GUE/NGL opportunists propose Tsipras and Zaev for... Nobel Peace Prize

In a previous post, we refered to the congratulations delivered to Prime Ministers of Greece and "North Macedonia", Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev respectively, by the leadership of the "European United Left-Nordic Green Left" (GUE/NGL) party alliance in the European Parliament, over the ratification of the NATO-inspired Prespes Agreement. 

It must be noted that the GUE/NGL, alongside the Europarliament's Social Democrats and Greens, have also proposed Tsipras and Zaev as potential candidates for the... Nobel Peace Prize. On this occasion, we publish the statement of the delegation of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) in the EU Parliament which points out the following (from inter.kke.gr):

KKE MEP Papadakis voices solidarity with Venezuelan people against US-led coup

"Only the people of Venezuela have the responsibility to defend their interests and to elect their country's leadership" said Kostas Papadakis, EU Parliament's member from the Communist Party of Greece, during the discussion about the "situation in Venezuela". 

Papadakis denounced "the crude intervention of the USA, EU, NATO and governments of Latin America in Venezuela's internal affairs and their attempt to impose, through a coup d'etat, a puppet-president". The KKE MEP condemned the threats of the imperialists about a possible military intervention, as well as the stance of european governments. 

Communist candidate for mayor of Athens sends powerful message for struggle

"We say ity clearly, powerfully, honestly: A strong KKE in all ballots, in the municipality and the regional government. The "People's Rally", our list, can express a movement of struggle and change in Athens and Attica", said the Communist Party of Greece's (KKE) candidate for mayor of Athens Nikos Sofianos. 

Sofianos, a member of the Party's Political Bureau and an Athens city councillor since 2010, said that "during the difficult years of austerity, which still persists, we gave the struggle by supporting the people's demands, asserting measures, pressing for solutions on the difficult daily life of our people which is affected by the policy of the municipal authority."

European Elections 2019: Joint Appeal of Communist and Workers’ Parties of Europe

For the strengthening of the workers’ - peoples’ struggle, against capitalist exploitation and European Union – For a Europe of the peoples, of socialism!

Workers, self-employed in the cities and the country side women, youth, pensioners, people with disabilities,

We, the Communist and Workers’ Parties that undersign this Declaration, call upon you on the occasion of the European Elections of 2019.

PAME: We support Venezuelan people’s struggle to live in their country without exploitation and interventions (EN, ES)

The All Workers Militant Front (PAME), member of the World Federation of Trade Unions, condemns the USA-EU and their allies’ intervention in the internal affairs of Venezuela.

The operation of imposing a new «banana republic» in Venezuela is a terrible repetition of the bloody coups made with the support of the USA in Greece, Chile, Argentina, Brazil etc. To promote their imperialist plans, US-NATO-EU, support openly coup d’état, proceed to military threats and other measures against the Venezuelan people.

KKE's Koutsoumbas reaffirms solidarity with Venezuela, demands a clear stance from the Greek government

The General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas met earlier today with the charge d'affaires of Venezuela's embassy in Athens Freddy Jesús Fernández Torres at the Party's headquarters. 

According to 902 portal, the main issue of the discussion was the development in Venezuela and the US-backed coup attempt. From his side, Dimitris Koutsoumbas denounced the coup orchestrated by the United States and other Latin American governments, as well as the intervention by the EU and European states. 

SYRIZA government's unbearable hypocrisy on Venezuela US-backed coup

Does the government of SYRIZA in Greece support the legitimate administration of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, or not? The answer in this question exposes the unbearable hypocrisy of Tsipras' government which "steps in two boats" at the same time. 

On one hand, the Greek government is aligned with the official EU policy which is blackmailing Maduro, calling for "urgent elections" in Venezuela. On the other hand, the governmental party, SYRIZA, has expressed its "full support and solidarity to the country's legal president".

Europe's GUE/NGL "socialists" praise NATO expansion in the Balkans

Greece's Parliament ratified on Friday evening the Prespes Agreement between the governments of Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev, with 153 votes for and 146 against. 

The agreement paves the way for the integration of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (now called "North Macedonia") in the imperialist alliances of NATO and the EU. 

European Communist Initiative: Solidarity with the people & the CP of Venezuela

Statement of the Secretariat of the Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties of Europe in solidarity with Venezuelan people and the CP of Venezuela.

The Secretariat of the Initiative condemns the coup d'etat of the USA, their allied governments and of the Organization of American States (OAS) for the overthrow of the elected President Nicolas Maduro and for the support of the leader of the reactionary forces Juan Guaidó, who proclaimed himself president of the country with their support.

