The central political and cultural events of the three-days of the 42^nd Festival of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) and its newspaper “Odigitis” were held in Athens with the tremendous participation of young people and working people of all ages.

 KNE’s festival, having first “travelled” to dozens of Greek towns with similar mass events, was completed in Athens, where the representatives of 32 youth organizations from different countries all over the world took part.

On Saturday 24/9 the political rally-climax of the festival was held with as uts main speaker Dimitris Koutsoumpas, GS of the CC of the KKE. Sitaram Yechury, GS of the CC of the CP of India (Marxist) and the Secretary of the CC of KNE, Nikos Ambatielos, also addressed the meeting.

D. Koutsoumpas began his speech by referring to the importance of the Festival of KNE-“Odigitis’, as amongst other things it brings thousands of young people into contact with the history of the KKE and labour movement. «They find about the activity of the previous generation of fighters, they are inspired, they make a decision to take their place in the organized struggles, they take up the baton for the great battles that we have in front of us, for the “earthquakes that are to come”.» and he added:

«The history of the KKE, the conclusions that we draw for the strategy of the party are weapons in the complex daily and demanding struggles against the system of exploitation. In the great cause of the fight for socialism- communism. And he added that the study of the history of the KKE that this «has proven that the main problem so far has been the lack of a correct strategy, the lack of readiness of the Communist Parties in terms of program and organization, to lead the people’s revolt in revolutionary conditions to overthrow capitalist power. This study of historical experience has proven that the “reform strategy” took over, the strategy of penetrating the bourgeois capitalist power through the very organs of bourgeois power, in collaboration with parts of the bourgeois class.

And while the Communist Parties had socialism – communism as a goal in their program, they actually always put an intermediate stage before it for the maturation of the revolutionary forces.

This strategy resulted in some Communist Parties not meeting their duty, when the conditions of a generalized economic crisis were expressed in their countries that led to a generalized imperialist war and after that a revolutionary situation.

To struggle consistently based on our program, which is the aim of the concentration, maturation and organization of the working class as the leading social force of the revolutionary process, means that this struggle should take place, with this objective, within the working class and the other popular strata even in non- revolutionary circumstances.

The party fights for that objective independently without giving in to the various means of pressure used by opportunist and bourgeois forces, not even to pressure applied by the working and popular masses, asking for immediate solutions within the system, to problems that the system itself creates.

This means that we shouldn't follow the logic of detaching the everyday political struggle concerning various burning issues – the crisis, the war, a coup, intensification of state's violence and suppression, Nazism-fascism – from the main revolutionary struggle itself.».

The GS of the CC of the KKE referred to the political developments in Greece and stressed that “SYRIZA was chosen to do the dirty work on behalf of the capital and the EU, because at least in this phase, it is able to deceive and manipulate people easier than the traditional bourgeois political forces.

 Because, first and foremost it is able to neutralize, to paralyze radicalism, to cultivate fatalism and defeatism amongst people that put their hopes and expectations in SYRIZA, and then were disappointed,  disproved and now are  still in confusion.”

He stressed that the argument between SYRIZA and the conservative party of New Democracy “ is about: who is going to lead the implementation of the third memorandum., support the capitalist recovery and manipulate the people at the same time. New Democracy on the other hand is nervous seeing how the Greek and international centers support the government of SYRIZA – ANEL and is trying to propagate its own “willingness”, as the most “genuine child” of capital, to implement the entirety of the restructuring measures that it requests. Because it is clear that the third memorandum, the overthrow of the working people's rights and the support for the capital's profitability and recovery, are in both parties' programs.”

D. Koutsoumpas made reference to the tactics of the conservative party of New Democracy and the old social-democratic party PASOK, which use anti-communism, presenting “ as an almost communist, pro- soviet party, implying that its "communist character" is to blame for anything bad that has emerged from their policies.” And he added that “They are invoking the people's problems in Venezuela. But, of course, it was not socialism that went bankrupt in Venezuela, but the well-known narrative of opportunists like Tsipras-Lafazanis-Konstantopoulou, that they could allegedly tame the iron laws of the system in the framework of capitalism, that they could prevent capitalist crises, that the profits of the few and the needs of the many could be reconciled.”

D. Koutsoumpas did not forget to criticize the other parliamentary parties. He noted that “PASOK and “The River”(Potami) are trying to reconstruct – without great success so far – the bankrupted centre – left, especially now that they see that SYRIZA has taken the place of the old PASOK and is becoming the favored child of European social – democracy. The Center Union that used to be considered absurd is now playing the role of the outrider that is willing  to support the system and every anti – popular governmental formation it may need. The made -in -Greece nazi-criminals continue to serve as the system's watchdogs, pouring their racist poison and playing a leading role in vulgar anti-communism. They do whatever they can to increase their wealth and of course their various suspicious connections with international centers and services and shadowy networks. In parliament Golden Dawn pretends to be an anti-systemic force, while at the same time it is asking for more privileges and tax exemptions for certain sections of capital, and outside the parliament it continues providing the employers with cheap workers, functioning as slave traders.”

The GS of the CC of the KKE stressed that “The situation cannot change through disillusionment or finding excuses for this government. We should march together, now…

          We call on you to meet with us, discuss and at the same time fight within the movement for the KKE'S proposal for the way out.

                    For the working class and the people to take the keys of the economy, the ownership of the means of production into their own hands. For the country to be disengaged from the imperialist unions, while developing economic relations of equality with other states.

          For the people to be able to live according to their contemporary needs, according to the potential provided by science and technology, the productivity of labor, the great natural wealth resources and the potential of our country.”

D. Koutsoumpas underscored amongst other things: “Today we are more capable, armed with our party's program, the conclusions of the study of our party's history, the experience drawn from socialist construction, to shed light on the duties our party has in the years to come… Marching towards the 20^th Congress, we set a goal for an all-round reinforcement of the KKE, to meet the needs for the immediate regroupment of the labor movement, the development of the social alliance in an anti-capitalist, anti-monopoly direction, for the struggle against the imperialist war, for working class power.”

Click here to read the full speech of D.Koutsoumpas, GS of the CC of the KKE

Click here to read the full speech of S.Yechury, GS of the CC of the CPI(M)