Week #1, May 2020
1. Communist Party of Greece (KKE):
Forests, Mountains and Seas, Sacrificed on the Altar of Profit.
2. Brazilian Communist Party (PCB):
Stop the Bolsonaro / Mourão government's genocidal and coup-ruling policy!
3. Communist Party of Spain (PCE):
Hands Off Venezuela.
4. Communist Party of Pakistan:
Message on 202nd birth anniversary of Karl Marx.
5. Communist Party of India (Marxist):
Condemn the Armed Incursion in Venezuela.
6. Portuguese Communist Party (PCP):
70th Anniversary of the trial of Alvaro Cunhal.
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COMMUNIST PARTY OF GREECE (KKE)
The Environmental Law, kills the environment and sacrifices the needs of the people, in order to safeguard the interests of the monopoly groups, stressed the GS of the CC of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, speaking in the Parliament about the Ministry of the Environment legislation which was voted in by the parliamentary majority of the governing party ND.
D. Koutsoumbas underlined that the law was written by the industrialists themselves and added that quite justly it's been characterized as Armageddon by environmental organizations. Moreover, he condemned the government's move to introduce the law in a furtive manner, in the middle of a pandemic in order to quell the reactions of the Greek people and the youth. The GS of the CC of the KKE made it clear that development based on the criteria of profit and the protection of the environment are two totally irreconcilable things.
A protest motorcade was held 5/5 by the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) at the time when the roll-call vote requested by the KKE Parliamentary Group was taking place. The mobilization culminated at the Parliament where a banner was raised, stating "They destroy the Earth and life, their system needs to be overthrown". With slogans on their picket signs and their leaflets, KNE members declared "Green Business sacrifices the environment and our needs to corporate interests", that the government is bringing in "green business for capital - downgrading of life for the people and the youth" and declared that "the struggle for the protection of the environment is a struggle against capitalist barbarism, for socialism".
inter.kke.gr
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BRAZILIAN COMMUNIST PARTY (PCB)
The new coronavirus pandemic continues to claim thousands of lives worldwide. With more than 200,000 deaths and about three and a half million infected. According to official data, the epidemic continues on its path of devastation, exposing the insides of the capitalist regime and its criminal policies to male and female workers by destroying public services and systems to meet the basic needs of the population, through privatization, the dismantling of public health and the withdrawal of historic rights of the working class, to benefit only the interests of private monopolies and the profits of capitalists.
In the United States, more than 70,000 people have died and more than one million got infected, affecting mainly black and Latin communities, the poor, homeless and unassisted, due to the lack of a public health system and Trump's deleterious action by initially denying the pandemic and, subsequently, prioritizing saving banks and companies, instead of the lives of workers and the underprivileged.
That is why American imperialism tries to divert attention from world public opinion, through warlike adventures and threats of invasions in Venezuela, mobilizing resources and support from subservient governments in the region to finance terrorists and mercenaries. In addition, it maintains the murderous blockade against Cuba, which prevents the entry of medicines and products necessary to fight the pandemic into the country. Even so, Socialist Cuba maintains its international campaign of solidarity with the countries affected by Covid-19, proving that only Socialism is able to face effectively and radically the barbarism imposed by capitalism.
In Brazil, according to more recent data from the Ministry of Health itself, the country registers more than 100 thousand confirmed infections and more than 7 thousand deaths, and may soon become the new world epicenter of the new coronavirus. Until May 3, Brazil was the 9th country in number of confirmed cases, occupying the 7th position in number of deaths, having already surpassed the total number of cases and victims in China, where more than 1,2 billion people live. Each infected Brazilian already transmits the virus to almost 3 people. In the United States, the rate is 0.98; in the United Kingdom, 0.72; in Germany, 0.8.
OUT WITH BOLSONARO AND MOURÃO GENOCIDE AND SCAMMER GOVERNMENT!
These alarming numbers also indicate the bankruptcy of the public health system in Brazil, due to the ultraliberal policies for dismantling public services and social and labor rights, approved during the Temer government, such as the labor counter-reform and the “Death Amendment”, which froze investments in social programs, deepened by the Bolsonaro government's attacks, with the pensions’ system reform and provisional measures in the pandemic, allowing for salary cuts, layoffs and suspensions of employment contracts, favoring only businessmen and bankers.
