Legendary composer Mikis Theodorakis blasts anti-communists and anti-Stalin slanderers

With a powerful letter to the Athens daily "Ta Nea", the renowned Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis comments on the recent anti-communist hysteria on the occasion of the EU and Estonian government's unhistorical, anti-communist events. 

Theodorakis, 92, begins his letter by blaming "Ta Nea" for the newspaper's anti-communist stance: "I'm terrified by the anti-communist hysteria that overwhelms your newspapers. As a young communist, I had the honor to fight through the lines of EAM for the achievement of freedom. Later, during the Junta period, through the Patriotic Front for the restoration of Democracy". 

Among other references regarding Greece's recent political history, Theodorakis writes: "The only thing that counts for you is our defeat in the Civil War and your inconvenience because the Left's ideology continues to exist, act and affect after so many persecutions".

The October Revolution and Yugoslavia – Past, Present and Perspectives

By Marijan Kubik & Alksandar Banjanac.

Source: International Communist Review,  Issue 7, 2017.

The Great October Socialist Revolution that happened one hundred years ago turned a new page in the history of mankind. The Great October Revolution ignited the revolutionary spirit in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people around the world, and infused them with confidence in their fight for a new world.

The October Revolution did not break out suddenly and as something that was generated solely in the Russian reality, it rather resulted from the entire flow of recent world, and in particular European, history. It was the fruit of the socialist aspirations, existence and functioning of the working class with the goal of tearing down the society divided in classes and the creation of classless human society.

Makis Papadopoulos (KKE) - Real and Fake Enemies of Fascism

Credit: Petros Zervos.

Real and Fake Enemies of Fascism.

By Makis Papadopoulos*.

Article originally published in the Greek newspaper "Alithines Eidiseis", republished on 902.gr / Translation:  In Defense of Communism.

The deepest objective of the EU's provocative anticommunist campaign is to persuade the peoples that there is no way out from the current swamp of the capitalist system, exploitation, insecurity, unemployment.

History has irrevocably illuminated that the capitalist system gives birth to fascism stream and uses it multiformally in order to strengthen the dictatorship of the capital.

Anticommunism shall not pass: Joint statement by more than 60 communist & workers parties

The Communist and Workers Parties denounce the anti-communist fiesta being organized by the Estonian Presidency of the EU.

The Communist and Workers Parties denounce the anti-communist fiesta being organized by the Estonian Presidency of the EU, in the framework of the so-called “European Day of Remembrance for the victims of totalitarian regimes”- as the EU has been attempting in recent years to establish the 23^rd of August. The anti-communist meeting aims to slander socialism and its unprecedented achievements for the workers, to falsify history, to anti-historically and unacceptably equate communism with the monster of fascism and its atrocities. The provocative identification of communism with fascism means exonerating fascism and the womb that gives birth to and nourishes it, the exploitative capitalist system. This is why, when communists are being persecuted and condemned and communist parties are being banned in a number of EU countries, at the same time honours are being bestowed on and pensions provided to the Nazi collaborators and their political descendants.

The workers, the peoples can now draw conclusions about the fact that the escalation of anti-communism signals the intensification of the anti-people measures, the restriction of workers’-people’s rights, the unleashing of new imperialist wars.

VULGAR ANTICOMMUNISM BY THE EU: They equate Marx's "The Capital" with... Hitler's "Mein Kampf"!

The EU and the Estonian Presidency of the European Council have reached the ultimate limits of political vulgarity and anticommunist distortion of History. The- organised by the Estonian EU Presidency- despicable "conference" in Tallinn proved its role as an unhistorical, hideous forum where the participants tried to equate communism with nazism. 

Among the many unhistorical references and efforts to distort the historical truth, the most horrible one came from Goran Lindblad of Sweden, President of the so-called "Platform of European Memory and Conscience". In his speech, Lindblad refered to the importance that the condemnation of all the "totalitarian regimes" has, and added that: "communist ideology in itself was bad, not that something had gone wrong when it was implemented. “Both the texts of Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ and Karl Marx include it, the idea to use terror to keep dictatorships in power,” Lindblad, a member of the Swedish Moderate Party, said.

