22 International Communist Seminar held in Brussels

The CPGB-ML was the only British party to attend this year’s International Communist Seminar. Harpal Brar delivered the message from the CPGB-ML to the 22nd seminar held in Brussels and organised by the Workers Party of Belgium. The theme this year was “the attacks on the democratic rights and freedoms in the world capitalist crisis“. Harpal’s words can be read here and the speeches and presentations from all the parties can be found at the website of the ICS 2013.

A similar talk was prerpared and given by Harpal at the conference organised recently by the comrasdes from the PRCF in France. That video can be seen here:

Grande-Bretagne from Gwénaël Bidault on Vimeo.

The seminar organised by the comrades from the PTB was attended by the parties listed below. Red Youth urges all readers to visit the site of the ICS and study these documents in detail:

1. Afghanistan, People’s Party of Afghanistan
2. Algeria, Parti Algérien pour la Démocratie et le Socialisme (PADS)
3. Azerbaijan, Communist Party of Azerbaijan
4. Belarus, Belarussian Communist Workers’ Party
5. Belgium, Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB)
6. Bénin, Parti Communiste du Bénin
7. Brazil, Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB)
8. Brazil, Partido Patria Livre (PPL)
9. Bulgaria, Party of Bulgarian Communists
10. Colombia, Colombian Communist Party
11. Cuba, Communist Party of Cuba
12. Cyprus, Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL)
13. Denmark, Communist Party of Denmark
14. Denmark, Danish Communist Party
15. France, Union des Révolutionnaires Communistes de France (URCF)
16. France, Pôle de Renaissance Communiste en France (PRCF)
17. Germany, German Communist Party (DKP)
18. Greece, Communist Party of Greece (KKE)
19. Hungary, Hungarian Workers’ Party
20. Iran, Tudeh Party of Iran
21. Ireland, Workers’ Party of Ireland
22. Laos, Lao People’s Revolutionary Party
23. Latvia, Socialist Party of Latvia
24. Lebanon, Lebanese Communist Party
25. Lithuania, Socialist People’s Front
26. Luxembourg, Communist Party of Luxembourg (KPL)
27. Malta, Communist Party of Malta
28. Mexico, Partido Popular Socialista de México
29. Netherlands, New Communist Pary of Netherlands (NCPN)
30. Palestine, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
31. Palestine, Palestinian Communist Party
32. Philippines, Communist Party of the Philippines
33. Portugal, Portuguese Communist Party
34. Russia, Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)
35. Russia, Communist Party of the Soviet Union
36. Russia, Russian Communist Workers’ Party – CPSU
37. Serbia, New Communist Party of Yugoslavia
38. South Sudan, Communist Party of South Sudan
39. Spain, Communist Party of Spain
40. Spain, Spanish Communist Workers’ Party (PCOE)
41. Spain, Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)
42. Sri Lanka, People’s Liberation Front – JVP
43. Sweden, Communist Party (KP)44. Switzerland, Parti Suisse du Travail
45. Tunisia, Parti des Patriotes et Démocrates Uni
46. Turkey, Communist Party of Turkey (TKP)
47. Turkey, Labour Party (EMEP)
48. Ukraine, Union of Communists
49. United Kingdom, Communist Party of Great-Britain – Marxist-Leninist
50. USA, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO)
51. Venezuela, Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV)
52. Vietnam, Communist Party of Viet Nam

Party for your future

A recent production by Red Youth

Protest organised in Birmingham in support of Turkish people

Red Youth and cpgb-ml comrades helped out with a loud PA and plenty of enthusiasm at a demonstration in support of the Turkish people who have come out in defense of their democratic rights in the face of a brutal onslaught by the AKP-led government. In solidarity with the Communist Party TKP we publish below some photographs from our demonstration, the statement of the TKP and the details of a public meeting organised for Friday 7 June.