As if that were not enough, Bolsonaro continues to disrespect the necessary standards of protection for people in the pandemic, promoting tours, public demonstrations and encouraging acts of aggression against health professionals and journalists, while advancing his crusade against democratic freedoms in Brazil.
In the last few weeks, after dismissing Mandetta – Ministry of Health – and Sérgio Moro – Ministry of Justice –, Bolsonaro has internally restored his team of political allies, also strengthening relations with the military and replacing Paulo Guedes - who came to appear to be the “turn ball” - at the center of government actions. Bolsonaro again endorses the Super Ministry of the Economy, which disqualified General Braga Neto's “Keynesian” miniplane, resuming his speech and proposals aimed at fiscal adjustment, cutting public spending and workers' rights, advancing towards privatizations and other measures to tackle the crisis from the perspective of big business interests.
At the same time that the Senate approves a package that, in exchange for bailing out the states, freezes public servants' salaries for a year and a half - further increasing the losses of those who have been frozen for years - pressures continue of great entrepreneurs and traders for the full resumption of economic activities, which represents a concrete threat to the lives of male and female workers, those who in fact will suffer the consequences with the end of social isolation, while the bourgeoisie remains protected in their apartments luxurious and armored cars. Likewise, the kilometer queues at Caixa Econômica Federal (a public bank) branches' doors denounce the social chaos in which we live: millions of people cannot survive in the health crisis and resort to government aid, which does everything to slow down and hinder access to the benefit, in addition to causing the reduction of the CEF staff in the last months.
In addition to intensifying the policy of withdrawing social rights and attacks on working class organizations (unions and parties), being directly responsible for exponentially expanding unemployment in the country, Bolsonaro and his allies explicitly threaten the democratic freedoms got in the clashes against the business-military dictatorship, represented in the laws and institutions erected with the 1988 Constitution. The radicalization of the coup discourse, expressed in the phrase “There is no more talk, we’ve reached the limit”, the actions to control the Federal Police to prevent the advance in the investigations into the Bolsonaro clan, the acts demanding the return of the dictatorship and the aggressions of the fascist hordes that occupy the streets under the encouragement of the militia chief indicate that there is a possibility that there is a coup on the run led by the executive branch against what the far right considers to be a set of institutional ties that make it difficult for fully autocratic action to be performed.
The anti-popular, anti-national and anti-democratic government of Bolsonaro, Mourão and Guedes, in their institutional dimension, is also an illegitimate government, constituted from the transgressions to the electoral legislation and the legal and propaganda manipulations promoted during the 2018 election campaign. The central banner of the PCB is “OUT WITH BOLSONARO AND MOURÃO”, as we understand the need for the impeachment of the entire presidential slate to stop its scorched earth and destruction of rights policy. At the same time, we understand the correlation of forces that exist in society and consider all the initiatives that contribute to the increasing erosion of this genocidal government to be valid initiatives that may take shape through an impeachment process or resignation under popular pressure.
WE WILL NOT DROP OUR FLAGS!
However, fighting for the defense of democratic freedoms does not under any circumstances put down the flags of the working class in favor of social and labor rights and in favor of building an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist political program, aiming at popular power and socialism. We emphatically reject the proposal for the “Wide Front for National Salvation”, which is nothing more than a project for the salvation of capitalism itself in Brazil.
We consider the attitude of the unions’ central organizations and parties that decided to transform the First of May into a stage for enemies of workers such as Fernado Henrique Cardoso, Doria and Rodrigo Maia to be unacceptable. Class conciliation paved the way for the defeats of the working class and popular sectors in the last period. Therefore, only the reorganization of the working class based on an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist program will be able to overcome this disastrous policy of submission to the interests of the bourgeoisie.
The necessary unity of action against ultraliberal measures, the blow to democratic freedoms and fascist threats demands, more than ever, the political independence of the working class. We need to respond to the situation seeking to organize, even in quarantine, groups, committees and spaces that enhance the construction of a program of the working class and the popular counteroffensive, in the perspective of the National Meeting of the Working Class and the anti-capitalist alternative in Brazil.
