In June, Communist Party of the Workers of France had the joy and the honour of hosting the regional meeting of the Parties and Organizations of Europe, members of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations.
Intense exchanges and discussion allowed us to draw up and adopt a political resolution on the situation in Europe and on the tasks and mobilizations that our parties intend to develop.
An important part of the discussion focused on the attacks of the liberal and social-liberal governments against the working class and the popular masses and on the development of the resistance. Particular attention was paid to developing solidarity with the working class and the people of Greece in order to break the blackmail of the troika (IMF, EU and ECB) and of the governments of the EU states, which are united against the Greek people.
We also addressed the issue of the criminal policy being carried out by the States and the EU against refugees and immigrants.
We analyzed the tensions, the armed conflicts, the militarization of the economies of several EU States, particularly the imperialist powers, linked to the greater involvement of NATO.
On these different issues, plans were discussed in order to develop joint work among our parties and organizations, with the objective of taking part in existing mobilizations with our analysis and proposals, or of creating them with the aim of winning other forces.
Here are the various texts adopted by the Regional Conference.
In June 2015, the regional meeting of the Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations, members of the International Conference of Marxist- Leninist Parties and Organizations (ICMLPO), was successfully held in France in a fraternal atmosphere of internationalist solidarity.
At the beginning of the meeting, the participants paid tribute to the memory of recently deceased comrades, Frede Klitgard, of the Workers’ Communist Party of Denmark (APK) and Juan Marte, of the Communist Party of Labour (PCT) of the Dominican Republic. The meeting was dedicated to these two resolute Marxist-Leninists, and pledged to follow their example.
The parties and organizations congratulated the Party of Labour (EMEP) of Turkey for their success in the electoral battle through the alliance with the party HDP [People’s Democratic Party].
The participants exchanged views on the situation and experiences of work developed in their countries. They discussed the capitalist crisis in Europe, the rise of the rejection of neo-liberal policies and austerity policies of the EU, the threats of imperialist war and their consequences.
After a long debate, an important political declaration was adopted unanimously, in which we express our solidarity with the struggle of the Greek workers and people against the blackmail of the EU, the IMF and the liberal and social-liberal governments of the EU States. We call on everyone in all countries to take part in the initiatives of solidarity with the workers and people of Greece, and to take part in the demonstrations of June 20.
We also approved a motion of solidarity with the Norwegian dockers.
We call on the workers and peoples of Europe to develop and implement the orientations contained in this political declaration.
The participants established common tasks and political activities for the coming months, to advance in the struggle for the revolutionary transformation of society and the development of proletarian internationalism.
France, June 2015
Workers’ Communist Party of Denmark – APK
Communist Party of the Workers of France – PCOF
Organization for the Construction of the Communist Party of the Workers of Germany
Movement for the Reorganization of the Communist Party of Greece (1918-55)
Communist Platform for the Communist Party of the Proletariat of Italy
Marxist-Leninist Organization Revolusjon of Norway
Communist Party of Spain (Marxist-Leninist) – PCE (ML)
Party of Labour of Turkey – EMEP
For years, the EU and the governments of various countries have imposed austerity policies on the workers and the popular masses. The result of the crisis of the capitalist system, aggravated by these austerity policies, have been more than 25 million unemployed in the EU, a massive unemployment that primarily affects young people, who are condemned to insecurity, but also older workers, who are threatened with sinking into poverty. The poverty extends everywhere, in the cities and the countryside. With these austerity policies, “growth” destroys more and more jobs and further enriches the rich and large shareholders. It means more insecurity, lower wages, drastic cuts in social spending: health care, education, public transport, etc.
