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| Dimitris Koutsoumbas with ALU President Chris Smalls |
Dimitris Koutsoumbas, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), was the keynote speaker of a political and cultural event organized by the Party's Friends Club in New York on Saturday 27 April. The event, attended by dozens of members of the Greek Diaspora who live and work in the U.S, was held at the Kefalos Society of America in Astoria.
The opening speech was made by Kostas Lourdas on behalf of the KKE Friends Club in New York, while interventions were also made by KKE candidates for European Parliament, Lefteris Nikolaou Alavanos and Kostas Gouliamos, who accompanied Koutsoumbas in his North American trip.
The opening speech was made by Kostas Lourdas on behalf of the KKE Friends Club in New York, while interventions were also made by KKE candidates for European Parliament, Lefteris Nikolaou Alavanos and Kostas Gouliamos, who accompanied Koutsoumbas in his North American trip.
While in New York, the KKE delegation visited Greek-owned businesses in Astoria as well as the Hellenic Cultural Center and held various meetings, including the Consul General of Greece in New York, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America Elpidoforos and the administration of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU). More specifically on Friday the General Secretary of the KKE met with Chris Smalls, President of the ALU and other executives of the Union.
It must be noted that the Amazon workers in Staten Island, JFK8, backed by the ALU, which counts more than 8,000 members, became the first unionized Amazon workers recognized by the National Labor Relations Board. Earlier on Friday, Koutsoumbas visited Columbia University where he expressed the KKE's solidarity with the students who protest against the ongoing Israeli massacre in Gaza.
Dimitris Koutsoumbas' trip to North America began on 21 April in Canada where he visited Toronto and Montreal. On Tuesday 23 April, the delegation of the KKE had a meeting with a delegation of the Communist Party of Canada and its General Secretary, Liz Rowley.