Public Meeting: Understanding Gezi Park, the AKP, and the Turkish protest movement

Main speaker: Turkish journalist and NUJ activist Oz Shengulun

Friday 7 June 2013
6.45pm – 8.15pm
274 Moseley Road, Highgate, Birmingham, B12 0BS
This meeting is kindly hosted by community advocacy service United We Stand [Served by the Number 50 bus from town every 5 minutes: stop outside Birmingham Car Auctions opposite Old Fire Station]

With the unprecedented wave of violence unleashed upon demonstrators in Istanbul and around Turkey, many are now asking “why the bloodshed?” Oz Shengulun is a freelance Turkish journalist based in Birmingham where she is an active member of Birmingham NUJ. She is speaking in a personal capacity. The presentation will be followed by Q&A and general discussion.

DECLARATION BY THE CC OF TKP:
THE CHOICE FOR THE WORKING CLASS WILL CERTAINLY BE CREATED

1. For days now Turkey is witnessing a genuine popular movement. The actions and protests, which have started in Istanbul and spread all over Turkey have a massive, legitimate and historic character. The most important of all is the striking change in the mood of people. The fear and apathy has been overcome and people gained self-confidence.

2. The Communist Party of Turkey has been part of the popular movement beginning from the first day and mobilized all its forces, tried to embolden the proletarian and revolutionary character of the movement, endeavored to pervade a mature attitude of discipline, organized numerous actions and demonstrations. In this process, the police forces carried out a heavy assault on our party headquarters in Ankara. All over Turkey, several party members have been injured and arrested. There have been some attempts of abduction of our party cadres. But the attempts of provocations against our party defeated.

3. Our emphasis on the role of the TKP does not aim to underestimate the spontaneous nature of the movement or contribution of the other political actors. On the contrary, the TKP stressed that this movement has an aspect that is beyond the impact of any political actor or any kind of political opportunism.

4. The call of the masses for the government to resign is an absolute truth of this movement. Although it is obvious that a leftist alternative cannot be built ‘right now’, this demand should be expressed loudly. This option for the working people can be generated only through benefitting from the energy that came out at this historical moment. The TKP will focus on this and expose the real meaning of alternatives like “the formation of a national government”, which will most likely be put forward to deceive the working masses into thinking that the crisis can be overcome that way.

5. Without a doubt, the holders of political power will try to calm the people down, institute control and even attempt to use the situation to their advantage. They can have temporary achievements. Even in that case the popular movement would not be wasted. The TKP is ready for a period of stubborn but intense struggle.

6. In order to act in concert, different branches of the socialist movement sharing similar goals and concerns need to evaluate the rise of this popular movement immediately. The TKP, without interrupting its daily missions and activities, is going to act responsibly regarding this issue and endeavor for the creation of a common ground in line with the urgent demands below.

7. In order to nullify the plans of the government to classify and divide the popular movement as legitimate and illegitimate, all forces need to avoid the steps that might cause damage to the legitimacy of the movement. It is the political power that attacks. The people should defend themselves as well as their rightful action but never fall into the provocation trap of the government.

8. While the masses are chanting the slogan “government, resign”, the negotiations limited to the future of the Taksim-Gezi Park are meaningless. The government pretends not to understand the fact that the old balances has been upset fundamentally and cannot be restored. Everybody knows that the popular movement is not the product of susceptibility towards the trees in the Gezi Park. The anger of the people is over the urban transformation projects, the terror of the market, open direct interventions in different lifestyles, the Americanism and the subordination to the US, the reactionary policies, the enmity towards the Syrian people. The AKP cannot deceive the people with a discourse of “we will plant more trees than the ones that we will chop down.”