This coup d'etat is a continuation of the planned longterm campaign of destabilization of the country to promote the imperialist designs in the Latin America region and to overthrow governments that are not likable to the USA-NATO and the EU, with the latter intervening in the domestic affairs of Venezuela, supporting the reactionary forces and participating the the scheme to overthrow the elected government.

WFTU, World Peace Council condemn the imperialist intervention in Venezuela

The World Federation of Trade Unions (Federación Sindical Mundial- WFTU) and the World Peace Council (Consejo Mundial de la Paz) have issued statements condemning the US-backed reactionary coup in Venezuela and the attempt to overthrow the government of Nicolas Maduro. 

Below, you can read the statements in both English and Spanish:

KKE leader Koutsoumbas destroys Tsipras during Parliamentary debate: "You should be ashamed, you are the stooges of the U.S"

During a fierce debate in the Greek Parliament regarding the Prespes Agreement (name deal) on Thursday late night, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas responded to the hideous provocations by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

In an effort to defend his pro-imperialist foreign policy and more specifically the unacceptable Prespes deal which bears the signature of NATO, Tsipras unleashed outrageous slanders against the KKE. He even resorted to provocative references to heroic Slav-Macedonian fighters of the Communist-backed 1946-1949 Democratic Army of Greece in order to present the name agreement as an... anti-imperialist achievement! 

Communist Party of Greece holds large rally against Tsipras-Zaev agreement (Photos)

Thousands of members and supporters of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), alonside workers, pensioners, young men and women, said a militant "NO" to the Prespes Agreement, the USA-NATO-EU plans, denouncing irredentism and nationalism, during a massive rally in Athens on Thursday afternoon. 

Under the slogan "This isn't an agreement of the people but an order of imperialists", thousands men and women gathered at Eleftherias Square, where the General Secretary of the CC of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas delivered a speech. The demonstrators marched towards the U.S. embassy where protesters burned the flags of NATO, US and EU. 

Communist Parties against US-backed coup in Venezuela - Partidos Comunistas contra el golpe imperialista en Venezuela

Below you can find statements by Communist Parties, members of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP), regarding the US-backed imperialist coup in Venezuela: 

A continuación puede leer las declaraciones de los Partidos Comunistas, miembros de la Encuentro Internacional de Partidos Comunistas y Obreros (IMCWP), sobre el golpe de Estado imperialista apoyado por Estados Unidos en Venezuela:

KKE denounces the US-backed coup against the government of Venezuela

In a statement regarding the developments in Venezuela, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) condemns the US-backed coup and the stance of imperialist organizations. More specifically:

"The KKE denounces the blatant intervention of the USA, their allied governments in Latin America, the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the EU, in the internal developments in Venezuela."

Prespes Agreement in the Greek Parliament - KKE MPs expose the truth about the deal

The parliamentary debate on the Prespes Agreement began on Wednesday morning, with the final vote projected to take place late Thursday night. According to the state-run AMNA news agency, the vote is expected to be taken after midnight, during the early hours of Friday 24 January on Friday afternoon (updated).

The deputies of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) are participating in the debate exposing the actual nature of the Prespes name deal between Athens and Skopje as a tool of promoting the imperialist plans in the Balkans. In this post we present a report including the major abstracts of the speeches that have been delivered by the KKE MPs.

Poland: Communist Party cadres, "Brzask" editors, acquitted by the court

On January 18th, the the District Court in Dąbrowa Górnicza acquitted members of the editorial office of the Communist Party of Poland's "Brzask" newspaper and the party website from the accusation of "promoting the totalitarian state system".

After a thorough analysis of the case, the court decided that the allegations formulated by the prosecutor's office do not indicate a crime. 

According to the verdict, one can not rule on propagating totalitarianism on the basis of sentences taken out of the context and fragments of articles. In the justification of the verdict, the court also stated that it was necessary to distinguish propagating a totalitarian state system from propagating communist views.

"No to the Tsipras-Zaev agreement" - KKE calls for rallies against the Prespes deal

The poster of the KKE.

As the vote on Prespes name deal is expected to take place in Greece's Parliament on Thursday night, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) has announced rallies against the agreement on the same day. 