We must support initiatives for the self-organization of male and female workers, through the formation of solidarity brigades, popular committees to fight for rights and self-defense against fascism, in addition to strengthening popular associations and movements, student entities and class unions.
We must also strengthen the Popular and Youth Union Forum for Rights and Democratic Freedoms, forming or consolidating the state coordinations and widely disseminating the actions of the National Coordination of the Forum, such as Radio Forum and the Emergency Program to combat the pandemic from the perspective of working class.
OUT WITH BOLSONARO AND MOURÃO!
IN DEFENSE OF WORKING CLASS RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS!
FOR POPULAR POWER IN THE ROAD OF SOCIALISM!
solidnet.org
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COMMUNIST PARTY OF SPAIN (PCE)
After the continuous statements from Mike Pompeo, Elliott Abrams and other people in charge in the United States government announcing the end of the Venezuelan government, the attempts to overthrow Nicolás Maduro and leave leaderless the Bolivarian revolution have increased.
The mercenary attack organised from Colombia counts with an obvious support from the US. These events occurred in La Guaira correspond to a terrorist attack, sponsored by the US and counting with Venezuelan military deserter, US agents and mercenaries funded by the US. Washington and Bogotá are behind the planning of many provocations and military attacks towards Venezuela and these have a clear objective: make easier a US military intervention in the country in order to end with the Venezuelan revolution. There is no doubt about the existence of more mercenaries after the detention of these ones trying breach through La Guaira. Events like the Portuguese-flagged passenger ship, RCGS Resolute, that attacked and sank a Venezuelan coast guard ship are frequently repeated. So are the attempts of the US embassy to get Venezuelan soldiers to revolt against Nicolás Maduro Government.
It is clear which are the intentions of the US after having organised this perform manoeuvres in the Caribbean amid this pandemic that is destroying the world after the endeavour to bind together the Venezuelan Government and the drug trafficking. Because there is no doubt that the “South Commando” of the US, in Miami, has already prepared some aggressive operations to attack Venezuela. They are only waiting for their right time. The Venezuelan government itself has revealed that the intrusion has the assassination of President Maduro as objective, after having heard the confession of the prisoners.
Venezuela is particularly enduring the aggressiveness of the offensives of the US and they clearly play a part in the plan that the US has for Latin America. As if Washington would pretend to go back to the days of the death squads, military dictatorships, death flights. The world has witnessed the overthrow of Evo Morales in Bolivia and the imposition of a mercenary government supported by Washington; has witnessed the imprisonment of Lula in Brazil so he couldn´t stand for election and making possible the arrival of someone appropriate to US interests to the Brazilian government, the extreme right president Bolsonaro; has witnessed the constant harassment to Cuba with the cruel embargo that hitherto lasts more than half a century; is witnessing the attacks to other governments in Latin America; and can´t but react to this raid on Venezuela.
While the UN Secretary-General has made a call to the cessation of hostilities all over the world to confront the pandemic, the US and its customer governments like Colombia are stealthily preparing sabotage operations and defining the military invasion to Venezuela.
The world can´t be alienated to this and the EU and the UN should firmly condemn this filthy US intrusion and demand the cease of the attacks. The repeated violation of international laws by the US, the disregard with the coexistence of peoples, the contempt for Venezuelan sovereignty and the recurring encouragement for a coup d’état in Venezuela shows the nature of the US, behaving again as a criminal nation.
Hands off Venezuela!
solidnet.org
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COMMUNIST PARTY OF PAKISTAN
There is no alternative portal for mankind to live in peace , harmony and be free from all shapes of exploitation other than Marxism .
Principles laid down by Karl Marx through practical struggle is the most vivid philosophy currently in the overwhelmingly prevailed global disparities, poverty ,starvation , despite abundant resources and wars solemnly justify Marxist ideology even after 202 years since Karl Marx's birth day.
Principles laid down by Karl Marx through practical struggle is the most vivid philosophy currently in the overwhelmingly prevailed global disparities, poverty ,starvation , despite abundant resources and wars solemnly justify Marxist ideology even after 202 years since Karl Marx's birth day.
