Press Release

20 European Communist Youth Orga- the Revolution, is bringing hope to our nizations have gathered on the 103rd struggle. anniversary of the Great October Soci- Communist Youth Organizations alist Revolution at the “Online Meeting around Europe are struggling against of European Communist Youth Orga- anti-people policies that governments nizations to Share Experiences” and adopted after the outburst of the exchanged their experiences about the pandemic and denouncing all of the struggle of the youth during the CO- attacks that are being made with the VID-19 pandemic. excuse of the pandemic to aggravate Since the outbreak of the pandemic, exploitation. They reject the impas- working people all around the world se imposed to the working class and are envisaging numerous attacks aga- youth: Working under poor sanitary inst their rights. Their right to health- conditions or starving within the ranks care is getting vandalized by capitalist of the unemployed. They demand governments who are promoting pri- that the state budget is used for the vate health industry instead of public contemporary needs of the working healthcare. Their right to education people but not for saving or further is underestimated because of policies enriching the capitalist monopolies. that lack planning, work in favor of They call upon the youth to rise up private education as an economic sec- against the bourgeois efforts to put tor and dedicate insufficient funds for the burden of the economic capitalist public schools. Their rights to housing, crisis on the shoulders of the working culture, and sports are also facing class. similar attacks. These problems are On the anniversary of the October not new and are not initiated by the Revolution and in the middle of a COVID-19. As they had already reac- fierce pandemic, while competition hed a serious extent, the role that the among imperialists is getting deeper pandemic played has been to expose and deeper, the undersigned European them even more clearly. Communist Youth Organizations will While capitalist countries failed to de- strengthen their solidarity and stand liver the necessities for a humane and still in their determination that the healthy life to their people, the great only path to carry humanity away success of Cuba, a country under USA from today’s economic and health cri- blockage for almost 62 years since sis is socialism.

2 Signatures:

1. Young Socialists of the Socialist Workers’ Party of Croatia 2. United Democratic Youth Organisation, EDON 3. Communist Youth Union, KSM 4. Movement of Young Communists of France 5. Socialist German Workers Youth, SDAJ 6. Young Communist League of Britain 7. Communist Youth of Greece, KNE 8. Connolly Youth Movement, CYM 9. Front of Communist Youth, FGC 10. Communist Youth Movement, CJB 11. Portuguese Communist Youth, JCP 12. Union of Socialist Youth, UTS 13. Leninist Communist Youth Union of Russian Federation, LKSM RF 14. Revolutionary Communist Youth League (Bolsheviks), RKSMb 15. Young Communist League of Yugoslavia, SKOJ 16. SpainCollectives of Young Communists, CJC 17. Communist Youth Union of Spain, UJCE 18. Communist Youth of Catalonia, JCC 19. Communist Youth of Turkey, TKG 20. Communist Youth of Austria, KJÖ

3 Communist Youth of Turkey - TKG Especially after these eight months. Dear comrades, With the pandemic, world went th- rough a period, which can be sum- We would like to thank you for your marized as “unequal results of an participation and contributions. We are unequal system”. Since no one is able already pleased with the results of the to predict such crises, there is a clear meeting and learnt so much from all need of organization and preparation of the experiences. beforehand to overcome them. Un- We would like to begin with the cur- fortunately, unlike bourgeoisie, the rent situation in Turkey. As you know, working class was not sufficiently last week a deadly earthquake hap- organized and equipped to face the pened in İzmir, near the Aegean shore crisis. With the outbreak of the pan- of Turkey. Once again, we witnessed demic, on every land of the planet, the inability of capitalism to utilize its we witnessed a great attack against forces during a humanitarian crisis. A the working class. The ability to reach system which organizes itself only to healthcare services, the right to work preserve the interests of the bour- under safe conditions, those basic ri- geoisie fails to help people on every ghts have already become “privileges” example. Just after the earthquake, for the proletariat, but on the top of district organization of TKP and TKG that, capitalism added new blows to were the only forces who were able to the working people. In Turkey, like organize a solidarity campaign urgent- everywhere else, unemployment ra- ly and start to help people systema- ised rapidly. The AKP government tically. Compared with the state’s or immediately started to strengthen the municipality’s financial power, humble already-existing tendencies of inc- forces of TKG proved to be much more reasing the rates of exploitation and efficient. During an interview of big utilizing the extraordinary situation media channel, a neighborhood resi- as a means of legitimization for these dent put the word, “If the TKP wasn’t attacks against the working class. On here during this time, people would the one hand, workers were forced to have starved to death.” work under deteriorating conditions, crowded workplaces with inadequate Dear comrades, this is only a single COVID prevention measures. On the example to illustrate the situation other, they had to struggle against here. For us, it cannot be solely exp- decreasing wages and new legal-finan- lained as the success of TKG. This cial favors for employers. should also be assessed as the posi- tive reflection of communism in the Comrades, we believe the conditions eyes of the people. Despite the atta- of the youth cannot be separated from cks of the ruling ideology, the ideas the consequences of those attacks. and values of socialism are still right- The situation mentioned above affe- ful and legitimate. Solidarity, coopera- cted also youth, possibly even more tion, to help those in need, those va- harshly. One out of three university lues are associated with communists. graduates in Turkey cannot find a job,

