Friday, September 30, 2016

KKE: Statement regarding Turkish President Erdogan’s remarks on the Treaty of Lausanne

 http://communismgr.blogspot.com/2016/09/kke-statement-of-regarding-turkish.html

The Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued the following statement regarding the remarks of the President of Turkey Tayip Erdogan on the Treaty of Lausanne:

 

“Erdogan’s statements are dangerous and provocative and are part of the systematic efforts of the Turkish leadership to dispute the Aegean islands and the borders and sovereign rights of Greece more generally, to raise the issue of “grey zones”.

The period when these statements were made was no accident, as the negotiations are intensifying around the “closure” of the Cyprus question, on the basis of two component states, while the bargaining over the refugee issue between Turkey and the EU is underway. With these specific statements, Turkey is objectively exerting pressure in order to settle these matters in an even more negative direction for the peoples.

Once again, the government and the other political forces have been exposed, which for many years have been reassuring the Greek people that the alliance between Greece and Turkey, in the framework of NATO, is an agent for the “peace and security in the region”, the moment when NATO not only does not subdue the aggressive designs of Turkey, but on the contrary foments and reinforces them.” 

* * * 

WHAT ERDOGAN SAID.

Erdogan: Turkey gave away Aegean Islands in 1923.

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a direct swipe at the Turkish republic’s Kemalist lineage on Thursday, and by extension engaged in an eyebrow-raising exercise in revisionist history.

“We gave away the islands (in the Aegean) through the Treaty of Lausanne (1923),” he told a group of elected local authorities, adding that the purges that followed the July 15,2016 coup attempt in the neighboring country were “a new war of independence”.

 

The increasingly majoritarian Erdogan was referring to the Turkish war of independence between 1919 and 1922, which led to the formation of a new Turkish republic under Kemal Mustafa, who was later bestowed the honorific title of “Ataturk”.

On Thursday, Erdogan criticized the Turkish delegation that signed the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which among others ended hostilities between Greece and a new Turkish state, and between the Entente states and the new Ankara government. The treaty also engineered an unprecedented exchange of populations: Christians of Asia Minor expelled to the Kingdom of Greece and Muslims in the latter expelled to the nascent Turkish republic, the successor of the Ottoman Empire.

“In 1920 they threatened us with the Treaty of Sevres, and they finally persuaded us with the Treaty of Lausanne. Some tried to impose Lausanne,” Erdogan told a mostly partisan crowd, before expanding on a mishmash of revisionist history, maritime law and echoes of Ankara’s 40-year policy of exceptionalism in creating claims in the Aegean.

“The islands, which if we care to shout (from the western Asia Minor coast) we’ll be heard on the other side (the islands), we gave away with Lausanne. What will now happen with the continental shelf? What will happen with the airspace and land? We’re still fighting for all of these. Those responsible for this (situation) are those (of the Turkish delegation) who sat at the table of negotiations for this treaty (Lausanne). They did not rise to the occasion, and thus we face this problem. If the (July 2016) coup had succeeded, maybe an agreement would have come before us even worse than Sevres,” he said.

The islands Erdogan was referring to in the eastern Aegean were lost by the Ottoman Empire — which held nominal control — to Greece as a result of naval warfare and troop landings in the First Balkan War of 1912. Nevertheless, all of the islands – i.e. Lesvos, Chios, Limnos, Samos etc. — were populated by a wholly ethnic Greek and Christian Orthodox population, with a continuous history dating back millennia.

The Dodecanese islands further south, however, which also had a predominately Greek population dating back to pre-antiquity, were awarded to Italy in the wake of the Treaty of Lausanne. Italy was the occupying power of the Dodecanese islands since 1911. The well-known island of Rhodes retained a small but important Turkish-speaking minority, which remains a prosperous part of the island today, while Kos hosted a tiny Muslim minority.

The Dodecanese islands formally joined Greece in 1947 with a peace treaty between Rome and Athens. Greece was a WWII victor, the Italian government in 1947 was a successor to the defeated Mussolini regime, which was part of the Axis, while Turkey was a neutral state throughout the war.

Two islands that didn’t join the group of Aegean isles that united with Greece in 1912, or the other group in 1947, were Imvros and Tenedos in the extreme northeast Aegean, close to the Dardanelle straits. Both islands were awarded to Turkey with the Treaty of Lausanne.

