AT the invitation of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), a CPI(M) delegation headed by Sitaram Yechury, general secretary and Mridul De, Central Committee member and West Bengal CPI(M) state secretariat member visited Greece from September 21 to 26. 

This visit has further strengthened the relations between the CPI(M) and the KKE.  The programme organised by the KKE for the visit was very intensive.  Apart from detailed discussions with the general secretary of the KKE, D Koutsoumpas, the delegation had separate meetings discussing substantive issues of mutual interest and concern with the International Relations section of the KKE, the Ideological Committee and the Trade Union section of the KKE.  Additionally, there were meetings with the KKE-led Trade Union, All-workers’ Militant Front (PAME), a separate meeting with the general secretary of the World Federation of Trade Unions G Mavrikos and the general secretary of the World Peace Council T Pafilis along with the Peace Council of Greece.  There were also separate meetings that were organised with the Editorial Board of the party daily newspaper Rizospastis and the publishing house of the KKE and its bookshop Synchroni Epohi. 

In the meeting with the general secretary and the International Relations section, KKE Polit Bureau member and Head, International Relations section Giorgos Marinos and Elises Vagenas, CC in-charge of International Relations section, explained the current ideological positions of the KKE and the current nature of class struggle in Greece and the party’s strategic and tactical objectives.  Detailed in-depth discussions took place on these issues concerning the application of Marxism-Leninism to the concrete conditions in today’s world, today’s Greece and today’s India. 

The KKE today is engaged in a very intense struggle against the onslaught of Capital against the working people of Greece.  Following the crisis of financial bankruptcy of Greece, the bailout packages that Greece accepted under the Syriza government have, far from providing relief to the working people, added newer burdens.  More than 90 percent of the bailout packages given by the IMF, the EU and the European Bank have gone to pay back the earlier loans, thus, directly contributing to the profit maximisation of finance capital.  Less than 10 percent of the bailout package was available for improving the people’s livelihood.  This does not make any substantive contribution to the vast majority of the Greek people’s lives.  On the contrary, the assaults on their livelihood continue with the merciless implementation of the “austerity” measures.  Amongst the workforce of 3.5 million in Greece, it is estimated that the unemployment rate is as high as 25 percent.  As a result of the bailout packages, the profit of monopoly capital in Greece grew by 10 billion Euros, while in the same period, the wages for the working people was slashed by 40 percent.

The youth wing of the KKE – KNE – functions more like the Communist Youth League.  The youth leaders informed us that while the general unemployment rate is 25 percent, youth unemployment is alarmingly high at 50 to 60 percent.  Almost all new jobs are in the unorganised sector where the youth do not have any access to the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the workers. Under these circumstances, the KNE has emerged as a major force rallying the Greek youth on the question of employment guarantee and safeguarding over working people’s rights. 

The Communists working in the Greek Peace Council informed us that the Syriza government is actively considering the establishment of a US military base on a Greek island of USA’s choice.  Further, they informed that this Greek government has sought NATO’s help to control the refugee influx. As far as the refugee situation is concerned, we were informed that the Syriza government, instead of trying to resolve this problem, is dealing with the issue in a manner  that is creating newer problems.  Like elsewhere in Europe, many of these refugees were detained violating many aspects of international law.  We were informed that nearly 60,000 plus such refugees were detained.  We were also informed that Greece is the entry point but not the preferred destination for settling by the refugees. On many occasions, overloaded vessels carrying refugees were sunk close to the shore where people had to swim to safety or else sink and die.  They claimed that the number of such deaths have not been properly estimated so far.  This refugee influx has led to sharp conflicts between the immigrants already living in Greece and the refugees leading often to riots.  The refugee camps are very ill-equipped and in most camps, the number of refugees residing is more than double of the capacity. This situation, according to them, is providing a very fertile ground for xenophobic and fascist forces to become very active.

The highlight of the CPI(M) delegation’s visit was that it coincided with the KNE Youth Festival marking the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Democratic Army of Greece.  Following the forced retreat of Hitler’s fascist army from Greece in 1944, within a couple of months, the British occupation forces arrived to control Greece. The Greek people, instead of being liberated from fascism, were subjected to another round of colonial occupation with the British occupation army being ably supported by the US military forces.  The Democratic Army of Greece, formed in 1946 after the overthrow of the British, had to wage a civil war with the Greek bourgeoisie, supported and militarily aided by imperialism.  The Democratic Army played a decisive role in these wars on behalf of the Greek people who were ultimately subjected to a long period of dictatorship. 

The conclusion of the KNE Youth Festival was an impressive rally and a public meeting with the participation of over 40,000 people in a park in the capital city of Athens.  The KKE general secretary and the KNE general secretary addressed this public meeting outlining the policies and programmes of the Communist Party and the youth organisation in the coming period. At the beginning of the rally, CPI(M) general secretary was asked to greet the participants (the text of the greetings is carried along with this write-up).