Marx's critique of capitalism and its devastating effect on human society is proving that the only way to get rid of today's crisis, rescue the mankind and this planet earth is possible only if implemented the acclaimed scientific principles of Marxism .
Comrade Imdad Qazi, Secretary General of Communist Party of Pakistan stated during an address to Party workers and central leadership through a net video link. He further added that Karl Marx was the first philosopher who not only resolved the intricacies of Philosophy but also partook by himself in the struggle to change the world. He lived a vibrant but difficult life, full of sacrifices. His ideology based on surplus value, historical and dialectical materialism and class struggle is a strong weapon in the hands of proletariat of the world for the last 150 years. This ideology empowered the working class to bring about monumental, social, economical and revolutionary changes during the recent past century. Today, Marxism is a beacon light for the struggle of oppressed people and proletariat of the world. Communist Party of Pakistan along with its fraternal Communists and Workers parties of the world is part of the continuous struggle based on the ideology and implementation of Marxism.
It is the dilemma of capitalism, imperialism, that it is unable to stop its own destruction, can't offer an alternative to Marxism, neither has a ground for its rebuttal. These days, Pseudo Intellectuals of Capitalism are even compelled to refer to Karl Marx in times of crisis, which proves that Marxism stands on solid ground as the most pragmatic social science.
Secretary General highlighted once more that Communist Party of Pakistan considers Marxism the only way-out, which mankind can step into the world that is free from all sorts of exploitation. The Party re-affirms, following the ideology of its foremost teacher - Karl Marx and solidarity with the proletariat of the world, oppressed nations and will continue its struggle against feudalism, capitalism , religious fanaticism, national and gender oppression and all forms of exploitation in the country.
Central Secretariat - Communist Party of Pakistan.
solidnet.org
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COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns the armed incursion launched from Colombia into Venezuela, with the aim of destabilising the democratically elected government of Venezuela. In the last two days, two groups of armed mercenaries, trained by a US-based security agency and working for US-backed opposition groups in Venezuela, tried to infiltrate into that country. Alert Venezuelan security agencies were able to quickly intercept and thwart the plans of the infiltrators. The huge tranche of evidence gathered by the security agencies shows that the target of these armed infiltrators were high ranking military and government officials.
The US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido had apparently signed a contract with the private security agency based in US to train and launch such armed incursions. The plan seems to be use the current pandemic to launch an armed incursion, throw the country into chaos and capture power by destabilising the elected government of President Nicholas Maduro.
The CPI(M) condemns the US interference in the sovereign affairs of a country. The CPI(M) congratulates the government and security forces of Venezuela for standing against US imperialism and defending the interests of the people of their country. The CPI(M) reiterates its solidarity with the people of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and President Maduro, who are successfully tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, in spite of the economic sanctions imposed by the US and its attempts to destabilise the country.
Central Committee
Communist Party of India (Marxist).
solidnet.org
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PORTUGUESE COMMUNIST PARTY (PCP)
Statement by Jerónimo de Sousa, Secretary-General of the PCP
May 5, 2020
Today, May 5th, we mark a particularly striking moment in the life and history of the Portuguese Communist Party. Seventy years ago, during his trial in a fascist Court, Alvaro Cunhal delivered a memorable intervention where, with remarkable lucidity and courage, he proceeded to judge and condemn the fascist regime.
There are many and significant moments in the life and struggle of the Portuguese Communist Party that we will mark and celebrate during the centenary commemoration of PCP's heroic existence.
There are many events that mark the courageous struggle of a party built with sacrifice, the suffering and self-denial of many of its best cadres. A Party of women and men who were not, are not intimidated.
One hundred years of a Party that has known the horrors and tragedy of war and fascism. That promoted the greats struggles of workers and assumed as its own the struggles of oppressed peoples throughout the world. That has assumed all the great causes and all the struggles against exploitation, oppression and inequalities. That has fought, as no other, on front line for the political, labor, social and cultural rights of our people. That was in the emergence and realization of the April Revolution, and in the front line of its achievements and in its defense. That was and continues to act to advance the wheel of history in the direction of progress, freedom, democracy and socialism.