These neoliberal policies are being implemented by the governments that are applying the “road map” of big business, of the financial oligarchy, who want to reverse the social and political gains that the working class, toilers and peoples have won through years of struggle and who today are resisting and fighting to maintain them. The various European treaties and directives, particularly since the Maastricht Treaty (and its “convergence criteria” that established the euro), have continued and deepened this anti-worker and anti-people policy, in the name of the dogma of “free and undistorted competition,” which means the organized competition of all against all, social dumping, “liberalization of the labour market,” which means freedom for the bosses to fire, the super-exploitation of the workers and instability. Whether they are called the “mobility law” of Rajoy [Prime Minister of Spain], the “Jobs Act” de Renzi [Prime Minister of Italy], the “Hartz Law” in Germany, the “Macron Law” in France, etc. these counter-reforms are all aimed at lowering the price of labour power, facilitating dismissals, developing even more flexibility and challenging the collective rights of the workers.
In recent years, it is the “debt crisis” that serves to justify the policies of privatization, of drastic cuts in social budgets, the liquidation of measures of social protection, while they are more necessary than ever for the large impoverished masses. These include particularly women of the popular strata, working women, who are the first victims of the elimination of public services.
It is not the popular masses who are responsible for these debts. These debts were contracted the billions in public money were used to bail out the banks and help the big monopolies to become ever bigger, to finance the policies of armaments, “major projects” that are useless for the people but very profitable for the monopolies who build and manage them.
The rejection of these national and European austerity policies is general. This is shown in the workers’ and popular resistance, in the demonstrations, the strikes, etc. that are the results of these policies. It is also shown in the elections, particularly through the very high rate of abstention among the popular strata and the disavowal of the governing parties, whether of the right or of the social-democrats.
The right-wing populist parties, the parties of the extreme right are able to use their electoral capital on a sector of this protest movement to highjack it into “solutions” that avoid attacking the capitalist system and that are promoting nationalism, division and xenophobia. While some do not hide their fascistic and even fascist references, others hide them behind an increasingly “social” discourse.
But this rejection is also expressed in a progressive way, particularly through the support given to the forces that take a stand against the austerity policies, against the payment of the debt for life, against the orders of the IMF, the ECB, the EU and the imperialist powers in Europe.
This is what happened in Greece, with the victory of Syriza in the January elections.
Simply calling for “renegotiating” the debt, for having announced the end of the policy of mega-austerity imposed by the troika, has unleashed an intense campaign of pressure, blackmail, etc. by the leaders of all the EU countries, the officials of the IMF and the European institutions, in order to impose the continuation of the austerity policy.
The hatred of these leaders is explained by the fact that in no case do they want a people to refuse to continue to suffer the austerity policies that they themselves are imposing on “their” people. They do not want the fight of the people, the workers, the youth of Greece, etc. to serve as an example to other peoples. They want to avoid the “contagious effect” that this resistance can cause. Therefore, they want to make the Greek government capitulate.
It is not possible to resist these pressures without the mobilization of the Greek workers and people. This is what must be developed.
But we also need the solidarity of the workers and peoples, especially in Europe, to develop. That is why we are working with all political, union and social forces that share this goal.
We must denounce and put pressure on the governments of the EU countries, particularly those of the imperialist powers such as Germany and France, to stop this policy of blackmail towards Greece.
We must demand the cancellation of the Greek debts.
We must develop the fight against the same austerity policies in all countries.
Every day boats of refugee from Africa and the Middle East capsize, causing dozens of deaths. If they manage to enter the EU, which is continuing to build walls, police and military barriers, etc., they find themselves chased and harassed by the police of all the EU countries. They are forced to hide and to live in inhuman conditions. They are also the target of parties and organizations of the far-right and fascists who are carrying out racist and xenophobic campaigns on the theme of the dangers of the “invasion” of refugees.
These refugees, men, women and children, are fleeing poverty and wars. They come from Syria, from the Horn of Africa, from the countries of the Sahel, etc., in short, from countries where the great imperialist powers are waging wars. Under the pretext of the “fight against terrorism,” there is the war for control of mineral and oil resources, the control of strategic zones, the rivalries among the great powers and their local allies.
In other words, the warmongers are the main ones responsible for this immigration.
While the peoples are showing their solidarity, as in Italy, in welcoming the refugees, the governments are putting in place increasingly reactionary policies aimed at “preventing immigration” and criminalizing the migrants and all those in solidarity with them.
Several EU States are taking part in imperialist wars in Africa and the Middle East.