The slogan of the KKE protest is:

"NO to the Tsipras-Zaev agreement - 

No to the plans of US-NATO-EU - 

No to irredentism and nationalism - 

YES to friendship-solidarity and common struggle of the people"

In Athens, the Attica Party Organisation of the KKE has scheduled a demonstration on Thursday at 6.30 pm at Eleftherias Park (former military police EAT-ESA headquarters), while, the Central Macedonia Party Organisation calls for a protest at Venizelos' statue in Thessaloniki.

Moscow: Workers paid tribute to V.I.Lenin on the 95th anniversary of his death

Despite the freezing temperatures, a large number of workers, young men and women, Communist Party (CPRF) members and members of social movements visited Lenin's Mausoleum in Moscow's Red Square, in order to pay tribute to the great leader of the Great October Socialist Revolution, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of his death. 

The ceremony was attended by leaders of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, regional parliaments, communists of the Moscow city and Moscow regional branches, representatives of public organizations.

KKE General Secretary comments on the U.S. State Department report for Greece

Commenting on the Prespes Agreement, which has been submitted to the Parliament for ratification, and the disclosure of the U.S. State Department "Integrated Country Strategy" (ICS) for Greece, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas said:

"The recent publication of the "Integrated Report" of the U.S. State Department for Greece, apart from the fact that it brings into mind old dark times, totally confirms the role undertaken by the government of SYRIZA in the promotion of the US-NATO plans. 

Swedish Communists: "The Left Party paves the way for an anti-worker government"

In a statement, the Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) refers to the formation of the new government and the role of the Left Party (Vänsterpartiet) in it: 

Jonas Sjöstedt has announced that his party, the Left Party, will abstain from voting in the vote for prime minister. By abstaining, the party secures the government of Stefan Löfven and the Social Democrats. 

Understanding the Macedonia name deal

The so-called "Prespes Agreement" (also: Prespes Accord, Tsipras-Zaev deal) is an accord signed between the governments of Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in June 17, 2018. 

The major results of the agreement are: 1. The renaming of the current "Republic of Macedonia" into "Republic of North Macedonia" (erga omnes) and 2. The "Republic of North Macedonia" will be able to join NATO, as well as other transnational imperialist alliances.  

Los Angeles Teachers’ Strike - Messages of proletarian solidarity from WFTU and PAME

In a statement issued on January 16th, the Secretariat of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) expresses its solidarity to the strike of teachers in Los Angeles: 

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), representing 95 million workers in 130 countries across the globe, sends its internationalist and militant greetings to the teachers of Los Angeles who took the streets and organized a huge strike in order to defend their labor rights.

35th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)

Statement of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) on the 35th anniversary of its foundation 35 years with our class, with our people, under the banners of Marxism-Leninism:

Between January 13 and 15, 1984, the Congress of Unity of the Communists was held in Madrid. From that Congress arose our Party, first under the denomination Communist Party and, later and due to legal exigencies, like Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE). 

Communist MEP Kostas Papadakis slams Europarliament's anti-communist frenzy

The outcome of the debate under the subject "Comprehensive European education, research and remembrance of the totalitarian past" in the European Parliament was an orgy of anti-communism, 902.gr reports. The major aim behind the debate was the unacceptable and unhistorical equation of communism with the monster of nazism. 

The MEP of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Kostas Papadakis responded to the anti-communist distortion of history by saying:

KKE votes against Tsipras' government and the Prespes Agreement

In its bulletin on the political developments, the Press Bureau of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) states the following:

“The bargaining of the previous days between Tsipras (SYRIZA) – Kammenos (ANEL) ended in a search for a vote of confidence in the Parliament. This is a development that suits both sides, as it provides the possibility, on the one hand for Mr. Tsipras to save his government, with votes from ANEL parliament members,  and on the other hand, allows  Mr. Kammenos to maintain his Parliamentary Group, appearing to stand up against a policy that he has supported throughout all of the previous period.

Communist Party of Turkey: Flag-bearer of egalitarianism, freedom and patriotism

Turkey's local elections will be held on March, 31. According to the announcement of Turkey's Supreme Electoral Council, 13 parties, including the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), are eligible to participate in the local polls, through which metropolitan and district municipal mayors, as well as provincial and municipal councilors, will be elected in all 81 provinces of Turkey. 

The electoral process officially began on January 1 and the electoral strategies, as well as the candidates, of the parties participating in the elections have been the most discussed issue in Turkey's political atmosphere since then.

Solidarity with the detained cadres of the Communist Party of Swaziland!