9. While rolling up our sleeves in order to create an alternative of the working people, the movement needs to lean on certain concrete demands. These demands are valid in the in the case of the resignation of the government or of Erdogan:
a) The government must announce that the projects that involve the demolishment of the Gezi Park and of the Ataturk Cultural Center are terminated.
b) Those who were taken in custody during the resistance must be released and all charges against them must be dropped immediately.
c) All officials whose crimes against the people are proven by the reports of the commissions that are formed by the Union of Bar Associations and local bar associations must be relieved of their duties.
d) The attempts that hinder the right of the people to get true news on the developments must be stopped.
e) All prohibitions regarding meetings, demonstrations and marches must be repealed.
f) All de facto or de jure obstacles that lock the political participation of the people, including the 10 per cent election threshold and the anti-democratic articles of the ‘law on political parties’, must be abolished.
g) All initiatives that attempt to impose a monotype life style to all people must be stopped.

10. These urgent demands will in no case affect our right and duty to continue the opposition against the political power. The People’s reaction to the government must be reinforced, and efforts must be concentrated to bring about a real alternative in the political scene.

11. The star and the crescent Turkish flag that was intended to be used to provide a shield for reactionary and chauvinist attacks against laborers, leftists, Kurdish people after the fascist military coup of September 12, 1980, has now been grasped by the People from the hands of fascism, and given to the honorable hands of Deniz Gezmiş and his comrades, as a flag in the hands of patriotic people.

12. The People’s movement, ever since the beginning, has persistently let down the sinister strategy to play one community against another in Turkey. This attitude must carefully be maintained, leaving no room for chauvinism or vulgar nationalism.

13. Appealing to our Kurdish brothers and sisters, we had already declared that “There can be no peace agreement with AKP”. There can be no deal with a political power to which its own People have turned their back, and the true face of which has been revealed. Kurdish politics must give up “cherishing hopes of proceeding further with AKP”, and become a strong constituent of a united, patriotic and enlightened laborer People’s movement.

14. Our citizens who have lost their lives through the hands of the police force of the political power, have sacrificed their lives in the name of a just and historical struggle. The People are never going to forget their names, and those who are responsible for their death will pay the price before law.

Central Committee
Communist Party of Turkey
4 June 2013

Save the Children issue new report: hunger = illiteracy

All the good intentions in the world can’t cure hunger and illiteracy. Numerous reports and scientific discoveries by NGO’s and Charities prove quite clearly that capitalism is bad for your health, sanity, education and all round wellbeing! The latest report from Save the Children reaffirms what we already knew – but if we’re serious about ending hunger and illiteracy then we need to end the system which creates these evils; monopoly capitalism viz. Imperialism! The following has been written by a Red Youth and Communist Party activist as comment on the news story reported by the BBC here.

Last year, in May 2012, Save the Children declared in their pamphlet “Nutrition in the First 1,000 Days” that “The focus is on the 171 million children globally who do not have the opportunity to reach their full potential due to the physical and mental effects of poor nutrition in the earliest months of life.” A year on, Save The Children has issued a new report indicating a direct link between malnutrition and illiteracy and has vowed to take their message, with the backing of some recognized big-wig authors, to London on June 8 for the G8 “summit on global nutrition”. Leading campaigner Julia Donaldson has declared, “Leaders attending this summit have a golden opportunity to stop this. They must invest more funding to tackle malnutrition if we are to stop a global literacy famine.” (BBC, Authors back ‘malnutrition hits literacy’ study – 28/5/13)

All socialists and progressives will be quick to agree with both the general findings of the report and condemn the scourge of hunger and illiteracy. Indeed we commend and salute the authors for bringing such crimes against humanity to the attention of the world’s media. But what must be understood is that this “golden opportunity” perceived by Save the Children, Ms. Donaldson and many supporters, is doomed to abject failure and is nothing but badly misguided good faith on their part. We expect absolutely nothing more than bureaucratic blubber and crocodile tears from the leaders of the G8; for malnourishment and illiteracy are not mere unfortunate side effects of imperialism’s worldwide operation, they are in fact the integral and logical results of monopoly capital’s drive for maximum profit and the inevitable product of a system that protects the private individual accumulation of wealth, a wealth that has been created through hard work of millions of workers in the fields, farms and factories, a wealth stolen and concentrated in the hands of the few.