Turkey's Communist Party (TKP) responds to Tayyip Erdogan's provocative statement

Source: soL international.

Turkish President and chair of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made controversial statements on Aug. 22 during a meeting with mukhtars, heads of local districts in Turkey.

Talking about many different issues, President Erdoğan signalled that the ongoing state of emergency, which started upon the aborted coup attempt in the summer of 2016, would continue around the country with the aim of "defeating the terrorist organizations".

ERDOĞAN TARGETS TURKEY'S COMMUNISTS.

KKE: Strong condemnation of the unhistorical anticommunist events of the EU in Estonia

Statement by the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece regarding the anticommunist events of the Estonian EU Presidency in Tallinn on August 23, 2017: 

"Tomorrow's unhistorical anticommunist fiestas in Estonia consist a provocation for the millions of victims of nazism, for all the peoples of Europe who, through their struggle, wrote the heroic pages of the Antifascist Victory. They consist a provocation for the millions of communists, the fighters who contributed decisively to the crush of nazism-fascism.

Memorial in honor of the communist guerrilla Democratic Army was unveiled in northern Greece

KKE Gen. Sec. Dimitris Koutsoumbas at the
DSE memorial (Source: 902.gr)

Theotokos, Greece - With the participation of hundreds members, supporters and friends of the Communist Party (KKE) and its youth wing (KNE), as well as numerous locals, the inauguration of the Memorial-museum dedicated to the heroic, communist-backed guerrilla Democratic Army of Greece (1946-1949) took place in the mountain of Gramos, at the northern Greek prefecture of Ioannina. 

The General Secretary of the CC of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas unveiled the memorial, while the major speech was delivered by the member of the CC of the Party Dimitris Gontikas. The names of 438 Democratic Army fighters, natives of the Gramos and Smolikas mountainous area, are inscripted in plagues surrounding the memorial. 

Shameful anticommunist event by the Estonian EU presidency to take place in Tallinn

A shameful event will take place in the Estonian capital Tallinn on 23rd of August. Once again, the "International Conference on the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Communism and Nazism" will be organized by the EU imperialists who continue the effort of history's distortion. 

The so-called "European Day of Remembrance" is based on a ludicrous and completely unhistorical resolution adopted by the EU Parliament on April 2009 and which equates Communism with Nazism as "totalitarian ideologies".

Statement of the KKE regarding the deadly attack in Barcelona- Comunicado del KKE sobre el atentado asesino en Barcelona

On the occassion of the recent murderous attack in Barcelona, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece issued the following statement:

"The KKE condemns the deadly murderous attack in Barcelona and expresses its condolences to the families of the victims. 

The KKE expresses its solidarity to the spanish people who, like other peoples, can now see that these murderous attacks which are taking place within the frame of the escalation of imperialist competitions, interventions and wars are utilized for the terrorization of the people, the strengthening of the repression measures, xenophobia and intimidation. 

KKE speech in Leningrad Conference: Our future isn't capitalism, it is the new world, socialism

Speech of the Communist Party of Greece at the the International Theoretical Conference of Communist and Workers parties: "100 years after the Great October Socialist Revolution, the lessons and tasks for the contemporary communists." (Leningrad, Russia 11-13/8/2017). 

Dear comrades,

On behalf of the CC of the KKE, we thank the RWCP for this initiative and for hosting our Conference Today.

The Central Committee of the KKE honours the 100th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. It honours the climactic world-historic event of the 20th century which demonstrated that capitalism is not invincible, that we can construct a superior organization of society, without the exploitation of man by man.