Both at the beginning of the visit on September 21 and the last day on September 25, programmes were organised in different municipalities that are headed and controlled by the KKE.  The first of this was to the Kaisariani municipality. It was a very touching moment when the Communist mayor of the municipality and the deputy mayor accompanied the CPI(M) general secretary to the memorial of the spot  where on May Day 1944, Hitler’s fascist troops executed 200 Communist militants through the Nazi firing squad.  It was a big struggle to establish this memorial.  The reactionary government of the Greek bourgeoisie has handed over this site to a private shooting range rather than maintaining this as a symbol of Greek people’s resistance against Nazi fascist occupation. It was after years of struggle under the Communist leadership of this municipality that the site was finally recovered from the central government and a solemn memorial was set-up along with a museum of national resistance.  The outgoing mayor of this municipality, also a Communist and a KKE leader, was a child of six when this Nazi atrocity took place.  He recounted to us many moving instances of comrades who were led up to be shot by the firing squad leaving behind notes for their families and their comrades to carry forward the liberation struggle in their absence.  Being a child of six, the Nazis did not notice the important job that this comrade was performing at the age of six!

The other municipality that we visited was in Patras, a two hour drive from Athens.  Patras is a port city which is on the other side of the waters from Italy. Hence, much of its trade is, naturally, with Italy. Because of its locational position, Patras was also the centre of the recent refugee influx where the refugees landing here were hoping to cross over to Italy. Many gruesome stories of how the refugees were treated by the Greek Syriza government were narrated to us. The Communist mayor and the Communist member of parliament from this city took us around to many of these parts and also explained the misery caused to this once booming city that flourished through its trade with Italy. Patras is the third biggest city in Greece and was a major centre of the anti-Ottoman Empire occupation of Greece for over four centuries.  It played a big role in the anti-fascist and civil wars in Greece.  Famous for its Corinthian blood grapes, Patras is known as the land of the Greek God Dionysis – God of wine.  Even the traditional exports of wine and olives from this region have seriously suffered due to the economic crisis.  The Communist mayor explained how the central Syriza government is starving the municipality of funds,  thereby forcing and facilitating a massive privatisation of services for super profits to be reaped by private monopoly capital. 

The CPI(M) delegation’s visit ended with a big meeting organised by the Athens Party Committee in a famous cinema hall in the city.  The CPI(M) general secretary was asked to speak on the developments in India, the  wider region of Asia-Pacific and the struggle of the Indian Communists.  In a packed hall with KKE and KNE cadres, the meeting lasted for over two hours with a very intense and interesting interactive session with the comrades.

On the whole, it was a successful visit that contributed to a better understanding of ideological issues and the appreciation of the current situations in Greece and India and the role being played by the KKE and the CPI(M) in Greece and in India to carry forward the class struggles. The visit ended with the firm resolve of solidarity of the KKE and the CPI(M) with each other’s struggles in India and Greece for social transformation and our joint efforts to strengthen the global anti-imperialist struggles and movement.  

'Socialism is the future'

Below we reproduce the message of greetings given by the CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury to the concluding rally of the Youth Festival of the Communist Youth (KNE) on September 24, 2016. Over 40,000 youth participated in this rally.

IT is wonderful to be here sharing the revolutionary spirit, energy and optimism that is so clearly abundant here.

My revolutionary salutes to all of you on behalf of over a million members of the CPI(M) and nearly forty million comrades working in various mass organisations led by the CPI(M).
Struggle, knowledge, daring, endurance, is the theme you have chosen for this festival. Indeed, all advances of human civilisation have only been through class struggles. These struggles can never succeed without scientific knowledge, daring and endurance. This is the essence of Marxism - 'concrete analysis of concrete conditions ' - to change our present day world into a world without exploitation of man by man and nation by nation - a better world, Socialism.

Youth are the inheritors of the future. You must shape your future. You are the future of this better world.
Unlike time, history does not always move forward in a linear manner. Depending upon the relative strengths in the correlation of class forces and class struggles at a point in time, the exploiting classes can temporarily retard the advance of human civilisation. We are living in one such period where the counter revolutionary forces have bared a naked aggression. Imperialist wars, predatory profit maximisation through neo-liberal economic reforms, unequal treaties and attacks on human rights established by earlier class struggles are driving the vast majority of people, globally, into poverty and misery. Imperialism is seeking to turn the clock of history back. Peoples all over the world are in the midst of struggles against this. We from India assure you that we are waging these struggles in a determined manner.

Capitalist ideologues project that this is the 'end of ideology, end of history '. To them, in India, we say Marxism is a scientific truth. When a child is born from the mother's womb, the child could suffer from many deformities but under no circumstance can this child return back into the comfort of the mother's womb. Likewise in human history, once Socialism was born rupturing Capitalism's womb, whatever may be the weaknesses today, human history cannot go back into Capitalism's womb. Human history has to be moved forward by intensifying class struggles.

This determination to carry forward class struggles more vigorously is in evident here today. When our class enemies ask ' what is the future of Socialism?' Our answer must be ' Socialism is the future '.
I join you today along with all our class bothers and sisters to rededicate our resolve to strengthen our struggles to achieve our future - Socialism.

My revolutionary red salute to all of you here and those in the midst of intense class struggles all across the globe.