSU) points out that a possible “Belarusian Maidan” must be prevented. 

The RKPR-CPSU notes that “the opposition did not recognize the results even before they were announced, even long before the elections”, adding that “it does not really matter whether this right-wing opposition is pro-Western or pro-Russian” because “in any case, it is pro-imperialist”. The Belarusian opposition – states the party – is “clearly nationalistic in nature” and “in many respects similar to the Kiev Maidan”. 

Poland's communists blast governmental policy on refugees

“The Polish government's policy towards refugees failed and resulted in the death of at least a dozen people” points out the Communist Party of Poland (KPP) in a statement concerning the ongoing refugee crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border. 

 

“A government that is unable to resolve this crisis in a peaceful way should resign” adds the Communist Party, underlining that the foreign policy of Poland must change.

The KPP stresses out that “it shouldn't be forgotten that Poland, as a NATO member-state, had an instrumental role in the tragic situation affected by war, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan” and adds: “The refugees hope to reach Western European countries through Poland. These people often flee from Islamic fundamentalism, imperialism or the lack of prospects in their home country. Many migrants are Kurds who have become victims of Turkism imperialism in Syria and Iraq. Some have successfully fought against the Islamic State but, now, the U.S. has handed them over to Erdogan's regime which is occupying part of Syria's territory and carries out air strikes in northern Iraq”.

KKE in the European Parliament: Denounces the intervention of EU-NATO-U.S in Belarus

During an extraordinary meeting of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee regarding the situation in Belarus, the representative of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Kostas Papadakis denounced the intervention of the EU, NATO and U.S. in  the country. 

As 902 portal reported, in his speech the KKE MEP pointed out the following:

"From here, we denounce that these days' events in Belarus are linked to the intervention of  the EU, NATO and the U.S. The pretexts of the EU and its allies are the known ones which were used in Syria, Libya, Ukraine, Iraq, etc.

Remembering the Khatyn Massacre in Belarus

80 years passed since the massacre at the Byelorussian village of Khatyn, perpetrated by the Nazis and their Ukrainian fascist collaborators. 149 people, including 75 children, were brutally murdered. 

 

The heinous crime was committed by the Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118, composed primarily of Ukrainian fascists, assisted by the Dirlewanger Waffen-SS special battalion. 

Belarus-Poland standoff: The lives of refugees are not a tool in imperialist antagonisms

In a statement about the tension in the Belarusian-Polish border the Secretariat of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) underlines that "the lives of refugees are not a tool in imperialist antagonisms" and calls for an end to the imperialist interventions which are the root of refugee-migrant crisis, The statement reads:

"The tension on the Belarusian border with Poland is intensifying every day at the expense of thousands of stranded migrants and refugees who are treated like a tennis-ball in the EU – USA – NATO geopolitical confrontation with Belarus and Russia.

Nostalgia for the USSR- People in former Soviet republics say life was better in Socialism

A new survey, conducted by Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), M-Vector, Ipsos, Expert Fikri and Qafqaz in 11 countries of the former Soviet Union, at the request of Sputnik news agency and radio, shows that the residents of 9 out of 11 surveyed former Soviet countries aged over 35 believe that life in the USSR was better than it has been since the breakup of the Soviet Union. 

Also read: Life was better under Communism" says the majority of Russians, Romanians and Eastern Germans.

MOSCOW (sputniknews.com) - Some 64% of respondents in Russia who lived in Soviet times believe that the quality of life in the Soviet Union was better. About 60% of respondents in Ukraine agreed with this statement. The survey showed that the highest rates of agreement with this statement are found among respondents in Armenia (71%) and Azerbaijan (69%). Those respondents who do not remember living in the USSR, those aged 18-24, believe that life has improved since the collapse. Some 63% of young people in Russia think so.

Irish communists: The hypocrisy of Western governments knows no bounds

Photo: idcommunism.com

In a statement issued on May 24, 2021, the Communist Party of Ireland (Páirtí Cumannach na hÉireann) points out the following:

"The outrage being expressed by the Government and the minister for foreign affairs is all hot air and downright hypocritical, as is the blustering by the European Union, in regard to the Ryanair flight being forced to land in Belarus and the arrest of Roman Protasevich, a passenger on that Ryanair flight.

Nothing about Belarus can be separated from the aggressive political and military strategy of both the European Union and NATO towards that country and towards Russia.

20th IMCWP: All the written contributions by the Communist & Workers' Parties (list)

As the 20th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP) is due to take place in four days, we present all the up-to-date written contributions by the participating Communist and Workers' Parties.

The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) kicks off on Thursday in Athens

(Info from 'Rizospastis' / In Defense of Communism ©).

The 20th Congress of the KKE, which has as a major slogan "We strengthen the KKE. For powerful labour movement and social alliance. For the power, For Socialism", begins on Thursday 30th March at the Party's headquarters in Athens. Hundreds of representatives from Party organisations from all over Greece will gather at the KKE headquarters to participate in the works of the Congress which is held between 30th of March and 2nd of April 2017. 

The Congress' works will begin tomorrow at 10 am (local hour) with the presentation of the Central Committee's proposal by the Party's General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas. The opening of the Congress and Koutsoumbas' introductory speech will be transmitted live by the 902.gr portal, the 902.gr webradio as well as from Party's radio station 90,4 FM in Thessaloniki.  

Interview with KKE MEP Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos on the imperialist war in Ukraine

Interview of Communist Party of Greece (KKE) MEP Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos concerning the imperialist war in Ukraine, originally published in "Kosmodromio" website on August 31st.

Q: I would like you to comment on the political atmosphere prevailing in the West towards Russia, "Russophobia", as the Italian journalist Giulietto Chiesa called it. We are witnessing for the first time in Europe after the Second World War that people are being prosecuted based solely on their ethnic origin and nationality, European Ministers are calling for the assassination of Putin and the overthrow of the Russian regime, attempts are being made to impose a climate of neo-McCarthyism throughout the continent. How serious a threat do you think democratic rights in the West and world peace are facing as a result of this international climate?

20th KKE Congress: The international communist movement praises the contribution of the KKE

By Nikos Mottas.

More than 100 are the communist and workers' parties which have sent letters of solidarity and greetings to the Cenral Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) on the occasion of the Party's 20th Congress. 

From Latin America to the Far East, communists highlight the significant contribution of the KKE in the efforts for the reconstruction and strengthening of the international communist and workers movement, as well as for the Party's internationalist solidarity. Here are some characteristic examples:

Stalin never allied with Hitler: The Truth about the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

 By Nikos Mottas.

"If we see that Germany is winning we ought to help Russia and if Russia is winning we ought to help Germany, and that way let them kill as many as possible...”

- Harry Truman, 1941.

Since the end of the Second World War, the bourgeois historiography has tried to distort various incidents in order to vilify Socialism and the USSR. One of these incidents- which has been a "banner" of imperialism's apologists and other anticommunists- is the so-called “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact” which was signed in 1939. In it's unscientific, unhistorical effort to equate Communism with Nazism, the bourgeois propaganda presents the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact as a medium of expansive policy by the USSR and Hitler's Germany. The distortion of historical events, the amalgamation of lies and the half-truths by the Imperialists and their collaborators aim in defaming the huge role of the Soviet Union in the anti-fascist struggle of WW2.

European Communist Initiative: The slogan "Socialism or Barbarity" is more timely than ever

On May 10, 2020, a Teleconference of the parties of the European Communist Initiative was held, with the theme: "The struggle of the Communist and Labor Parties in the conditions of the pandemic and the new capitalist crisis".

The Teleconference was attended by 24 Communist and Labor Parties from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland,  Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine.