European Communist Meeting 7/12/2015 in Brussels

Intervention by the

Communist Party of Denmark (DKP)

By Bjarne Rasmussen, international committee

The confrontation between imperialism and the peoples which has been dominating the world for several years is undergoing further aggravation. Libya was smashed to pieces by an imperialist war, which imperialism would have us believe was a popular rebellion, part of the ”Arab spring”. Libya is today in the grip of Islamist hooliganism. The so-called ”rebellion” or ”civil war” in Syria has evolved into outright war as brutal as not seen for decades, maybe for centuries. New fronts have been opened up in Ukraine and on the Arab peninsula. And behind all this aggressivity and destructivity stands imperialism – US and emerging EU imperialism.

It is far from evident for all that such is the case. Imperialism laid the foundations of its strategy during the Vietnam war and refined it in Afghanistan, and now it has developed it further onto a new and higher level, where the imperialist powers interests are served by a regional client power. The US, whose aim it is to get rid of the Syrian Baath regime, is not waging an open war against Syria, but is watching and washing its hands in bombing raids against the eastern positions of the Islamic State, while under sanctimonious protests leaving it to Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to finance, equip and man the Islamist terror batallions which in the west fight the real war on Damascus. This strategy is deceiving many – also of the Left.

The US and its Middle East satellites – Israel included – more or less openly support the so-called ”Syrian insurgents”, among whom IS is only the most fanatic faction. The Syrian government is backed by Russia, Iran and patriotic forces in Lebanon and Iraq. The forces involved in this confrontation are such, that there is danger of far more than a civil or regional war. This is especially true after Russia joined the actual fighting.

The case of Ukraine is similar. Only Russia’s reluctance has until now prevented a direct military confrontation between the greatest powers of the world. Add to this the mounting tensions in the Pacific region too, and one could fear that the international situation today is such, that even a small slip may open the door to a third world war.

In this context it gets increasingly important that the EU is unfolding more and more its negative sides, externally, in the case of Ukraine, as well as internally, in the case of Greece. The EU was never a peace project as so often pretended, but EU imperialism is now increasingly helping to draw the world towards crisis and war. Fighting EU and imperialism is becoming more and more of a main task in our epoch.

In such a situation, it is encouraging that rebellion is seen all over the world.

Latin America is liberating itself from the hegemony of US imperialism and is no longer the ”private backyard” of its big neighbour.

Europe has seen popular risings against EU austerity policies prospering in a growing number of countries, even winning significant positions of power, such as Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain. These movements are too immature, inaccurate in their aim and too marked by illusions to really show the way in the struggle against capital and reaction; in particular, their lack of courage or will to confront the EU is a weakness. A revolutionary movement towards a socialist Europe is by no means what we see. But it is an expresssion of public discontent and will of change and in this sense a positive trend.

A referendum in Denmark last week showed, that a majority of the voters reject more influence to the EU. A majority in the parliament wanted to give op the legal reservations Denmark have according to the Lisboan treaty.

A year ago, the Communist Party of Denmark stated that the working class and people of Denmark is facing a strategic choice:

Allow the present imperialist course to be continued towards a world order dominated by globally operating and imperialist-capitalist corporations in mutual competitional combat, to the interests of which states and peoples are forced to adjust?

Or should alternatively a struggle be waged for these imperialist power structures to be replaced by a world order of sovereign and equal states?

In Denmark as in other countries, Communists must set themselves the task of helping the working class and the people reach an understanding of these fundamental alternative options.”

This statement was confirmed at our recent 34th Congress and is an important guideline for our work. The vast majority of people in imperialist countries are not able to view imperialism from the outside; they are used to the idea that their system and their way of life is the natural and lawful way and they believe their rulers when they tell them that the purpose of imperialist aggressiveness is to defend freedom and democracy.  The task we have set us is one of information and propaganda. It requires that we reach the broadest possible population strata. It requires that we forge a unity the like of which has not been seen for decades – a unity reaching far beyond the narrow circles consciously concerned with socialism. It requires that we act and not just talk as revolutionaries.

The Communist Party of Denmark has throughout nearly 100 years of existence proven several times that Danish Communists are able to perform such a task. We are confident that our weakened and divided movement will rise to the challenge and, in doing this, gain new strength and vitality.