Swedish Communists blast Sweden-Turkey agreement over NATO

Swedish PM M. Andersson and Turkish President R.T. Erdogan.

After extensive bargaining within the imperialist NATO alliance, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped weeks of resistance to Sweden and Finland’s ambitions to join NATO at talks on Tuesday ahead of the NATO summit  in Madrid, Spain. 

Erdogan emerged from the meeting with Nordic leaders having secured a 10-point agreement under which the two countries vowed to join Turkey’s fight against banned armed groups, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and to swiftly extradite suspects to Turkey.

The European Communist Initiative on NATO summit

Statement of the Secretariat of the Initiative of Communist and Workers Parties:

The NATO Summit, which is taking place on 29–30 June in Madrid, is a step towards the further escalation of NATO aggression against the peoples, but also the intensification of imperialist competition, which is currently manifested in the imperialist military conflict in Ukraine.

The NATO Summit seeks to update the NATO doctrine that is dangerous to the people and to strengthen the aggressive strategy “NATO 2030”. In the context of this strategy, NATO’s Rapid Reaction Force is being legitimized and increased tenfold to over 300,000 troops, focusing on the war zone in Eastern Europe. 

KKE: Statement on the NATO Summit in Madrid

In a statement about the NATO Summit that takes place in Madrid, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) stresses out:

"The NATO Summit that will take place on 29–30 June in Madrid will be a spearhead for the further escalation of NATO’s aggression against the peoples and the sharpening of imperialist competition, which is currently manifested in the fierce military conflict in Ukraine.

The NATO Summit seeks to strengthen the aggressive “NATO’s Strategic Concept”, focusing on:

Workers, Peace Activists, Students denounce the 2022 NATO Summit

Under the slogan "Yes to Peace-No to NATO! Disengage from NATO and dissolve it!", the World Peace Council (WPC) denounces the NATO Summit which takes place in Madrid on 29-30 June. It is noted that the WPC participated in the large anti-NATO rally held in Spanish capital on June 26th. 

More specifically, the WPC stresses out:

The biggest war machine in history, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is having its Summit on 29-30 June in Madrid, Spain. One more summit where the war hawks of 30 countries and their governments will ratify and develop their imperialist plans as a ’’world sheriff’’.

PCTE: Sánchez government responsible for the Melilla massacre (English, Español)

In a statement about the recent massacre of migrants in Melilla, the Press Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) stresses out:

Last Friday, 45 immigrants deceased and several more people were injured while trying to enter Melilla. The PCTE makes the Government of social democratic coalition responsible for this serious incident.

This has been the first attempt of mass entry in Melilla since the Spanish Government has changed its policy on Western Sahara in March, thus giving in to blackmail by Morocco.  

KKE MEP: The Melilla massacre is an example of EU's criminal policy

The EU Parliament Group of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) strongly condemned the criminal policy of the EU and its governments that resulted in the recent tragic massacre of migrants in Melilla. 

 

During a debate in the Committee on Political Liberties (LIBE), in the presence of EU Commissioner Ylva Johannson, KKE MEP Kostas Papadakis made the following intervention:

Swaziland: Mswati's security forces opened fire against Communist Party activists

The police in Swaziland shot live bullets at activists of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) who were protesting during a Sunset Rally held on Saturday night, 25 June 2022.

The rally was held at Mahwalala community, about 4 kilometres outside the capital city, Mbabane. It was the second rally of the weekend, following another one held on Friday night in Msunduza township, Mbabane.

Massacre in Melilla: A Barbaric Crime of Europe’s “Progressive” Imperialism

The images of barbarism and inhumanity in Melilla, on the Spanish-Moroccan border, are a modern crime of the so-called “progressive” imperialism of Europe.

The same forces that for centuries plundered the wealth of African countries and exploited its peoples as slaves, today kill hundreds of uprooted people in live transmission in cold blood.

The EU and the governments that cut the wages of Europe’s workers, impose barbaric anti-peoples’ policies, persecute those who resist and attack democratic and trade union rights within their own countries, also try to target the poor and oppressed of other countries, and cultivate racism to hide their brutal anti-workers’ policies.

OTAN no, bases fuera! Large, militant anti-NATO rally held in Madrid (VIDEO)

“No to NATO! No to the imperialist war” was the major slogan of the large anti-NATO rally held on Sunday 26th June in Madrid, a few days before the NATO Summit that will take place in the Spanish capital on 29-30 June.