4 and the rest feel lucky if they start elements for our future, for the re- to work for minimum wage. Youn- volution. While this day remarks the gsters who are working from their anniversary of the Great October home also face with obstacles, be- Revolution, we should not forget that cause the companies ceased to as- the way we pave consists a complex sume the responsibility of paying for process, with ups and downs. Despite the transportation and meals of the harsh conditions, we should seek the employees, cutting down various cost opportunities for a world freed of items of the workplace and transfer- exploitation and inequality. Just like ring these costs on the shoulders of 103 years ago, world is going throu- the workers who have to heat their gh a unique period. While conditions homes or spend electricity out of have changed to a large extend, we their own pockets. know that the basic contradiction preserves itself as it is. But we should also focus on the po- litical results of the situation. In our We would like to finish with some opinion, even though general picture examples of our works during this seems heavy and bitter, positive as- period, which we have done with the pects can be drawn from it. Firstly, mentioned motives. the legitimacy of capitalism has been After the announcement of pandemic, heavily damaged in the eyes of the TKG immediately utilized all of its youth and the people. In Turkey, force to use new methods that are curfews are held at the weekend suitable for new conditions. Correla- while workers still had to go work ted with TKP’s Health Organization’s on the workdays. Such absurdness advices, preventive measures to pro- cannot be explained as “measures tect our comrades and friends were for pandemic”. Secondly, the bour- urgently put into action. Following geois state revealed its essence with the closure of schools and universi- various examples. According to the ties, many students had to go back data announced by the Ministry of to their hometowns. We enrolled in Family, Labour and Social Services, weekly online educational activities the total amount of aid provided by and discussions to keep the commu- the Turkish government under the nication between members and frien- name of ‘‘unpaid leave’’, ‘‘short-time ds. The broadcasts of online Socialism work allowance’’ and ‘‘social relief’’ Classes helped TKG in meeting nume- is only above 11 billion Turkish liras, rous youngsters and in organizing the while the total amount of the stimu- enthusiasm towards TKG. Demands lation package for employers that for proper education and exams were the government announced was 522 prominent, as the education system billion Turkish liras. The big portion of of Turkey failed to cover the needs of governmental support was addressing students on a remote basis. In addi- companies and bosses. tion, with the beginning of new edu- Dear comrades, we believe those cation year, a petition campaign was two points also indicate important also launched with the demands such

5 as free access to internet services and raises in scholarships. Dear comrades, we have a long road ahead of us, which is full of struggles and challenges. But we believe toget- her, hand in hand, we shall overcome all of them. The world and the youth have once again seen that this system offers neither future nor living for us. With the light of our glorious past, with the experiences from the Great October Revolution, we have no dou- bt that we will create the world that workers dream and deserve. Once again, we thank all of you for your contributions and we are glad to have this meeting with high significan- ce. Our hope is to see you next year in Serbia under healthy conditions.