Illiteracy & imperialism

Illiteracy has historically been one of capitalism’s primary tools in the suppression of class struggle and their ongoing monopoly on knowledge and technology. In the imperialist epoch this process has taken on the form of the technological enslavement of developing nations to their imperialist master’s. No phone networks without Vodafone, no electricity grid without Siemen’s, no medicine without Glaxo Smith-Kline etc etc. No wonder the technological developments that occur in China, Iran, DPR Korea and other independent nations bring the fury of the western governments and their media; incredulous at developing technology in these countries, particularly annoyed by the increasing technical development of the military in these countries, enabling them to defend their sovereignty and independence against imperialist aggression. Does the west really worry that China is ‘exploiting’ Africa? The same west that colonised Africa, stole the land from her people’s and enslaved and transported millions! Worries about their exploitation by China?! Perhaps they are more concerned that Chinese phone networks, Chinese mines, Chinese technicians and engineers are delivering the kind of technological improvements to Africa that will enable her people’s to stand on their own two feet, free of the IMF and World Bank!

Illiteracy & Culture

The indoctrination of British youth, the promotion of materialistic, self-obsessive behavior has driven the working class into blind and submissive moral acceptance of the domination of the idea’s, norms and behavior of the ruling class, helped along by the powerful privately-owned corporate media working in the interests of capital it has become cool to champion “The Apprentice” and decidedly uncool to go against the grain. Empathy with one another and our common struggle has been contaminated with selfish greed, alienating humans from their natural empathy towards one another, our common struggle and our desire to cooperate in a social environment to fix common problems. These natural instincts are replaced by senseless competition and mutual distrust, a pitting of one against another in a battle for survival and a race to the bottom.

The seemingly endless cycle of exploitation of working-class families will continue for as long as the working-class allows itself to be subjected to the orders of the exploitative class. The daily grind and increasing hardships create a no win situation for imperialism. To increase profits to the maximum it must impoverish and drive down the living standards of the masses of people – but in so doing it creates it’s own gravediggers. The only way to put an end to the poverty and neglect facing the 170 million + children talked about in the report, as well as their families, is to put control of production into their hands – into the hands of the working-class. The working class must seize state power and wield it in its own interests.

Socialism and class politics points the way

Take the example of the Cuban revolution. To this day, Cuba is labeled a third world country, despite boasting average literacy attainment far higher than that of its former oppressor, the USA, and maintaining the welfare of the people despite an endless list of items embargoed by the imperialists, banned from entering the country by US imperialism and it’s allies! Against imperialism, against the odds, Cuba has defied what capitalism says is possible and proven that an organised, disciplined and clearly defined working-class agenda is the only way to put an end to the demons of hunger, destitution, illiteracy and cultural oppression that haunt the world’s working class and the oppressed nations.
If Save the Children imagine that their discovery of c+h=i [children+hunger=illiteracy] is new they should look to the example of the Black Panther Party (BPP), who introduced food before school programmes in the 1960’s! Thousands of poor children in their community, who were suffering terrible poverty and malnutrition, and who would normally go to school without a meal were fed by the BPP programmes. The Panthers realised way back in 1960’s America that a hungry child can’t concentrate properly in school, that hunger prevented them from learning and developing, that an empty tummy inevitably led to illiteracy and unemployment! It’s not rocket science.

The way forward

Only the direct actions of the working-class can change the world. No amount of charitable donations and hand-me-downs from the G8 leaders will ever free children from the slavery they face at the hands of imperialism. Only a scientific, socialist approach to running society, a system and state run by the workers themselves can execute the demands of working-class.

The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win!

Africa Liberation Day – La lutta continua!

We reproduce here the greetings sent by the CPGB-ML to the celebrations for Africa Liberation Day arranged by the AAPRP and Ajamu in London.