The demonstration began with a gathering at Atocha station and later the protesters marched through central streets towards Plaza de Espana.

Members and supporters of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) participated in a militant joint bloc, shouting slogans in both Greek and Spanish, such as “OTAN no, Bases FUERA”, “In Greece and Spain the people demand NATO and bases to go away”, “Viva KKE! Viva PCTE!”, etc. The protesters also expressed their solidarity to the detained young communists, Mikhail and Aleksander Kononovich, who remain imprisoned in Ukraine. 

Greek, Turkish communists rallied against G7 Summit in Munich

Photo: 902.gr

Communists from Greece and Turkey had a militant participation in yesterday's protests in Munich against the G7 Summit which is taking place in Southern Bavaria.

With a joint bloc, members and supporters of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) rallied in the German city, waving flags and shouting slogans, such as “no to the bloody redistribution of the world by the imperialists” and “hope lies in the peoples' struggle” (Watch video here). 

Abortion rights: U.S Communist and Left forces react to Supreme Court's ruling

The recent ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) which overturned Roe v. Wade thus ending the decades-long constitutional right of women to abortion has created a wave of protests throughout the United States, as well as abroad.  

In a comment on social media, the Party of Communists (PCUSA) writes: “As rent and living costs increase for working women, the Supreme Court overturned the monumental Roe v. Wade decision that protected a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. Alongside this dishonorable decision, Judge Clarence Thomas advocated for the reconsideration of laws on contraceptives, same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriages". 

PAME slams U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on abortions: Women’s rights are non-negotiable

In a statement about the U.S. Supreme Court's despicable decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade case thus ending the constitutional right of women to abortion, the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME), Greece's trade union powerhouse, stresses out:

"At a time when inconceivable wealth is being produced and science is making leaps and can solve huge problems of society, we workers are experiencing the escalation of authoritarianism, repression, reactivation.

KKE: Question to EU's Josep Borrell about the detained young communists in Ukraine

For more than 100 days, the First Secretary of the Leninist Communist Youth Union of Ukraine Mikhail Kononovich and his brother Aleksander, remain detained by the Ukrainian authorities. With a new question submitted to the EU High Commissioner Josep Borrell, the European Parliament Group of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) denounces the unjust and arbitrary persecution and detention of the two young communists. 

PCTE: Spanish government suspends basic rights and freedoms for the NATO Summit

Madrid has become a “fortress city” for the needs of the NATO Summit which will take place between 28-30 June. In a statement the Press Office of the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) denounces the social democratic government of Pedro Sánchez for suspending “basic rights and freedoms in order to shield Madrid before and during the NATO Summit”.

It is reminded that PCTE and its youth wing, the Collectives of Communist Youth (CJC), organize an anti-imperialist protest, against NATO Summit, on Sunday 26 June in Atocha, Madrid. 

Kostas Sarantidis, aka Nguyễn Văn Lập: A beacon of internationalist solidarity

In an emotional event held in Athens on Wednesday 22 June, friends and comrades of the legendary "Greek Viet Minch" Kostas Sarantidis, also known as Nguyễn Văn Lập,  honored his memory and legacy, on the occasion of his first death anniversary. The event took place at Studio New Star Art Cinema in central Athens and was attended, among others, by the Ambassadors of Vietnam, Cuba, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. 

Internationalist political event to be held in Greece on Saturday 9 July

Left to right: D. Koutsoumbas, A.Garcia, K.Okuyan, P. B.Cabrera

An internationalist political event is scheduled to take place on Saturday 9 July in the Greek city of Volos, within the framework of the 31st Anti-imperialist Camp of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE).  

The event will be attended by the leaders of four Communist Parties from Greece, Turkey, Spain and Mexico who will deliver greeting speeches. 

 

According to 902 portal, greeting messages will be delivered by:

Communist Party of Mexico: Democratic capitalism is no solution for the Colombian, Latin American people

Commenting on the electoral victory of social democrat Gustavo Petro in Colombia, the Communist Party of Mexico (PCM) stresses out that “democratic capitalism” does not provide a solution to the problems of the Colombian people, nor for the people of Latin America.

In a statement, the PCM points out that, despite their electoral defeat, the most reactionary and criminal forces of the Colombian bourgeoisie are still owners of the capital and land.

Gustavo Petro, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the fairytale of “left governments”

By Nikos Mottas.