One hundred years of a Party that is proud to have had Alvaro Cunhal as its Secretary-General, a unique personality and complete revolutionary personality that we recall today in this example of firmness and dignity in Tribunal da Boa Hora, facing the fascist judges, passing from accused to accuser, and which is a testimony to the personality of a man in struggle – a struggle fought under the severe and violent conditions of fascist prison.
Alvaro Cunhal had been imprisoned for 14 months, incommunicado, and had been subjected to brutal torture. Locked in a cell with no sunlight and a 24-hour watchlight, with no pencil or paper, he memorized his long intervention and, from the courtroom, placed the Salazar regime on the defense bench, in one of the most significant acts of resistance to the fascist regime and confidence in the future of our people's liberation struggle.
In his long intervention, Álvaro Cunhal pronounced an accusatory libel against the regime by laying bare its terrorist and oppressive nature, its impact on the lives of the people and Country; announcing the "basic conditions for a feasible Democratic Republic in Portugal"; and justified and defended the project, political guidelines and the lines of action of the Portuguese Communist Party.
By taking apart, point-by-point, the regime's lies and reactionary propaganda, demonstrating the patriotic and internationalist character of the communists' policies, the value of national independence fascist regime jeopardized, by submitting the country to the dominion of "imperialist foreigners", the nefarious power of the monopolies over the national economy and its consequences on the difficult living conditions of the people, as a result of this dominion and the policy of the regime that served the monopolies. He reasoned and affirmed the impossibility that the fascist regime could guarantee the independence of the country, nor ensure the people's well-being.
Alvaro Cunhal would end his courageous intervention before the fascist court by stating: "We will be tried and certainly condemned. To our joy, we need only know that our people think that if someone should be tried and convicted for acting against the interests of the people and the country, for wanting to drag Portugal into a criminal war, for using unconstitutional and illegal means, for employing terrorism, that someone is not us Communists. Our people think that if someone should be tried for such crimes, then the fascists should sit on the defense bench, the current rulers of the nation and their leader, Salazar."
Álvaro Cunhal put into practice what, in theory, should be the posture against an odious regime: make every moment and every arena, a moment of resistance and struggle.
PCP was then living a great moment in its history. A moment initiated with the reorganization of 40/41 and supplemented with the 3rd and 4th Congress, with men of Alvaro Cunhal's revolutionary temper. A strengthening moment that deeply transformed the Party. A time of great struggle of our people, where PCP became a great national party and became not only necessary, but indispensable and irreplaceable in Portuguese society.
Necessary and indispensable yesterday, necessary and irreplaceable in today's different reality, to ensure the defense of the interests of the workers, our people and the country.
In today's reality, marked by a complex international situation, the overexploitation of labor and the deepening of capitalism's structural crisis, and a national situation with serious structural problems, reflected in the country's underdevelopment, glaring social and regional inequalities. Problems which are inseparable from years of right-wing politics and integration in the European Union and that the recent epidemic has aggravated. An outbreak that is serving as a pretext for national and international big capital to intensify their attack on rights, freedom and democracy, aggravate exploitation and accelerate the concentration and centralization of capital. In Portugal, there are already thousands of laid off workers, workers with wage cuts and in arrears. Thousands of micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs face the prospect of liquidation of their activities.
If the protracted problems that Portugal has long faced demanded another policy, a patriotic and left-wing policy, that demand has become even more imperative today to answer the health problems, the necessary valuing of work and workers, the defense of national production, the promotion of economic and social development, and to ensure public services at the service of the people and the country.
We live a difficult situation, with immense dangers. This is a moment to state that the fight is not, nor can be quarantined!
One teaching Álvaro Cunhal bequeathed us, with his word and his example, is that whatever the circumstances at any moment, the struggle is always necessary – and always worth it, because the struggle and the strength resulting from the struggle will ultimately determine the evolution of events.
We are a Party with a century-old history that honors us and that we want to continue to honor. A Party that never turned its face to the struggle. A Party whose militants have demonstrated unparalleled self-denial.
A Party not only of resistance but advancement, bearer of a hope that does not wait and that, tempered in the concrete struggle, makes dreams a reality, always, always with the workers and the people, carrying their transformative and emancipatory project!
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