6 Young Socialists of the Socialist medicines, protective equipment, di- Workers’ Party of Croatia - SRP sinfectants, basic foodstuffs, etc. At the same time began the dismissal of Respected comrades, workers, whose work has enriched the I am honored to be present at this capitalists. In Croatia alone thousands meeting and on behalf of the Young of small businesses went bankrupt in Socialists of the Socialist Workers the two months of closure and in the Party of Croatia I send you a comra- same period the number of unemplo- dely greeting. yed people has doubled, at the same time the capitalists and the bourgeois In half a year since the arrival of the state are conducting an unpreceden- new corona virus epidemic two global ted attack at the rights of the workers facts have crystallized. by trying to lower their wages openly, First, the unpreparedness of health disregarding the collective labor cont- systems, organized on capitalist profit racts. The tourist season on which principles, and second, the superiority rests the Croatian economy this year of the socialist health systems. Thanks was lost, we expect a dramatic rise of entirely to the socialist heritage of the poverty and emigration by the next health systems of the former socialist year. countries, the scope of the pandemic On the other hand we clearly see in the areas of former Yugoslavia is of a rise in the intensity of the class lower intensity compared to western struggle both in Croatia and abroad, Europe and north America. especially among the youth, many of Under the conditions of stigmatizati- which are starting now to understand on, rejection, isolation, accusations of the level of exploitation and injustice democratic deficit and even support that the capitalist system produces. of global terrorism, socialist countries The bourgeois ideologues are starting were the only ones to send mass me- to fear the radicalization of the class dical aid and assistance to the most struggle and the sympathy with which endangered areas of the pandemic in the younger generations look toward the EU. socialism. Most of the countries of the capi- The feelings of solidarity and unity are talist EU are entangled in their own a natural response to the sensations cobwebs, introverted, selfish, with no of anxiety, fear and insecurity whi- signs of European solidarity. The USA ch rise in people in times of danger, is not sending the necessary medical those are necessary to solve major help to its EU so called “allies”. The crises, but also to meet the needs of United States instead sends tens of humanity. Solidarity and unity are at thousands of soldiers to Europe (inc- the same time the virtues of socialist luding Croatia) to threaten countries thought and practice, which proves that resist it’s imperialist goals. that socialism is not a thing of the past, but a solution to the survival of The capitalist anti-people system humanity. uses this situation to satisfy its own greed, promptly raising the prices of Thank you. 7 United Democratic Youth of this pandemic that the govern- Organisation, EDON ments of the bourgeoisie not only fail to protect their peoples but, in several Dear comrades, cases, didn’t even attempt to do it. Initially allow me on behalf of the CC Cyprus is not, of course, an exception of EDON to thank the comrades of to this situation. When the pande- TKG for this initiative and greet all mic broke out in Cyprus, most of our of you. We believe that, especially in public hospitals had to shut down these international conditions, this because many of the hospital workers kind of opportunities to exchange got infected. This was a result of bad experiences are becoming even more planning and the absence of protec- important than before. This pandemic tive measures for those people. It is has revealed, at which level, we are all also the result of the huge cuts that exposed, because of the way this sys- the current anti-popular government tem is functioning. of the right-wing party (DISY) imposed on the health sector. Since they first This year we celebrate and we honour got elected in 2013, they have cut 103rd anniversary of the Great Octo- 500 million euros from the public he- bers Revolution. One century and still, alth budget. issues that have been answered by the Socialist Revolution back then, remain Since the election of president Anas- unsolved in the capitalist world today. tasiadis in 2013, we have witnessed a huge attack on workers’ and social The outbreak of this virus has made rights. We have witnessed cuts in obvious to the whole planet, the lack many sectors such as public health, of protective policies in all the bour- education, sports, culture, and also an geois states for their peoples. Viruses attempt to turn the educational sys- and pandemics have always existed tem backward through the implemen- and will always exist. What is really tation of a conservative program. One important is to have states, govern- of the main goals of this government ments and societies that are ready to is the total destruction of the public confront this and any other challenge sector. They have been trying to pri- we face. In order to do so, we need to vatize or shut down all the semi-pub- be focused on policies for the peop- lic and public companies. This whole le and for the environment in which procedure, left the popular strata of humans live – the planet. Within the the island exposed and without any current socio-economic system – ca- guarantee during a crisis like the one pitalism – the machine that pushes we are experiencing. the world forward is the thirst of the capitalists for profit. Given this, all the More than the danger for their own planning and organizing of production health, the peoples have been suffe- is directed to make the rich, richer ring the catastrophic consequences on and the poor, poorer. their income. Many companies have fired their employees, leaving entire It was clear, since the very beginning families exposed. At the same time,

8 people who are not getting fired, ex- hed as a fundamental right for ever- perience the worsening of their wor- yone, further evolution of the educa- king conditions. The reason for this tion is considered us unnecessary ex- varies. In some cases, companies have penses, if it doesn’t bring more profit fired employees with the excuse of of course. New technologies and new the pandemic but their work isn’t less methods of teaching are not even than before. This burdens the workers considered in most of the countries. who are still working there, to do With this situation in schools and uni- also the work of their people who got versities, when the need to use these fired. In some other cases, enterprises technologies came, the states and the introduced “flexible forms of work” educational systems around the world such us working from home, leaving failed, leaving the students wondering the cost of the work equipment, to what will happen. be afforded by the workers. In addi- Another thing that the outbreak of tion, many companies have obligated the pandemic allowed to be viewed their employees to keep working wit- by many people is the general ap- hout any protection from the virus. proach of this system about science. More than anyone else, has been af- The vaccine that the entire planet is fected the youth. Since the youth of waiting for, is depended on the phar- the working class was in the worst macy industry and the willing of the situation even before, the pandemic capital of this sector to work for it. came to pull them deeper in despair. As in every other sector, the efforts It is a fact that the last few years it put on this task, are directly depen- became much more difficult for a ded on the possible profits. No com- young person to afford for a home. pany will ever invest more money on With the decrease of income that the research, than the profit they will came with the pandemic, and the be waiting. No company will rush to prices of rents still high, this problem find a proper vaccine if their incomes became bigger. are not guaranteed. Once again, capi- talism is proving that it is unable to Young people, have also been affec- fulfil the contemporary needs of the ted as the major part of the educati- peoples and the planet. onal system. Education in capitalism serve two main purposes. As an As EDON, since the beginning of this investment to increase profits and situation, we have set as priority to as the tool of the system to imple- find ways to respond and work in the ment its ideology. There are of course best possible way. For this reason, countries and periods of history whe- our militants were the first who vo- re education has a more progressive lunteered in the groups created to role but this is only because of the assist those who were in need. When struggles of the people for free public the first lockdown was implemented, and democratic education. Since edu- we ‘ve understood that it was of gre- cation in general serve as a way to at importance to give to the people increase profit and it is not approac- staying home alternatives. We have