The same old fairytale of “left-progressive governments” is back in the news following the electoral victory of social democrat Gustavo Petro in Colombia, as well as the performance of leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon in French parliamentary elections.

As it happened last December with Gabriel Boric' victory in Chile, a number of left-wing, opportunist forces in Greece and abroad celebrate the recent results, presenting them as a “triumph of the left” which can allegedly bring positive developments for the working people. 

KKE on French election: Popular discontent for Macron — Mélenchon and Le Pen are capital's reserves

“The actual, pro-people way out, in France, in Greece and in every country, is the intensification of the struggle against capitalist barbarism and its- every time- governmental administrator”, underlines a comment by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) on the results of the French legislative elections.

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

PAME: Strong, militant successful Congress with more than 2,000 delegates

On June 18-19, 2022, the heart of Greece's working class movement was beating in Piraeus, where the National Meeting of the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) took place, with the participation of more than 2,000 delegates from 506 trade unions of private and public sector from all over the country in addition to 60 Pensioners Unions. 

Under the major slogan “Our Power is in Organization, Hope lies in our Struggles, Our weapon is Solidarity”, trade unionists-workers discussed the current situation in the labour movement, as well as the next steps for the intensification of the class struggle. 

Georgi Dimitrov's legendary speech in 1933 Leipzig trial

The 18th of June marked the 140th birth anniversary of the great Bulgarian communist, leader of the Communist International from 1935 to 1943, Georgi Dimitrov. As a tribute to his memory we publish his famous defense speech during the Reichstag fire trial in Leipzig, when he refused counsel and proudly defended himself against his Nazi accusers.

"I am defending my Communist ideology, my ideals"

Leipzig, 16 December 1933.

Book: Truth and Lies about the famine in Ukraine, by Nikos Mottas

The mythology surrounding the so-called Holodomor, the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933, is exposed in a concise 78-pages book edited by Nikos Mottas and published in Greek language by Atexnos Publishing House.

For many decades, the issue of the Ukrainian famine in 1932-33, the famous Holodomor, occupies a prominent place in the arsenal of anti-communism. Especially after the counter-revolutionary overthrows in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, the Holodomor is at the forefront of a systematic and persistent attempt to vilify socialism of the 20th century and present it as an evil, inhumane system which is supposedly responsible for millions of deaths. 

The pandemic revealed the bankruptcy of capitalism

On 15/6, the Health–Welfare Section of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) presented its new publication under the title “COVID-19 pandemic: Capitalism in its twilight”. Workers in the Health–Welfare and other sectors, young people, and students flooded the park next to the largest hospital in the country, “Evangelismos”, where the book presentation took place. Among them were many vanguard trade unionists who work in public hospitals and who, for the past two years, under the extremely difficult conditions of the pandemic, have been at the forefront of the struggle to defend people’s health. 

The KKE stands by the side of the workers of LARCO mining industry

D. Koutsoumbas addressing the protesters outside the Parliament.

On Tuesday 14/6, the MPs of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) demanded the withdrawal of the despicable legislative amendment concerning the sell-off of the large nickel processing enterprise of LARCO. During the debate in the Plenary Session of the Parliament, the KKE MPs conveyed the demands of the workers of LARCO, who, together with thousands of other workers, demonstrated outside the Parliament chanting “Hands off LARCO”. 

The KKE requested a roll-call vote on the amendment. This initiative aimed on the one hand to upset the plans of the government to pass it on the sly and on the other hand to expose those who will vote for this shameful amendment to the people. 

Ukraine: 100 days since the kidnapping of Mikhail and Aleksander Kononovich

One hundred days have been passed since the kidnapping and detention of Communist Youth members, Mikhail and Aleksander Kononovich, by the reactionary Ukrainian regime. 

Under the pretext of false and groundless accusations, the two brothers were arrested on March 7th and tortured in a Kiev detention center. 

Since then, numerous Communist Parties and Youth organizations from all over the world, including the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) have demanded their immediate release.  

PAME National Congress on June 18-19: Hope lies in our Struggles, Our weapon is Solidarity

Greece's trade union powerhouse PAME, the All-Workers Militant Front, which unifies and have among its members the most active, fighting forces of the trade union movement, organizes its National Congress on June 18-19 in Piraeus. 

On Friday 17th June, an international seminar under the title "The Action of The Unions in All Condition" will take place in Athens.