In 1923 both islands hosted thousands of ethnic Greeks and retained a Hellenic culture for most of recorded history.  Today, only a few dozen ethnic Greeks remain on Imvros (Imbros).

Core Values and Program

• Class oriented
• Uniting
• Democratic
• Anti-Imperialist
• Committed to peace
• Community based
• Modern
• Independent

PROGRAM

Introduction

We are activists throughout the country active in the labor movement, in community organizations, in the civil rights movement, activists in peace and solidarity organizations, anti-imperialist organizations, and religious groups that want to bring to fruition the concept of a government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” a government free from the control of Wall Street bankers and the executives of large multi-national corporations. As the economic crisis deepens, the corporate rulers are determined to continue and to intensify the foisting of this crisis onto the backs of working people. This is a desperate attempt to make the working class pay for a crisis that is not of our making.

Both of the major U.S. political parties, Democrats and Republicans, are defining the crisis as a “debt” issue, when in fact the real problem is a set of policies that protect the rich and big business interests with a regressive tax code—on top of the absurdly huge cost of supporting wars of occupation and aggression abroad. The times we live in reveal vast suffering of the masses of people, and bipartisan austerity programs uniting most Democrats and ALL Republicans against the poor and the weak. But there is a feeling among a broad strata of the people that a better world can become a reality!

Republican politicians, under the influence of the racist and fascist “Tea Party,” protect the monopolies by scapegoating undocumented workers and immigrants in general, as well as people of color, indeed, all who bear the brunt of this crisis. They seek to save their economic system by blaming the victims. Aided financially by right-wing industrialists like Charles and David Koch, these fanatics follow the aggressive lead of Wall Street and the further aims of the parasitic war industry in its drive for wasteful wars of occupation and imperialist expansion.

MPD believes that we need a government of people’s representatives who will aggressively curb the power of Wall Street, the monopolies, and the military-industrial complex. We call for defending and expanding the historic gains of the civil rights movement. We call for an independent and militant role by the trade unions, and for the labor movement to support and actually run candidates free from the big business connections of the Democratic Party, even though labor’s candidates themselves might run for office as Democrats.

Democracy and the American Electoral Process

We realize that the American political process is broken at every level of government. The demands of the Movement for Peoples’ Democracy (MPD) would be the basis for an electoral platform as well as a mass movement seeking to put into state and local government, and at the national level, into Congress and the White House, elected officials accountable to our program—a people’s government elected by broad democratic strata led by the working class. This is our long range goal.

The Capitalist Crisis and our Response

The U.S. invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and the support for fascist puppets in Ukraine, along with the explosive growth in the intelligence and domestic security agencies and businesses, hurricane Katrina, the collapse of Wall Street followed by a bailout of certain companies by the Federal government all indicate that the Wall Street and bug business rulers of the USA are reaching the limits of their ability to govern.

We are aware that many activists at this time will still focus on their particular single issues. In a sense, we fully realize that the many different movements to which we otherwise relate on a daily basis in our mass work probably are not ready now to just drop what they are doing and join us. What we are saying to these activists is “this is what we are doing” and we want to work with you to lay the foundations for the eventual election of a people’s government to replace the never ending cycle of crisis capitalism. The MPD believes that our work in a united front will facilitate the realization of the particular issue: everyone’s particular issue, be it labor rights, civil rights, militarization of our schools, quality education, health care, etcetera.

Labor Rights Are Human Rights

We support the right of all workers to organize into labor unions of their own choosing. We support the struggles for a wage commensurate with the cost of living. (Please contact us for additional information about our sister organization Labor United in Class Struggle: www.labortoday.us)

Tax the Rich

We fight for an end to corporate welfare and the demand to tax the rich and corporations. There is absolutely no reason why companies like General Electric (GE) should pay zero taxes because of loopholes in the tax code.

Stop Debt and Foreclosures on Poor and Middle Income Families

We demand an immediate moratorium on foreclosures and call for the cancellation of all mortgage and credit card debts. We demand a cap on interest rates at 5$ on all non-mortgage interest. Make payday loans illegal.