In a statement the Communist Party of Swaziland has denounced the arrest of two Party cadres, Mcolisi Ngcamphalala and Njabulo Dlamini, by the local authorities. The full statement is the following:

Today – 11 January 2019 – at around 10h45 the royal Swaziland police arrested two leaders of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS), claiming that they were jaywalking. The leaders are Deputy Chairperson Comrade Mcolisi Ngcamphalala and International Organiser Comrade Njabulo Dlamini. They were arrested in Manzini on their way to attend a teachers’ meeting in their capacity as leaders in one of the branches of their union, the Swaziland National Association of Teachers.

Berlin: Thousands of workers paid tribute to Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg on the 100th anniversary since their assassination

Photo: 902.gr.

One hundred years have been passed since the assassination of the leaders of the German and international communist movement, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.

In Berlin, members and friends of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Communist Youth (KNE) participated in a large rally in honor of the two murdered leaders that took place on Sunday 13 January. 

D. Koutsoumbas: Under no circumstance will the KKE vote for the Prespes Agreement

During an interview on ERT earlier on Saturday, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece Dimitris Koutsoumbas repeated the firm stance of the KKE against the Prespes Agreement (between the governments of Greece and FYR of Macedonia), confirming that the Party will not vote in favor of the deal when it comes to the Parliament.

Secretary Koutsoumbas said that from the beginning of the Macedonia naming issue in 1992, the KKE had supported the possibility of an erga omnes-based commonly accepted solution, with a name with a geographic designation, which will not include irredentist aspirations. 

KKE, PAME, Trade Unions denounce violent police attack on demonstrators in Athens

Commenting on the violent attack of riot police forces against a school teachers' demonstration on Friday in downtown Athens, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas pointed out: 

"Today's vicious attack by police forces against educators, which also resulted in the serious injury of KKE's MP Giannis Delis who is hospitalized, proves that the SYRIZA-ANEL government is ruthless. Seems that through this way Mr. Tsipras - like his predecessors- intends to "tie up his loose ends", that is to complete the dirty job he has undertaken".

Sudan's people are not alone! Messages of solidarity by Communist Parties

In a letter to the Communist Party of Sudan, the International Relations Section of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) expresses its solidarity and support:

Dear comrades,

The KKE expresses our support and solidarity with the struggle of the Sudanese people for democratic and social rights against the bourgeois dictatorial regime.

KKE: Merkel's visit is a praise to Tsipras for the anti-people reforms he implemented

"The fact that Mrs. Merkel is the first one who rushes to provide a "confidence vote" to Mr. Tsipras consists by itself a criterion for the need of the people to vote against this government by all means", writes a statement of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) on the occasion of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit in Athens and her common declarations with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

Anatoly Lukyanov, last chairman of USSR's Supreme Soviet, dies at 88

Last Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and former member of the Russian State Duma Anatoly Lukyanov has died on Wednesday at the age of 88. 

Born on 7 May 1930 in the city of Smolensk in western Russia, Lukyanov served as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from March 1990 until September 1991. He replaced Mikhail Gorbachev on this post, who was elected as president of the USSR.

He publicly criticised Gorbachev’s policies and was jailed after the 1991 attempt by Communist Party's members and security chiefs who attempted to block the counterrevolutionary process and seize power.

The imperialist intervention against Soviet Russia in 1919 and Greece's participation

By Nikos Mottas.

The First World War had not yet ended when the imperialists turned militarily against the then-young Soviet power which had been dominated in Russia through the Great October Socialist Revolution on November 7th (October 25th according to the Old Calendar) 1917. 

The first British, French and U.S. troops disembarked in the country in Spring 1918. After the defeat of Germany in November 1918, the intervention was intensified: 14 capitalist states participated in the imperialist campaign with a total force of approximately 300,000 men [1].

Worker killed on AEK stadium construction site - Another employer's crime in Greece

AEK stadium construction site in west Athens.

A 60 year old worker was killed today at the construction site of the AEK FC new stadium in west Athens. The worker, who was a welder, fell from a high height resulting in fatal injury. 

It must be noted that the man, alongside his fellow workers, were forced to work in dangerous posts, under extremely bad weather conditions. 

When the tragic incident became known, members of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) rushed to the construction site in order to be informed about the circumstances of the death and to express their solidarity to the workers. 

India's working class in the streets - Massive participation in the two day General Strike

In a press release, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) congratulates and salutes the working class of India for their unprecedented active participation in the two days’ country wide general strike that started on 8th January 2019. 