“Dear Cde Maxine, comrades of the AAPRP, AJAMU and participants in the celebration of Africa Liberation Day.

I’m sorry I cannot be with you in person today.

Allow me, none the less, to wish you success for the meeting and please pass on our warm fraternal greetings and firm proletarian solidarity from the communist party on this 65th anniversary of African Liberation Day.

Obama’s formation of an Africa Corps, and the renewed determination of the NATO imperialist powers to dominate the continent of Africa, remind us how important it is to mark this occasion, and renew our struggle to rid the world of the scourge of imperialism – the enemy of all working and oppressed people.

At this moment, African workers, like all the oppressed masses of humanity, struggle against aggressive imperialist plunder – whether against the policies of economic domination, IMF ‘restructuring’ and slow starvation, or against policies of political destabilisation and direct military intervention, where the path of independence has been boldly taken.

NATOs genocidal campaign against anti-imperialist Libya, and recent imperialist interventions in Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, and Sierra Leone, and ongoing intrigue and manipulation in other states – Uganda, Rwanda, Egypt, Tunisia, etc. remind us of the truth if these words.

As imperialism’s economic, diplomatic and military might falls on the brave and independent people of Syria, where in the media do we read of USA’s ongoing genocidal proxy war for the plunder of COLTAN (without which silicone valley, the computer and mobile phone industries would grind to a halt) from the long-suffering Congolese people?

These 5 million victims apparently warrant no moral outrage; they are the everyday sacrifice made on the high alter of capitalist profit and highlighting their plight does not serve the imperial strategic agenda.

Imperialism seeks domination, not democracy! Let us never forget it.

Lenin said that the struggle against imperialism would be a sham and a fraud unless inseparably bound up with the struggles for national liberation of the toiling millions of ‘colonial salves’.

In our allegedly post-colonial era, following the fall of the Soviet Union and the renewed aggression and arrogance of Anglo-American imperialism in particular, the pressure of imperialism on its former colonies is greater than ever.

Let us then remember the words of Amilcar Cabral, founder of the PAIGC:

“I should just like to make one last point about solidarity between the international working class movement and our national liberation struggle. There are two alternatives: either we admit that there really is a struggle against imperialism which interests everybody, or we deny it. If, as would seem from all the evidence, imperialism exists and is trying simultaneously to dominate the working class in all the advanced countries and smother the national liberation movements in all the underdeveloped countries, then there is only one enemy against whom we are fighting. If we are fighting together, then I think the main aspect of our solidarity is extremely simple: it is to fight.”

Let us resolve to build unity in our struggle against capitalist imperialism, against neocolonialism, and admit that if a better world is possible, it is OUR duty to forge the means for bringing it into being.

Workers of all countries unite – we have nothing to loose but our chains! We have a world to win!

Reports of more decisive victories for the courageous Syrian Army

Taken from the report on Russia Today The report also includes this video which carries an interesting report from inside Syria and some bizaare and increasingly senile comments from Tariq Ali.

http://on.rt.com/zks8ho

Intense fighting is reported from the strategic Syrian town of Qusair, as rebels and government forces fight to control the area. Opposition activists say 30 members of Hezbollah were killed, while the government claims to have captured the area.

Earlier Monday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the army had “restored security and stability to most Qusair neighborhoods” and was “chasing the remnants of the terrorists in the northern district.” The agency quoted a military source as saying that army units dismantled a number of explosive devices, planted by terrorists in al-Souk area in the middle of the city.

The source added that army units are continuing hunting the remnants of terrorists in some hideouts in the northern and southern areas of the city.

“The Syrian army managed to make a full circle around the city, fighting the opposition fighters. The main achievement is to stop the line of supply chain between Lebanon and Syria,” local journalist Abdallah Mawazini told RT.