9 launched several campaigns, sharing but for the future of humanity. We on the internet cultural material such need to work on these topics, that are as concerts, theatres, movies, all of now in the direct interest of our pe- course, with our political mark. At oples and find the way link them with the same time, we had our militants the need of a total change of system. writing articles about the recent de- To explain, based on what they are velopments, giving the youth, an al- experiencing, that situations like this, ternative way to receive information. are inevitable in capitalism. And if we More than that, we have been sharing manage to do this, then our peoples our ideological publishes, on topics will be able to listen much easier that related with the current situation. In there is an alternative, there is anot- this way, we found a way to decons- her way to do things. Not in this sys- truct the ideal image of capitalism, in tem but in socialism. fields experienced in the everyday life of the youth. Dear comrades, This new situation is creating for our organisations obstacles, but also chan- ces. On the one hand we have the difficulty of maintaining our communi- cation with the masses. With the rest- rictions implemented in many count- ries, it is a real challenge not to lose our connection with the society, not to establish a situation that will be difficult to overcome in a post-COVID period. We must be creative and find ways, even under these circumstances not only to maintain but also strengt- hen our social bonds. We must oppose the anti-social policies and approaches that want us to live apart, isolated and restrict our everyday communi- cation with our communities, having always of course, the protection of peoples health as our priority. On the other hand, the pandemic made some truths obvious for the pe- ople. The need of a public health sys- tem, the need for radical increases on the budgets of education, the need for investment on science, not for profits

10 Communist Youth Union, KSM The Czech Republic may serve as a prime example of not only the in- Dear comrades, capability but mostly unwillingness we would like to thank the comra- of the capitalist class to effectively des from TKG for this important and resolve crises such as this one. After helpful initiative. This seminar is a managing the first wave during the great way to celebrate the anniver- spring with harsh, but short-lasted sary of the Great October Socialist measures, strong opposition to any Revolution, given the circumstances form of regulation grew within the of the pandemic. capitalist class, most notably in the service sector. The KSM understands and fully res- pects the seriousness of the situation. Any measures implemented during We have made measures to limit the the spring were quickly canceled in spreading of the virus in our organi- the summer. Almost immediately one zation and among older comrades. could notice the onset of exponential Given the development, are looking growth in daily numbers of infected. for secure ways of organizing our 14. But, since the numbers after the first Congress, which should be held this wave were low, many weeks passed December. We are also preparing to before the true nature of the expo- celebrate 100 years since the foun- nential law became obvious - that dation of our organization in the next was in the first half of September, year. when very quickly the numbers of daily infected reached the thousands This meeting is a great opportunity to (the maximum in spring were lower exchange experiences of organizati- hundreds). With some delay, all me- ons with the work in such conditions. asures were reactivated, but the high Great responsibility and serious dan- amount of daily infections meant, ger were always laid on communist that even with efficient measures, organizations, e.g. work in illegality. many weeks will pass before the The new coronavirus pandemic is an numbers go down. enormous, objective phenomenon, the This is a textbook example of the in- effects of which are to be unders- herent contradiction in the capitalist tood and worked with. At the same economic system - in an attempt to time every capitalist, imperialist, and avoid losses, capitalists postponed bourgeois political force tries to make anti-epidemic measures to the point, a profit from the epidemic. The epi- where they are much less effective demic will be a trigger that will mark and caused for themselves a crisis of the start of the capitalist crisis of much greater magnitude than neces- overproduction and overaccumulation, sary, not to mention of course the which already developed in previous significant loss of life and health, as years. It is part of the generalized well as economic impact on the wor- crisis of the capitalist system and it king class. The greatest achievements marks a new phase of it. of socialism in managing the health