Around 20 crore workers, from all sectors of the economy – organised sector, both public and private including in the Multinational companies, in the government and quasi government sectors, scheme workers, unorganised sector workers have reported to be participating in the strike across the country. The strike would continue on 9th January.

Yugoslav communist Svetozar Markanovic dies at 88

The Party of "Communists of Serbia" has announced that cde. Svetozar Markanovic, President of the Central Committee, has died at the age of 88. 

Svetozar Markanovic was born in 1931 in Dvar (today Bosnia & Herzegovina). At the age of 15 he joined the National Liberation War (NOB) and in June 1944 he was admitted to the Union of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia. 

After the war, he went to Czechoslovakia where he studied mechanical engineering. In October 1948 he joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY).

KKE: Condolences for the death of Cuban hero José Ramón Fernández

According to 902.gr portal the International Relations Section of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) sent to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) a message of condolences over the death of Cuban communist, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Bay of Pigs Commander, José Ramón Fernández Álvarez. 

The KKE expresses its "sincere condolences for the death of comrade José Ramón Fernández Álvarez, retired Major General and Hero of Cuba, who played an important role- by the side and under the commands of Fidel - in repelling the counterrevolutionary imperialist intervention of the USA in the Bay of Pigs in 1960". 

"Fake election with fake ballots": CP of Bangladesh denounces elections' result

The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) has denounced the 11th Parliamentary elections as a fake election with fake ballots. People will reject this election and the pre-determined result.

CPB President Comrade Mujahidul Islam Selim and General Secretary Comrade Shah Alam said in a briefing on 30th December, 2018 that for ensuring a false victory the ruling AL led government made the blueprint of mockery and electoral fraud much earlier than the election day . They also claimed that the government has destroyed  the minimum basis of democracy in this election.

All India General Strike: Workers to protest NDA government policies on January 8-9

A nationwide national strike throughout India has been scheduled on 8-9 January 2019, against the neoliberal, anti-worker policies of the BJP-led NDA government of Narendra Modi. The strike is organized by 10 Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and a number of independent worker's federations. 

“In order to serve the interests of the multinational companies with Indian corporate, the present government is pursuing blatantly anti-people, anti-workers and anti-national policies at the cost of severely damaging the national economy and destroying its indigenous productive and manufacturing capabilities. Such a regime must be defeated squarely to force the pro-people changes in policies on all fronts,” the CTUs said in statement.

Actual solidarity with Poland's Communist Party expressed by KKE MP Stavros Tassos

KKE MP Stavros Tassos (left) with Beata Karoń, member of the
Secretariat of the CC of KPP and Krzysztof Szwej, President of KPP. 

The court hearing procedure of the anticommunist trial against members of the Communist Party of Poland (KPP) and its newspaper "Brzask" has been concluded, 902.gr portal reported earlier today. 

The defendants- members of the Communist Party- firmly rebutted the false accusations regarding the supposed promotion of "totalitarian ideologies" and defended socialism, the Soviet Union and the Communist Parties against the falsification of history. 

Mexican Communist leader Pavel Blanco Cabrera's interview in Rizospastis

On the occasion of the 20^th IMCWP which took place in Athens in November, the First Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Mexico (Partido Comunista de Mexico) Pavel Blanco Cabrera talked to “Rizospastis”, the official newspaper of the KKE. 

In the following interesting interview, the Mexican communist leader talks about the situation in his country, the new illusions created by the “left-wing” AMLO government, the tasts of Mexican communists in a large country, a member of G20 and the 2^nd most developed economy of Latin America, with nearly 130 million people and tens of millions of immigrants in the United States:

Hadash leader: We can topple racism and Netanyahu's far-right government

Joint List leader MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash) vowed to increase his electoral alliance’s power in the next Knesset. 

In a speech before the parliamentary plenum on Wednesday, December 26, before the vote on the law to dissolve the 20th Knesset, Odeh said: “This was a racist and divisive government… When the Joint List increases its power, we will have the numbers to topple this racist, extremist right-wing government.”

Koutsoumbas calls for people's struggle and counter-attack with a strong KKE

“The justified indignation and dissatisfaction must be transformed into creativity and must be expressed through struggles, counter-attack and social alliance against the dipole, the monopolies and capitalist, with a powerful KKE everywhere” said the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas during an interview on 24/7 radio.

When asked whether the government will be politically legitimate after a possible departure of ANEL from the governmental alliance, Koutsoumbas said that “a government can exist event without the required formal majority. It is certainly a political issue and the government itself has to deal with it”.