Turkey: 16 years of Erdogan's AKP Party, full of misery and violence

On August 14th, the Turkish Party of Justice and Development (AKP), founded in 2001 by Rejep Tayyip Erdoğan and Abdullah Gül, completed its 16th anniversary. "During these years, public assets have been plundered and at least 20 thousand workers have been killed in occupational murders" writes soL international which published a brief account of AKP's 16 years "full of misery and violence": 

Since 2001 when it was founded and 2002 when it came to power, the AKP government has never compromised its policies against the working class. Following the political crisis in 2001, AKP was founded as a project of the US, establishing political Islam as an ensured state policy of Turkey.

Communist Parties' statements on the death of Argentine communist leader Patricio Echegaray

A significant figure of the South American communist movement, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Argentina since 1986, Patricio Echegaray, passed away on August 9th, 2017. 

Cde. Echegaray was born in San José de Jáchal on 17 October 1946. Between 1980 and 1985 he served as the 26th General Secretary of the Juvenile Communist Federation, while he had also been a member of the Buenos Aires City Legislature from 2000 to 2003. Patricio's leadership has been marked by close internationalist relationships with revolutionary processes around the continent, including in Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, and El Salvador.

Who is to blame for Greece's disastrous wildfires?

Firefighters in Greece battle wildfires northeast of Athens for a third day trying to prevent a blaze that scorched thousands of hectares of pine forest from spreading further. The fire near Athens started in Kalamos, a coastal holiday spot some 45 km (30 miles) northeast of the capital, and spread to three more towns, damaging dozens of homes. A state of emergency was declared in the area.

On Monday 14 August, firefighters battled more than 90 forest fires across Greece, an outbreak fed by dry winds and hot weather that saw blazes burning near Athens, in the Peloponnese, and on the Ionian islands of Zakynthos and Kefalonia.

ΚΚΕ: Both SYRIZA and New Democracy share responsibility for their policies over forest protection, land commercialization, privatization of firefighting services.

Bertolt Brecht- Five Difficulties in Writing the Truth

Five Difficulties in Writing the Truth (1935).

 

By Bertolt Brecht.

Nowadays, anyone who wishes to combat lies and ignorance and to write the truth must overcome at least five difficulties. He must have the courage to write the truth when truth is everywhere opposed; the keenness to recognize it, although it is everywhere concealed; the skill to manipulate it as a weapon; the judgment to select those in whose hands it will be effective; and the cunning to spread the truth among such persons. These are formidable problems for writers living under Fascism, but they exist also for those writers who have fled or been exiled; they exist even for writers working in countries where civil liberty prevails.

KKE: Denounces Trump's provocative threats, expresses solidarity with the Venezuelan people

Regarding the provocative threats of U.S. President Donald Trump against Venezuela, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece issued the following statement:

"The KKE denounces the provocative threats of the president of the USA Donald Trump about the capability of a military attack against Venezuela. It (the KKE) expresses its internationalist solidarity to the working class and the popular strata of Venezuela. The developments in this country is a matter of her people, who are the only power that can give solution to the sharpened problems in the country, towards the road of overthrow and abolition of the basis which creates unemployment, poverty, the capitalist exploitation.

Communist Party of Italy - Contribution to the scientific conference in honor of the 100 years since the October Revolution

Communist Party of Italy.

Contribution at the Scientific Conference in honor 
of the 100 years since the October Revolution.

Leningrad, August 10-13, 2017.

A hundred years ago scientific socialism became reality. Until then, Marxism had only been theorized within the First International and applied to the class struggle in conditions of bourgeois domination; after that, it became reality for a short while, during the Paris Commune, showing that the proletarian revolution was not only possible, but even necessary. With the October Revolution, Marxism is applied to building Socialism, as the first step in the construction of the Communist society.

Party of Communists USA (PCUSA) - The October Revolution: A Beacon for Americans Today

The October Revolution: A Beacon for Americans Today.

Contribution of the Party of Communists, USA (PCUSA) at the Scientific Conference in honor of the 100 years since the October Revolution.

Leningrad, August 10-13, 2017.

This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the socialist revolution in Russia. It was the first time that the working class anywhere in the world was able to seize and hold power. The revolution grew out of the conditions of imperialism and the First World War. Russia had been ruled by a tsar, or emperor, making it one of the most reactionary regimes in Europe.