Tuition Free Education

We are against private education in principle, and the corporate running of our schools. Education should be in the hands of the people, not Wall Street and Monopoly corporations. In addition, we call for the forgiveness of all student loans, and the cancellation of all private and public student loan debts. Make all college and technical school education tuition free.

Civil Rights and Community Control Over the Police

We demand an end to police brutality and racial profiling. The racist practices of “stop and frisk” must be replaced by civilian elected police review boards with the power to investigate and adjudicate justice in cases of abuse by police officials. End police spying on law abiding citizens. Abolish the program of the militarization of our communities by police departments with the aid of the Federal government.

Equality

We support the concept of affirmative action at all levels. We demand the restoration of the political and economic rights for ex-prisoners, including the right to vote.

Economic Policy

We oppose NAFTA, CAFTA, and the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement, and demand that the USA pull out of these “free trade” deals. We oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and the Canadian-European Trade Agreement (CETA). We are actively working for the defeat of TPP, TTIP, and CETA with our allies both at home and abroad. We demand an end to the exporting of U.S. jobs overseas and we demand full employment for the U.S. people. There is no reason why workers should be forced to work overtime while their fellow workers are out of work! We say no to speed up! We support the struggle for a thirty (30) hour work week for 40 hours pay. We didn’t create the capitalist crisis of overproduction and we won’t pay for it!

 

Infrastructure Development

We strongly support the creation of a national high-speed rail network, light rails, and subways funded by the Federal government throughout the country. We demand the nationalization of the oil companies and major utilities, gas, water, electric. We demand the nationalization of the banks so that the Federal government has access to capital to repair our infrastructure of crumbling, roads, bridges, drinking water delivery systems, schools, and other public buildings. We further demand the upgrade of the broadband superhighway.

Housing Program

The United States needs a nationwide program of rehabilitation of foreclosed properties and the immediate construction of low income housing in every major city in the country. The Federal government needs to start a housing trust fund to direct and finance this work. No one should be without the basic necessities of life: water, food, clothing, education, and a roof over their head.

 

Foreign Policy

We demand an immediate and unconditional end to the occupation wars against Afganistan and Iraq, and for a complete halt to the U.S. imperialist intrigues against Libya, Pakistan, Yeman, Somalia, and other countries. We call on the United States to cease all aid to the fascist junta government in Ukraine.

We demand and support the struggles to end the inhuman economic blockade of Cuba and for the restoration of fair trade and unrestricted rights to travel by U.S. Citizens. The Cuban Five are free, why aren’t we?

We call for an end to all military and economic aid to Israel and for the recognition of Palestine, inclusive of the right of Return by Palestinians to their stolen lands and homes.

We support the normalization of relations with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela, for the cause of peace and prosperity.

We support independence for Puerto Rico!

We demand an end to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO is the greatest threat to world peace. We demand the abolition of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). We demand the dismantling of the war industry, and we call for a seventy-five (75) per cent reduction in military spending, with guaranteed re-employment of laid-off workers and retraining to work on infrastructure projects with no cuts in pay or benefits.

We demand an end to U.S. involvement in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

 

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Greek industrialists: “SYRIZA and New Democracy converge in their economic strategy”

 http://communismgr.blogspot.com/2016/09/greek-industrialists-syriza-and-new.html

Info taken from ‘Rizospastis’, 24/9/2016.

 

In it’s latest weekly report, the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (the union of the Greek industrialists) admit that the SYRIZA government and the right-wing, conservative opposition of New Democracy have no fundamental differences in their strategy for the country’s economy. “The development objective is common, the means are different” says the report of SEV* thus openly acknowledging the convergence between SYRIZA and New Democracy in their strategy to serve the antipeople, antiworkers objectives and priorities of the Greek capital.

 

The industrialists evaluate the interventions of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Thessaloniki International Fair earlier this month as “positive”, as long as both seem to be fully aligned to the demands of the domestic capital for competitiveness and recovery of profits. 

“Despite the ideological differences”, states the weekly report of SEV, “the presentations of the political leaders of both major parties in at the Thessaloniki International fair converge in the necessity for a fast exit from the crisis and recession and the transition of economy to a new development model focused on investments and exports, with more planning and greater compliance with the restrictions of the Memorandum”. 

