People's Democracy

90 YEARS OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF GREECE

CPI(M) Extends Warm, Fraternal Greetings

The central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has sent the following message of greetings to the central committee of the Communist Party of Greece on September 13, 2008 on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of its founding.

THE central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) conveys its warmest fraternal greetings to the Communist Party of Greece on this happy occasion of the 90th anniversary of its founding. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) values very much its fraternal relations with the Communist Party of Greece � one of the important contingents of the international communist movement.

Braving repression of the worst order, Communist Party of Greece during the last 90 years has consistently been in the forefront of struggles for democracy, national independence, peace and social progress. Communist Party of Greece has set the revolutionary transformation of the Greek society through the elimination of capitalism and the building of socialism and communism as its final goal. After a short period of open work after the foundation of the party, the Communist Party of Greece was banned and had to work underground till September 1974. During this long period, the cadres and members of the Communist Party of Greece had to face the attacks of the fascist dictatorship of Metaxis after 1936, Mussolini and his army in 1940, Nazi occupation after the spring in 1941, the military intervention of British imperialism followed by that of US imperialism after the second world war. Reactionary forces attacked the party, its members and cadres with unbelievable cruelty aiming to destroy the party. Many members were thrown into concentration camps or exiled to barren islands or simply killed. The Communist Party of Greece heroically withstood these attacks and fought back. It stood in the forefront against the US inspired junta of the colonels that came into power in April 1967. Throughout the period from April 1967 to July 1974, Communist Party of Greece played a decisive role in mobilising the people, youth and students and the November 1973 uprising at the National Technical University of Athens that accelerated the fall of the junta in July 1974. After the restoration of bourgeois parliamentary system, the Communist Party of Greece has been in the forefront to establish and enlarge national independence, democracy and social justice.

The Communist Party of Greece has also gained rich experience of working within the bourgeois parliamentary democratic system. Upholding the validity of Marxist-Leninist ideology, the principles and values of the communist movement and socialism, the Communist Party of Greece successfully met all challenges of the right and left disruptors to divide and dissolve the party.

The CPI(M) is watching with interest the important role being played by the Communist Party of Greece in strengthening the worker�s and people�s struggles for wages, pension, social security system and against the policies of the European Union and NATO. The recent election results in Greece reveal the increasing disenchantment of the common people from bourgeois political influence and moving towards the Communist Party of Greece. We wish all success to the Communist Party of Greece in their endeavour.

The experience of the Communist Party of Greece during the last 90 years is a great lesson for the international communist movement.

Dear Comrades,

The CPI(M) is trying to rally all patriotic, democratic and progressive forces in the country against imperialism, in defence of national sovereignty to prevent India becoming a strategic ally of US imperialism, to fight back the policies of liberalisation and privatisation, for a pro-people path of development, for defence of secular democracy and for strengthening federalism.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) considers that the anti-war sentiments of the people and the anti-globalisation protests must be merged into a mighty anti-imperialist popular worldwide movement. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will continue to strengthen its international relations with communist movements and all progressive toiling people worldwide in order to achieve this objective.

On this happy occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Greece, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), once again, greets the members of the Communist Party of Greece and the people of Greece. India and Greece share an interaction that spans many centuries of civilisational advance.

Long live socialism!

Long live international working class solidarity!!