“They started from the western side of the city, in the rural areas. They control this zone with some fighters from Lebanon. Some extremist groups were preparing to go into Syria to fight with the rebels, they were going to go make a bigger front in order to fight and expand the fighting line between the government and the opposition,” he said.

But opposition activists denied that Qusair had been captured, saying that they had pushed back most of the attacking forces to their original positions, destroying at least four Syrian army tanks and five light Hezbollah vehicles.
Troops backed by Hezbollah “made incursions into Qusair, but they are now basically back to where they started at the security compounds in east Qusair and at a…roadblock to the south,”local activist Tareq Murei told Reuters.
Murei said that six people were killed by Hezbollah’s multiple rocket launches on Monday.

The Free Syrian Army meanwhile said that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah should be held“personally responsible” for the situation because he was allegedly meeting with all the fighters heading to Qusair. “We are today calling Nasrallah a killer of the Syrian people,” FSA spokesperson Louay Almokdad told Al Arabiya English. “We are certain these are fighters of Hassan Nasrallah. They are no longer Hezbollah, they are fighters of Hassan Nasrallah and Ali Khamanei.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 48 rebels had been killed, as well as four civilians. The Observatory’s director, Rahim Abdurahman, put Hezbollah casualties at 23 dead and 70 wounded. Lebanese security sources said at least 12 Hezbollah fighters had been killed.

Qusair, which is about 18 miles (29km) southwest of Homs, is seen as a key city for both sides. It helps link the Syrian capital of Damascus with government strongholds on the Mediterranean coast and is a passageway for rebel supplies and fighters from Lebanon.

According to UN figures, more than 80,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Bashar Assad began in March 2011.

‘No options off the table’

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a Monday statement that “no options are off the table” if the Syrian government refuses to negotiate the country’s future at the upcoming Geneva conference.
The comment came just four days after he accused the Assad regime of being “determined to conceal the truth” about what was happening, due to its refusal to allow a UN team to investigate reports that chemical weapons had been used by the Syrian army.

But while Hague points the finger at the Assad government, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has urged the Syrian opposition to take part in the peace conference, without setting any preconditions. The conference is being organized by the US and Russia, as a way to seek a resolution to the conflict.

“Our colleagues, including Americans, together with who we put forward this initiative [to hold the conference], took the obligation to work closely with the opposition in order to make it change its approach to the immediate start of the negotiations and stop conditioning it with unrealistic things,” Lavrov said in a statement.

Lavrov also stressed that Iran must be among nations invited to the conference.

Istanbul and Madrid are expected to host meetings of various Syrian opposition groups this week, he said.

Meet the cpgb-ml at three London events this weekend

Come along and meet up with the various cpgb-ml / red youth contingents over the weekend at these events in London.

Save the NHS – London Demonstration
18 May 2013 (12noon)
Jubilee Gardens (near the London Eye), London SE1
Demonstration called by a wide variety of campaign groups opposing the cuts and planned closures of services across the captial.
Come and join the CPGB-ML contingent on the demonstration.
More info:
http://www.savelondonnhs.org.uk/

Picket of the US Embassy
18 May 2013 (2.00pm – 4.00pm)
US Embassy, 24 Grosvenor Square, London W1A 2LQ
Support the Syrian people, headed by President Assad!
Oppose imperialist interference!

Stalin Society: Film showing – Chapaev
19 May 2013 (2.00 – 5.00pm)
Kings Cross Neighbourhood Centre, 51 Argyle Street , London WC1H 8EF
The film is based on the book with the same title by Dmitri Furmanov, a Bolshevik commissar who fought together with Chapayev during the civil war in Turkestan. It is a striking example of how people were transformed in the Soviet Union. It details, with tenderness and humour, the life of Chapayev – from a bandit with an disorganised band of followers into a responsible leader within a disciplined Red Army force.
Made in 1934 this film became one of the most popular of Soviet films. In Russian with English subtitles.
ALL WELCOME
More info:
http://www.stalinsociety.org.uk