Below you can read the official statement of PAME: 

KKE on Stoltenberg's remarks: NATO fosters Turkish aggression against Greece

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday urged Greece and Turkey to resolve their disagreements over the Aegean Sea, where the two are at loggerheads over islands and airspace.

“Diverse views and debate are an essential part of our democracies,” the head of the transatlantic military alliance told Greek news agency ANA.

But, he said, “we urge Greece and Turkey to solve their differences in the Aegean in a spirit of trust and Allied solidarity”. Stoltenberg’s comments came two weeks after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared he was ending regular high-level meetings with Greek leaders intended to foster cooperation between the two countries. 

Communists from Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands discussed current tasks

Together against the consequences of the crisis

Representatives of the German Communist Party (DKP), the Communist Party of Luxembourg (KPL) and the New Communist Party of the Netherlands (NCPN) discussed their assessment of the current phase of the crisis of capitalism and its consequences for the working class in their countries at a joint conference in Remich (Luxembourg) on June 11 and 12. They noted that the ruling circles are increasingly using the Corona pandemic and, in recent weeks, the war in Ukraine to accelerate the redistribution of social wealth from the bottom to the top. This policy has a strong negative impact on the social situation and the purchasing power of wage earners, youth and pensioners. 

Anti-NATO event organized by the KKE in Stockholm

Source: riktpunkt.nu

A political meeting against the imperialist alliance of NATO was organized by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) on Sunday 13 June in Stockholm. 

 

The event took place at the Greek Cultural House, with the major speaker being KKE MEP Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos.

 

The meeting was attended by the chairman of the Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) Andreas Sörensen who delivered a greeting message. 

Stalin Never Said These Words: Top 5 Fake Quotes

Only a handful of people in world history have been vilified and demonized as much as Joseph Stalin. 

 

The Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 continues to haunt the bourgeois class, while fascists, trotskyites, social democrats and opportunists of every kind still tremble before his name. Almost 70 years after his death, Stalin remains a subject of persistent slanders, lies, distortions and propaganda.

Within this context, dozens of quotes have been deliberately misattributed to Koba in an effort to spread confusion. Some of the most common are the following:

KNE two-day camp in Germany held successfully

A successful two-day camp of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) in Friedrichroda, close to Erfurt, Germany, was concluded on Saturday 11 June with a political event, 902.gr portal reports.

The event began with the reading of anti-war poems by Giannis Ritsos, Nazim Hikmet and Bertolt Brecht. A greeting message was delivered by Alexandros Matsigkos, Secretary of the KNE Sectoral Organization in Central Europe, who stressed out that the two-day camp is the culmination of the recent activity of the KNE organizations in Germany and thanked the foreign delegations for their important contribution. 

WFTU on International Day against Child Labour: "End child labour — Stop man by man exploitation"

In a statement about the International Day Against Child Labour (12 June 2022), the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) vows to fight and end all forms of exploitation of children. The full statement reads:

On this International day against child labour, World Federation of Trade Union, with all its affiliates across the globe, recommits itself to the firm resolve to fight against all forms of exploitation of children. WFTU in most vociferous terms says, “Stop child labour; Restore the right of children to a childhood!”

KKE MEP asks for the release of Yerzhan Yelshibayev, Kazakh political prisoner

With a written question submitted to the EU Foreign Policy High Commissioner Josep Borrell, the European Parliament Group of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) demands the immediate release of political prisoner Yerzhan Yelshibayev who remains detained by the Kazakh authorities. 

 

It is reminded that a similar question, on the same issue, had been submitted by the KKE on September 2020.

The enlargement of NATO is a threat to the peoples — Statement by the European Communist Initiative

In a statement issued today, 9 June, the Secretariat of the European Communist Initiative stresses out:

"The Secretariat of the European Communist Initiative deplores and condemns the plans of the bourgeois classes and governments of Sweden and Finland to join NATO. This is a move that entangles the peoples of both countries, the whole of Scandinavia, and overall in great dangers and adventures.

The KKE denounces the sending of weapons to Ukraine by the Greek government

Giorgos Marinos, member of the PB of the CC of the KKE and MP, made an intervention in the Standing Committee on National Defence and Foreign Affairs demanding that the Minister of National Defence inform the Committee about the sending of military equipment to Ukraine and not hold a briefing behind closed doors. 

 

He stressed that the issue is crucial and linked with the dangerous involvement in the war and the US–NATO plans. 