International conference honoring the centennial of the October Revolution began in Leningrad

The works of the international scientific conference honoring the 100 years since the 1917 October Revolution began on Friday in St.Petersburg (Leningrad), Russia. 

The subject of the conference, which is hosted by the Russian Communist Workers Party (RCWP), is "the Centennial of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Lessons and tasks for the contemporary communists", while numerous communist and workers parties from all over the world are participating.

The Communist Party of Greece is represented by the member of its Political Bureau Giorgos Marinos and Elissaios Vagenas, member of the Central Commitee and head of the international relations section of the CC.

"Our co-workers are executed in cold blood": PAME denounces new occupational murders in Greece

"Our co-workers are executed in cold blood" points out a recent statement issued by the Executive Secretariat of the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) in Greece, regarding the new occupational "accidents" in the country. 

It must be noted that on August 1st, two workers were killed and two were severely injured during work inside a biological waste treatment shaft in the town of Skala, in Laconia, Peloponnese. A 51-year old worker was cleaning the shaft when he started having breathing problems and called for help. A 37-year old Greek rushed to his assistance and jumped in the pit but he also felt unwell. Two more men, a 66-year old and a 22-year old who jumped in the pit also suffered from respiratory problems. Furthermore, two firemen and one policeman who participated in the efforts to save the men were also treated for breathing problems.

Corbyn denies to condemn imperialist interference in Venezuela

Once an opportunist, always an opportunist. The leader of Britain's Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn declined to take a firm and clear position about the developments in Venezuela. Instead, he condemned "violence done by all sides", thus calling for dialogue to end civil unrest.

Speaking after an event in Crawley, West Sussex, Corbyn sounded more like the Pope who wishes "the end of violence". “I’m very sad at the lives that have been lost in Venezuela” he said. “The people who have died – either those on the streets or security forces that have been attacked by people on the street – all of those lives are terrible for the loss of them” he said.

Trump the Warmonger: U.S. imperialists escalate provocations against North Korea

In a move that escalates the dangerous situation in the Korean peninsula, U.S. President Donald Trump added fuel to the fire on Tuesday, cautioning North Korea that they “will be met with fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which the world has never seen before.”

The tensions between the US and North Korea were exacerbated by the adoption of a new round of sanctions by the UN Security Council last week. Apart from trading verbal punches, both parties are flexing military muscle as well. In response to two test-fires of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) by North Korea last month, the US and South Korea repeatedly fired surface-to-surface missiles into neutral waters close to North Korea.

V.I. Lenin writes about Engels: "A great fighter and teacher of the proletariat!"

  By Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.

 

Written in autumn 1895, First published in 1896 in the miscellany Rabotnik, No. 1-2.

Source: V. I. Lenin, Collected Works, 4th English Edition, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1972 via Marxists Internet Archives.

What a torch of reason ceased to burn, 

What a heart has ceased to beat!

On August 5 (new style), 1895, Frederick Engels died in London. After his friend Karl Marx (who died in 1883), Engels was the finest scholar and teacher of the modern proletariat in the whole civilised world. From the time that fate brought Karl Marx and Frederick Engels together, the two friends devoted their life’s work to a common cause. And so to understand what Frederick Engels has done for the proletariat, one must have a clear idea of the significance of Marx’s teaching and work for the development of the contemporary working-class movement. 

Z. Zigedy- Ruminations on the JFK Assassination

Ruminations on the JFK Assassination.

By Zoltan Zigedy*.

I found four good reasons to revisit the John F. Kennedy assassination.

First, I have finished reading the 2017 Antonio Veciana memoir, Trained to Kill. Gaeton Fonzi, one of the most thorough and honest assassination investigators always maintained that Veciana, a Cuban anti-Fidel CIA asset, and Sylvia Odio, another member of an anti-Communist organization, were the keys to unlocking the CIA, Oswald, assassination nexus.