11 of society and treating epidemics are not possible, the mayor of one Prague actively being dismantled for decades district removed the statue of the liberator of Prague – the Red Army Workers active in the service sec- Marshal Ivan Konev. When the com- tor, especially tourism, became the munication of people moved towards economically most affected group the social networks, their censorship and would often lose their jobs, be- increased, as was the example of the ing forced to look for a new living in ban of the Red flag over Reichstag pi- the midst of the epidemic and crisis. cture on Facebook in May of this year. The industrial proletariat, while not directly economically threatened, is We are continuing our work. In the forced to risk its health and continue February of this year, we organized a working, while management only imp- seminar about the importance of Josif lements symbolic measures to stop Stalin, the great Bolshevik who lead the spread of the epidemic. In certain the USSR in the construction of soci- sectors, people are sent to work from alism and victory over Nazi fascism, home. While in itself a good way to in the view of modern knowledge. protect them, it often results in incre- During the first wave, we contributed ased costs, borne only by the workers in a limited way to protests against (electricity, internet, space, in some the antifascist monument removal, cases electronics, more expensive and celebration of the liberation of food, etc.). The closing of schools and Czechoslovakia. In summer, where the switch to online classes meant many situation temporarily stabilized, we families had to acquire the needed co-organized with success the Antica- electronics for their children. The go- pitalist camp, an event of young com- vernment’s attempts to mild the inco- munists with theoretical seminars on ming economic calamity are symbolic current issues. at best and generally ill-received. The Comrades, government’s incompetence in hand- ling the issue, combined with some the current situation also raises the scandals of high ranking politicians importance of the struggle aga- lead to widespread distrust of the ru- inst opportunism in the Communist ling government. movement. In October there were elections to regional councils in the This sentiment is unfortunately not Czech Republic. In these elections, directed in a productive way, and ins- the Communist Party of Bohemia and tead sapped by various populists, ca- Moravia (KSČM) received great defeat using chaos and confusion within the and a decrease in popular support. It working class, exploiting both alarmist meant that the representatives of the and downplaying moods. Communist Party won’t be present in The epidemic and related confusion is the majority of the regional councils used by the ruling class. In April, on and various chauvinist and populist the eve of the 75th anniversary of the forces have arisen. It is a continuation great anti-fascist victory and during of previous defeats and losses, as in the quarantine when protests were the parliamentary elections of 2017 12 and the European Parliament election masses. in 2019. It is also the defeat of the As a result, the party is isolated from movement as a whole which will ce- the working class and the whole so- lebrate next year the centenary of its ciety and their struggles. The party existence. replaced the cultivation of the socia- After the election, while not overesti- list future as the only alternative to mating the importance of election re- capitalist barbarity with complicity sults, KSM made a statement addres- with the capitalist government which sing the Czech communists analyzing makes pro-imperialist steps and in the causes of this defeat, which is a result situation of crisis will make pro-ca- of our discussions and positions from pitalist and anti-popular policy. In its the last years which perceive the ten- pragmatism party spread illusions dency of increasing opportunism. about the EU, supported the extension of NATO to the East, and justified the The statement summarizes the previ- imperialist attacks – as in Libya. ous positions. It reminds the following essential opportunist shifts: The statement of the KSM concludes as follows: 1. Orientation only on the work in the bourgeois representative bodies “Our path, the path of the commu- – parliament and local councils, and nists, is not the easy one and deman- withdrawal from the working class and ds sacrifices from everyone who is popular struggles. The function of the joining the work and the struggle. This party which was transformed from the path does not create a comfortable political organization of the working income for members, it does not pro- class into the service for Members of mise the salary of deputies, members Parliament and which relies predomi- of supervisory boards, or vice-pre- nantly on state funding. sidents of the parliament. This path is not short, because a lot of time 2. Parliamentary toleration of gover- and a lot of efforts of our ancestors’ nment formed by a party of local oli- generations have been wasted. This garch together with the social democ- path is dangerous because the dying ratic party, which we analyzed already capitalist system is attacking, destro- from its creation and its foundation ying, waging wars, and killing. But this program. path is the honest one and is the only 3. Non-communist and generally po- way to save humanity from capitalist sitive political position towards the decadence and leads to a qualitatively European Union imperialism expressed different, socialist society. It is a way e. g. in the election program of can- of the class struggle of the workers, didates to the European Parliament, which has no smaller goal than to de- which spreads illusions about the feat capitalism and imperialism. possibility to solve the popular prob- The Communist Youth Union wants to lems from the European Parliament. follow this path. This shift was made in a time of great discontent with EU policy among the Socialism or barbarism!” 13 Movement of Young Communists using fear to make anti social and of France - MJCF anti-people measures pass, without hesitating to kill, repress and enprison First of all, we would like, on behalf of demonstrators and those who oppose the MJCF, to thank TKG for organizing them. this meeting, despite the difficulties due to the corona crisis. more than If there is one central aspect that was ever, it is essential that we meet and put in light by the coronavirus crisis, it discuss the situations in our countries is the fact, that we know for long now, and what we are doing to fight back that capitalism can’t and doesn’t have against imperialism and capitalism as as a purpose, the objective to answer a whole. people’s needs, to protect them or even to put people before their inte- The coronavirus pandemic acted as a rests. catalyst of an already existing econo- mical crisis. It permitted to bring to We see in all the developed countries, light the consequences of neolibera- the effect of decades of liberalism, lism and globalised capitalism, by its on health system, education and the management and its impact on the deepening of inequalities. The working populations. class has definitely suffered from the pandemic more than everyone else. Even if all the peoples in the world face the same virus, all are not equally In France, we saw this fact as clear- touched by it, not because of their age ly as it is. Even after the beginning or physical condition, but because of of the pandemic, where unions and the social and economical inequalities organizations demanded more beds that were revealed and deepened in in hospitals, recruitment of hospital this period of time. staff, real sanitary measures, we have today less hospital beds than we had This grave situation would have nee- in 1970. ded, more than before, international cooperation, exchanges and help from The actual governments and those states to states in order to face this that were here before it undermi- crisis together and reduce it’s impact ned little by little our health system, on the peoples. But imperialist powers public services and the educational instead of that, just closed themselves system. off and managed on a national level The health crisis has revealed and this crisis, accusing their neighbors, worsened several social problems. rejecting the responsibility of the fai- First of all, a huge unemployment lures on others. crisis. The effects of necessary con- Even if it was a surprise for everyone, tainment paralysis several economic capitalists and liberal governments sectors, but the government never around the world quickly used this chooses to make the Capital pay pandemic to their interest, protecting despite the payments of dividends to the Capital first, saving the rich, and shareholders increased in the period.