 

In a few words, the report of the Greek capitalists acknowledges that Alexis Tsipras and his coalition government do a really good job in serving their interests. It also becomes clear that despite the dog fights between SYRIZA and New Democracy on minor political issues both parties have a common strategy towards the implementation of antipeople, antiworkers measures in favor of the capital’s profitability.

 

* SEV (From the Greek “ΣΕΒ”, which is the accronym for the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises).

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The downward spiral of European opportunism has no end

 http://communismgr.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-downward-spiral-of-european.html

The downward spiral of European opportunism has no end.

Comment published on ‘Rizospastis’ (24/9/2016), 
Source: inter.kke.gr.

 

It is well-known that European capital and its union, the EU, have acquired for many years now its “leftwing chorus”. Various parties are playing this role, parties that call themselves “progressive” and “leftwing” even some parties that keep a “communist” title, having for many decades now been assimilated into the opportunist, social-democratic current of “Eurocommunism”. 

The latter, such as, for example the French Communist Party (PCF) have for many years been divorced from Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism, have even abandoned the historic symbols of the communist movement and in the name of the “left’ have become the “tail” of social-democracy and also whitewash the capitalist system and the imperialist unions of the EU and NATO. However, they keep the “communist” name and in this way, apart from their misleading activity in their own countries, even participate in the International Meetings of the CPs, seeking to play a similar role. If we can judge from the events of the recent festival of “L’Humanite”, the newspaper of the PCF, the downward spiral has no end.

How else could we refer to the fact that G. Katrougalos, Minister of Labour of the SYRIZA-ANEL government, was invited to speak at this festival? In other words, the person who has massacred, through the 3rd memorandum agreed between the SYRIZA-ANEL government with the imperialist organizations, workers’ rights, salaries and pensions and now aims to restrict the right to strike was invited to the festival of this “communist” party to talk about “neoliberal policies”. The same man who the workers and pensioners at a recent mobilization of PAME depicted as being a modern… “scissor hands”.

 

This is the person the “communists”, now in name only, of France decided to invite. Of course this was no accident if one takes into account that for the discussion that took place next door, they had invited General Dominique Trinquard, a head of military missions of the UN and NATO, to speak about international developments and “our common European home”. Yes, you read correctly, NATO, the imperialist organization that massacred and continues to massacre the peoples. This might sound irrational to communists in Greece, as well as to communists in many countries all over the world. However, it is not strange for a party that fully supported the recent imperialist interventions of NATO in LIbya and of the EU in the Central African Republic.

 

The words of Lenin are relevant today, when he said that the struggle against imperialism is inextricably linked to the struggle against opportunism.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Liars and Opportunists: SYRIZA’s 180-degree shift on the privatization of Elliniko

http://communismgr.blogspot.com/2016/09/liars-and-opportunists-syrizas-180.html

ATHENS (28/9/2016) Greece’s parliament passed new reforms on Tuesday night to cut pension expenditure and transfer control of public utilities to a new asset fund. The reforms seek to unlock 2.8 billion euros ($3.14 billion) in financial loans as part of the country’s latest bailout program. 

 

The reforms were passed by a narrow 152-141 majority vote in Greece’s 300-seat parliament, after 152 parliamentary members of the ruling SYRIZA-Independent Greeks (ANEL) coalition approved the reform bill. Only one member of the coalition voted against the bill, along with all opposition members. KKE MPs voted against the anti-people package of laws– “It’s about time for the Greek people to say: No more sacrifices for the profits of the few” stated in his speech the General Secretary of the CC of Communist Party of Greece Dimitris Koutsoumbas.

Assets include airports and motorways, as well as water and electricity utilities. The holding company groups together these state entities with the country’s privatization agency, the bank stability fund and state real estate. It will be led by an official chosen by Greece’s creditors, although Greece’s Finance Ministry will retain overall control. The reforms sparked significant backlash among demonstrators and public sector workers. 

 

Ahead of the vote, protestors outside of the parliament in Athens chanted, “Next you’ll sell the Acropolis!” Greece’s public sector union criticized the reforms, saying that the transfer of public assets paved the way for a fire-sale to private investors. “Health, education, electricity and water are not commodities. They belong to the people,” the union said in a statement. 