Sweden: Communist Party was denied the right to use its name in the elections

More than 170 years since the publication of the Manifesto of the Communist Party by Marx and Engels, the "spectre of communism" still haunts the bourgeois class.

The news come from Sweden, the country which alongside Finland submitted an application to join NATO, where the Communist Party cannot participate in September elections under its own name! In a communique, the Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) points out:

New Communist Party of the Netherlands (NCPN): The 7th Party Congress held in Amsterdam

On the Saturdays of the 14th and 21st of May, the 7th Party Congress of the New Communist Party of the Netherlands (NCPN) took place in Amsterdam. This was preceded by months of collectively refining the Congress documents and discussing them with the members in the base organisations. With the decisions of our Congress, we will work in the coming years to strengthen the struggle for the interests of the working class and to take steps in party building.

Mexican communists: On the participation of Mexico in U.S. Southern Command military drills

In a statement about Mexico's participation in inter-imperialist military drills sponsored by the U.S. Southern Command, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Mexico (PCM) stresses out:

We condemn the participation of the Mexican State in inter-imperialist military exercises and the strengthening of forces of repression.

We consider it very serious that the Mexican army is participating in the Tradewinds military exercises sponsored by the U.S. Southern Command. This action is an expression of the inter-imperialist alliances in which various bourgeois states participate (Belize, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the United States of America, France, Guyana, Holland, Jamaica, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, and Suriname).

World Environment Day: No more exploitation of the environment and workers for the sake of profit

"No more exploitation of the environment and workers for the sake of profit" says the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) on the occasion of the World Environment Day. The full statement of the WFTU reads:

No more exploitation of the environment and workers for the sake of profit

Undoubtedly one of the issues that has been raised in the public debate in recent years is the environmental crisis and its various implications. Climate change, global warming, extreme weather events, sea level rise, environmental degradation, deforestation, pollution of air, water, soil, seas and forests, the degradation of biodiversity and the ecosystem, the uncontrolled and unregulated capitalist economic activity in mining, agriculture, stockraising, the production,  The creation of conditions for the outbreak of pandemics and diseases are issues for which scientists have been revealing data and sounding the alert for years.

Working Class Heroes: KKE event in honor of political prisoners held in Anafi island

In an emotional event held earlier on Saturday 4 July in the Aegean island of Anafi, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) honored the hundreds of communists and other political prisoners who were exiled in the island for several decades throughout the 20th century. 

Paying tribute to all those heroes of the class struggle, the Central Committee of the KKE unveiled a monument created by sculptor Antonis Myrodias. 

On the unacceptable stance of the RCWP towards KKE

To the CC of the RCWP

Athens 03/06/2022

Comrades,

We received your reply to the CC of the KKE of 6 May 2022 and we also read the article which was published in SOLIDNET.

First of all, we are saddened with the style and the unacceptable accusations addressed to our party in both texts, which are absolutely baseless and unacceptable. The leadership of the RCWP is well aware of the fact that the KKE has supported your party as well many CPs, that it has essentially assisted them in difficult moments, and that it has expressed its solidarity in practice, faithful to the principle of proletarian internationalism. These facts refute the slander of arrogance on our party which are used in order to justify the mistaken positions of the leadership of the RCWP, positions that are far away from our principles.

Denmark's communists stand up against NATO and EU

In the referendum held on June 1st in Denmark the government's proposal to join the EU’s common defense policy was approved by 67% of the voters, while 33.1% voted against. The referendum comes just a weeks after the applications of Sweden and Finland to join the imperialist alliance of NATO.

“Tonight Denmark has sent a very important signal. To our allies in Europe and NATO and to Putin”, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared echoing the aspirations of the Danish bourgeois class. “Denmark now can partake in the European cooperation on defense and security. And for that I’m very, very happy”, the Prime Minister added. 

Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee: 70 years of hurt

The following article was originally published in Challenge Magazine, the official organ of the Young Communist League of Britain (UCL), under the title "Seventy years of hurt", on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's 70th anniversary since her ascension to the throne.

By James Meechan*

Armed constables amass in Westminster; police drones and helicopters flutter in the skies; Her Majesty’s homeless subjects are cleared from the streets. Tom Cruise takes a moment out of promoting Top Gun: Maverick to gurn through a televised royal circus show. The bunting flies resplendently above emaciated high streets. ‘Midst the worst immiseration in 40 years, there’s momentous pomp, procession, and pageantry — the platinum motherfucking jubilee.