14 Worst of all, Macron chose to help in all europe, denouncing all the effort with public funds the most important made to preserve Capitalism whereas companies of the country. nothing is done for the health and so- cial security of europeans workers. This unemployment crisis results from an alarming situation with the aug- The situation in France, as we heard mentation of poverty. According to from the other comrades here, has a the carritativ association, a million of lot of similarities with other countries people have fallen below the poverty in Europe and beyond. line. This million is to add to the 9.3 In this particular situation which is million of people already in poverty. linked to an important crisis of ca- The food aid needs have increased pitalism, we need to strengthen our 30% in most of the importants cities presence and our fights on the field, in France. Despite this situation, the with the youth of our countries, bring French government chose to cut off our analysis of the crisis and grow in 11% of the budget of emergency food influence, and exchange about inter- aid. national struggles of the progressist Education in France is also facing a youth in the world. huge problem. The French government We need to show that even with the has distinguished itself by its misma- historical and cultural particularities of nagement of the start of the school our different neoliberal governments, year. Here again, the observation of a there are parallels and similarities in decade of destruction of public ser- the management of the crisis, linked vices applies. Since years and years, to the capitalist system. the education’s unions always claimed for creation of new teachers jobs and There are also other international more largely educational staff. And struggles which are part of our essen- years after years, all the liberals go- ce. The struggle against patriarchy is vernments never stop destroying the- an important example of international se jobs and the results appear today. combat. This is almost impossible for the edu- cation workers to face this emergency. During the confinement especially, there has been a mass growth of So, because of this alarming and domestic violence, and divided work emergency situation, we think we between men and women has never need to put our efforts on concrete been so blatant. demands, in the first response to the pandemic and social crisis. Raising the The fight of women in the world for socials minimums for all people in ne- their rights, for equality and against eds is one of the important campaigns patriarchy is growing, we start this year. This is an examp- It is our role to support and strengt- le of a subject we should address hen the fight of women, as it is in Po- in europe, with a political aspect of land with massive protests against the denunciation of the Capital and of de- anti abortment law. nunciation of concentration of wealth 15 In this period of time, where violence is growing, and fear becomes stronger than social anger, which is favorable to facism and to the right wing, we have a responsibility to be united, to mo- bilize youth and to act in a concrete way for their needs. We have to work with progressist and communist youth organisations aga- inst this wave of reactionary forces. The work inside WFDY is also to be strengthened. Against the great Capital and bour- geoisies of the world, against facism, against patriarchy and against clima- te change, we must propose a large front, propose solutions, exchange and grow stronger to be effective in our fight.