Workers at Greece’s public water utility companies in Athens and Thessaloniki walked out on Tuesday to protest the reforms. “They are handing over the nation’s wealth and sovereignty,” George Sinioris, head of the water company workers association said. “We think this is a crime because it involves basic public services. We will respond with court challenges, strikes, building occupations and other forms of protest.” (Sources: news/agencies reports).

The social democratic “masterminds” of SYRIZA: PM Tsipras  and Vice President G.Dragasakis (right).

Now, let’s go to a specific case of privatization- the plot of the old Athens airport at Elliniko.

 

On Wednesday 21 September, the Greek parliament ratified a concession deal (privatization) for the former Athens International airport plot at Elliniko to a real estate consortium which was stalled for a number of years. The bill, described as a compromise by Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, while State Minister Alekos Flabouraris  who defended the ratification of the agreement by the ruling majority said that the project will boost the economy significantly.

 

Except from the MPs of the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government, New Democracy, PASOK, To Potami and Enosi Kentroon (Center Union) parties also approved the bill ratifying the concession agreement. The Nazi-fascist Golden Dawn party voted against the ratification of the agreement, not because it was against the privatization but because of the deal’s… low price. Syriza MPs voted in favor of the deal following a heated debate in parliament, 22 months after the first agreement between the consortium led by Lamda Development (belonging to Latsis business group) and the state was signed.

 

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) was the only party which actually opposed the privatization agreement, proposing the creation of a public park open for the people. KKE MP Diamanto Manolakou pointed out that the privatization of Elliniko highlights the class-based character of the development policy promoted by the leading class which the SYRIZA-ANEL government implements adding that the whole area is given as pray to the business groups and their profitability. The whole area of Elliniko, Manolakou said, must be taken by the State, in order to become a metropolitan park, open to the people, for use, free of charge, by all working families in Attica. For that, KKE will continue to struggle, showing to the people that there is the capability for another way of development, without monopolies and their alliances.

KKE’s parliamentary representative, MP Thanasis Pafilis, pointed out that SYRIZA serves the interests of the capital in the most clever way presenting it with a pro-people mandate. Pafilis also mentioned among other things: What kind of fair development are you talking about? What does fair development mean? Is it the fact that you give the country’s natural environment to the monopolies? What do the people of Attica gain from this? Nothing, the situation of the people will get worse. 

 

As we saw, the government of Alexis Tsipras moved towards the privatization-sell of Elliniko. However, just a few years ago, when Tsipras and SYRIZA were in the opposition they were campaigning against the privatization plans of Elliniko. Let’s see some characteristic examples of what Mr.Tsipras was saying as an opposition leader against the privatization of Elliniko:

 

Athens-Macedonian News Agency, 12.12.2014.

 

ANA – MPA — Main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras on Friday met with activists campaigning for the conversion of the former airport site at Elliniko into a metropolitan park and expressed SYRIZA’s support “for the struggle of Elliniko residents to avert the sell-off of the former airport and the beach and in support of its conversion into a park.”

 

Tsipras: “If I sign privatizations like Elliniko, you better vote Samaras (the then Prime Minister)”. That is what Alexis Tsipras was saying during a political talk show on Greek TV.

On 28.2.2014, the then leader of the opposition and president of SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, was the major speaker at a major event called “ELLINIKO IS NOT FOR SALE” organised by his party. 

 

Banner about the event headed “ELLINIKO IS NOT FOR SALE” at the municipal building of Elliniko-Argiroupolis in Athens. Alexis Tsipras and two SYRIZA members were the major speakers.

In his address, Mr.Tsipras was assuring the people of Elliniko that he and SYRIZA will not abandon the fight against the privatization of the plot. Furthermore, he was stating:

 

“All these years, in Elliniko two worlds are clashing. The one which defends with struggles the public interest and the one which advances the private profit-making interests”. 

 

Two photos showing the then opposition leader Alexis Tsipras participating in anti-privatization campaigns for Elliniko.

 

Alexis Tsipras (middle) meeting with the Committee for the Metropolitan Park of Elliniko, against the planned privatization.

Now, you can draw your own conclusions.

 

IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNISM.

https://www.rt.com/news/360963-mh17-probe-ukraine-internet/

Members of a joint investigation team present the preliminary results of the criminal investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 , in Nieuwegein, on September 28, 2016.© Emmanuel Dunand / AFP