The decision of the leaders of the European imperialist powers to integrate Ukraine into the economic and political sphere of influence of the EU, the direct interference of US imperialism through the growth in power of NATO at the borders of Russia and the support given to the reactionary government of Kiev and to the reactionary and fascist forces in Ukraine, have resulted in a situation of great tension at the very frontiers of the EU.
We are currently witnessing a “re-engagement” of NATO in Europe, strongly supported by the leaders of several countries of Eastern Europe, particularly Poland and the Baltic countries. This is accompanied by an increase in their military budgets.
For several years US imperialism has put pressure on its allies to “share the burden of defence.”
The danger of war in Europe is real.
We demand the cancellation of the treaty linking Ukraine to the EU, a treaty that subjects the workers and the peoples of Ukraine to the economic and political orders of the EU.
We denounce the policy of confrontation with Russia and we demand the withdrawal of the arms deployed by NATO in this region.
We call for mobilization for the withdrawal from NATO, the armed wing of US imperialism and its allies, as an important step towards its dissolution.
We call on all people to develop the mobilization against the rising war budgets.
The involvement of several European imperialist powers in the “war against terrorism” in the Middle East and the Sahel is accompanied by the establishment of mechanisms of surveillance and mass control and the closer coordination between the police, civil and military intelligence services, linked with the US intelligence services, particularly through NATO.
In all countries, one can see the strengthening of the criminalization of “social protest,” the questioning of democratic freedoms, particularly in the area of the right to strike, the right to organize and demonstrate. These attacks are concentrated against the militant organizations and unionists who denounce the class collaboration of the leaders who are “negotiating” with the employers and the government the implementation of austerity policies.
We call on the people to denounce and combat the rise of fascism in the States that is currently developing.
The crisis in Europe is sharpening the contradictions within it, among the States, and within each country and, more generally, between the social classes. Inequality is deepening and tensions are becoming exacerbated.
The economic mechanisms put in place by the EU and the euro zone are increasing the unequal development and are posing the question, repeatedly and publicly, of maintaining the euro zone as it exists.
In the countries where the people have spoken out against joining the euro zone or against joining the EU, this opposition is continuing to grow.
Certain countries applied to join the EU, and then withdrew their application, such as Iceland.
Everywhere opposition to the EU, to its policies, its anti-democratic way of functioning is growing and, in the increasingly important sectors, this challenge also affects its decision to establish itself as an imperialist bloc in ever stronger competition with the other great powers, and its even greater aggressiveness on the economic and political level towards the dominated countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, etc.
Everywhere the consciousness is also growing that it is not possible to change the EU from within into a supposedly progressive institution at the service of peoples.
Therefore, we unconditionally defend the right of the peoples to break with the EU, the euro and all its political and economic mechanisms.
Paris, June 2015
Workers’ Communist Party of Denmark – APK
Members of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations
The dockers are known worldwide for their internationalism and their solidarity with the workers and seamen who are fighting for their rights. Now the dockers themselves are in urgent need of international support and solidarity.
The dockers of Norway have been in conflict since November 2013, that is, for almost 12 months. They have been repressed and arrested by the police. Their only demand is that the employers ratify the collective agreement and abide by the Convention 137 of the ILO which grants the unionized dockers the prerogative to load and unload the cargo ships. But this right is being denied them, including in the port of Oslo.
In the port of Oslo, this fight has another international aspect, because the Turkish company Yilport obtained the “exclusive right” to operate in the port for the next twenty years. But Yilport not only refuses to negotiate a collective agreement, but even refuses any discussion with the dockers’ union. Yilport is also hiring unskilled workers from temporary employment agencies, which results in dismissing the dockers from their work. This attempt to eliminate the dockers’ union and to undermine the collective agreements is totally unacceptable. In reality this is an attack against the workers in all countries and in all sectors.
The Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations of Europe call on the workers, unions and democratic forces to show their solidarity and boycott Yilport until it rehires the union dockers in the port of Oslo and signs a collective agreement with them.
Workers of the world, unite!
Resolution adopted by the regional conference of Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations, held in France in June 2015