16 Young Communist League of le: gambling with the lives of working Britain people to protect private profits and the value of shares in the City of Lon- Dear comrades, don. My name is Abbie Rhodes, I am a Despite trade unions, community member of the International Commis- organisations and scientists alike war- sion of the Young Communist League ning of the consequences for people’s of Britain, YCL Britain. lives, the economy was then reope- Firstly, our thanks go to the Commu- ned in July. August saw the launch of nist Youth of Turkey for organising chancellor Rishi Sunak’s ‘Eat Out to this important meeting of European Help Out’ scheme, which subsidised Communist Youth Organisations. restaurants to offer food and drink at half their usual price. It is a privilege to join comrades from all over Europe to share our experien- Though praised by the corporate me- ces of the COVID pandemic, and what dia as a salvation, the Eat Out to Help work we have been doing to fight Out scheme has since been connected against exploitation and oppression to a significant spike in the number of under the capitalist system in Britain, cases, and Sunak has confirmed that and for social and economic progress, the government intend to pay for the and Socialism. scheme through further cuts to the welfare state that working people are These past seven months since the relying on now more than ever during beginning of UK lockdown have now this time of recession and economic more than ever laid bare the critical uncertainty. flaws in the capitalist system, specifi- cally the criminal negligence of public Throughout the Tories’ mishandling services and reckless profiteering of of the crisis, scapegoats have been the Tory party. made of young people, despite them being the very people forced to risk Throughout the pandemic, England their health and lives in the retail, and Scotland have consistently seen care, and hospitality sectors to en- the highest rates of deaths in Europe sure their bosses carry on making a – and among the highest in the world profit. – met only by continuous attempts from the government to deflect bla- Student doctors and nurses have me onto the public for doing their worked round the clock, without ad- best to follow unclear and contradi- ditional pay on the front line of the ctory rules, ones which government NHS’s pandemic response, only to be officials have brazenly ignored them- blamed for spreading the disease to selves. deflect from the government’s lack of interest in protecting working class Before the end of March, they resis- lives. ted calls for an earlier lockdown in order to keep the economy functio- Students were instructed to go to ning ‘normally’ for as long as possib- 17 university in September and move into recruitment that have kept morale halls of residence, having been promi- high during the height of lockdown sed a ‘blended’ learning experience of when comrades were isolated from online and in-person teaching, only to one another, enrichment of our Com- then be told that their courses would munist education and theory, as well be entirely online – something known as leading to the concrete growth and to the universities for months before- improvement of our organisation, with hand, but kept deliberately ambiguous new and better branches and internal to ensure that the income from halls structures. rent and for private landlords wasn’t Our international campaigns have also diminished. continued: on 19 April, the Global Day Profit has been put before people time of Action in Solidarity with Venezuela, and time again. Rather than accepting members raised their voices in soli- lost profits or appealing to the gover- darity with the people and youth of nment for support if needed, vice-c- Venezuela as part of a wider online hancellors instead decided to bring campaign against US imperialist agg- students from across the country, and ression and the defence of the democ- beyond, into cramped accommodation ratic will and self-determination of the in the middle of a pandemic. This cri- Venezuelan people. sis has also highlighted the marketi- In August we organised an appeal for sation crisis at the heart of education, the Union of Lebanese Democratic something which the YCL campaigns Youth (ULDY) to raise funds for their strenuously against alongside the Uni- relief efforts following the devastating versity and Colleges Union, teachers explosion in Beirut. We reached a total union and the progressive student of $3,000 USD for the essential aid movement as a whole. work of our Lebanese comrades in Bei- These have not been wasted months rut, and organised a follow up webinar for Britain’s young communists we that streamed live with their president have continued to grow, found new and the president of the World Fede- branches and rebuild Britain’s commu- ration of Democratic Youth (WFDY). nist movement. We will emerge from Statements of solidarity have been the pandemic stronger than when we sent to the American people following entered it and eager to cement these the murder of George Floyd and the gains. heightening of racialised police bruta- Although in-person campaigning has lity, as well as physical solidarity on been restricted since the beginning of the street with the Black Lives Matter lockdown, the YCL has continued wor- movement in Britain, as well as cam- king online to coordinate our efforts paigns calling for the British govern- up and down the country. Over the ment to end exportation of riot gear summer and up to now, branches have and rubber bullets to the USA. hosted education classes, webinars Where in-person activity has been and meetings for organisation and possible, we have ensured it has been

18 carried out with the necessary safety fective anti-coronavirus measures to provisions including face masks, social protect working class communities distancing measures, and restricti- now while pre-empting the fight aga- on to outdoor-only meetings. Our inst further austerity to pay for these priority at the height of lockdown measures once the pandemic ends. was COVID aid work: comrades vo- Flyposting campaigns have also been lunteered with their local community extensive, especially regarding stu- response groups and led different dent issues and the continuation of efforts to deliver emergency food, extortionate tuition fees for what are care packages, prescriptions and face essentially online courses, with a day masks. of action organised by the YCL coin- We have also ensured a continuation ciding in major British cities including of our foodbank collection drives for London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Glas- working class communities, from whi- gow, Newcastle, Brighton, Sheffield, ch we’ve managed to receive large Cambridge and elsewhere. amounts of donations for those who Propaganda campaigns are not the will be needing it most as unemploy- only place we’ve made headlines in ment surges and winter sets in. the bourgeois media. In September, The YCL have also worked closely following protests by the environ- with tenants’ unions in preventing mentalist group, Extinction Rebellion, evictions and demanding govern- that aimed to block distribution of ments ensure the rights of renters bourgeois newspapers, The Sun, The rather than lining the pockets of Times, The Express, The Mail and landlords. Comrades attended anti-e- The Evening Standard (all owned by viction demonstrations, workshops, News Corporation, a right-wing and and increased our presence within the anti-working-class media monopoly unions themselves. belonging to Rupert Murdoch), The Times and The Express reported that A significant example was the No members of the YCL had been invol- Evictions demonstration in Glasgow, ved in the recent Extinction Rebellion where we were involved in protesting protests. the detention of asylum seekers in local hotels without basic provisions Their article was fronted by a pho- such as food, water, and adequate tograph of members of our London protection against the virus. district holding a banner proclaiming a choice we know to be true: Socia- We have also engaged in various lism or Extinction! The papers repor- direct-action campaigns across the ted that XR protests were, according country: particularly of note was our to the organisation’s chief “under th- “make the rich pay for COVID-19” reat from parasitic hard left groups”. graffiti, which in multiple cities and This prompted XR to denounce the went viral across social media – even banner under the guise that they had gaining the attention of the national no political affiliation – despite many press. These slogans demanded ef-

19 of their rank-and-file groups explicitly we know that we – as an organisation acknowledging that capitalism is an and members of the wider labour environmentally unsustainable system. movement – have challenging times ahead of us. Our response was greatly received across social media and by the prog- We hope to face this challenge with ressive and working class movement, the same commitment, spirit, and and though we have no intention of discipline as we have demonstrated drawing divisions between the left and and continue to demonstrate despite the ecological movement, while high- the circumstances of the pandemic, lighting the political errors, the move and to build our League and the wider highlighted XR’s bourgeois nature and working-class movement so that we the necessity of climate activism to can win new victories for the working retain class analysis at its core. people and youth, transform and build Socialism in Britain, and we have every From the Labour Party’s suspension of faith that our comrades across Europe Jeremy Corbyn, to the government’s are carrying the same glorious strugg- decision to ban anti-capitalist material le wherever they are. from schools; from the BBC’s pledge to purge so-called left-wing bias from its already right-leaning ranks, to the passing of a bill that will allow police and intelligence services to infiltrate trade unions and political campaign groups – it is undeniable that the British ruling class are stepping up in their war against the left and the pe- ople’s democratic rights and that we must be ready to resist it. The YCL has seen a surge in applica- tions over the recent period, due to the pandemic that demonstrated more clearly than ever that the capitalist system regards profits over the peop- le’s wellbeing, and the attacks on the left in Britain. As we approach our 100th anniversary celebrations next year, it is clear that more and more young people are be- ing mobilised into class politics by the response of Government and big busi- ness to the COVID crisis. With a fresh capitalist crisis underway and the pan- demic showing no signs of subsiding,

20 Communist Youth of Greece - one- of the last days, is the earthqu- KNE ake that hit Greece and Turkey last week. Many were the deaths in both Dear comrades, countries, highlighting once again on behalf of the Central Council of the lack of earthquake protection the Communist Youth of Greece measures and the long-term respon- (KNE) we send warm, comradely, sibilities of the Greek and Turkish internationalist greetings to the de- governments, which for the sake of legations of all the Communist Youth the profits of their business groups, Organizations, who are taking part in leave the peoples unprotected. KNE today’s online meeting. We sincerely and TKG with their immediate joint wish all the comrades, the members announcement –which was widely ac- of your organizations, to be healthy cepted and promoted in both count- and strong. ries- just 4 hours after the earthqu- ake, they made common immediate Especially we would like to greet our demands in both countries highligh- comrades form the Communist Youth ting that “Our lives are not destined of Turkey (TKG), to wish them every to be crushed! With our struggles, success to their struggles, short- our power, our dreams ‘life will be vi- ly after the recent Congress of the ctorious’!” Immediately, both Organi- Communist Party of Turkey and the zations, together with the Communist 100th anniversary of its founding. Parties of Greece and Turkey, which We really thank TKG for the steady also share strong internationalist re- solidarity with the struggle of KNE lations and a joint struggle, we took and also for its initiative to organize the initiatives of organizing the soli- this online meeting for the exchange darity in the affected areas on both of experience between the European sides of the Aegean. Communist Youth Organizations. It is very important to be able to discuss Comrades, and exchange experience, under dif- unfortunately this year, due to the ficult circumstances, such as today. pandemic, it was not possible to hold While having the aim to strengthen the established annual Meeting of the our struggle in every country, but European Communist Youth Organiza- also enhance the cooperation, the tions (MECYO). We hope that we will joint struggle and the coordination of make it in 2021 in Belgrade, as the the struggle of the CYOs. Working Group of MECYO has already The development of class struggle decided unanimously. and life itself brings to the forefront After all, the coronavirus can be cu- more intensely the need for the joint red and will be cured! The pandemic struggle of the CYOs. It’s our duty to will pass, as others have passed in provide the forms trough which this the past! will be accomplished under all cir- cumstances. However, capitalism is incurable, it is a permanent virus and that is why it A typical example –and not the only cannot be cured by any kind of 21 mutation medicine. It can only be be revived as a whole, through active, overthrown and replaced from a su- combative younger forces that have perior social system, socialism – com- received communist education. After munism. all, many things are already deter- mined from today, when everything And right here, the CYOs have the seems to be immovable or even going great responsibility: To win over the backwards. The multifaceted ideologi- vast majority of the youth in our cal-political-organizational strengthe- countries, every young man and wo- ning of our Organizations today is the man from the working class and peop- element that will significantly mark le’s families, for the struggle for this the developments of tomorrow, in exact perspective. Not only those who more sudden turns of class struggle. agree with our policy, but also those This is shown by the course of class whose social and class position, makes struggle so far, by the uprisings and it possible to benefit from it, regard- revolutions that every time shocked less of whether they understand this the world. This is shown by the expe- today or not. From the generation of rience of the Great October Socialist crushed rights, we have to become Revolution, whose 103rd anniversary the generation that will overthrow the we are celebrating today. rotten and outdated capitalist system, which as long as it survives, it conti- Dear comrades, nues to spread death, exploitation and The conclusions drawn from the most barbarity. We have to counter-attack, important revolutionary leap to the to organize mass and militant stru- future, until now, are timely under ggles to satisfy all the contemporary today’s conditions. These conclusions needs of the youth. are even timelier in comparison to That is why we need strong CYOs in that day 103 years ago when it was every country, revolutionary youth proven in a practical way that capi- organizations, which will be the talism is not invincible and that the “schools” for the edification of young working class can construct a society communists, with vanguard mass without exploitation of man by man. activity where the youth works, stu- We honour the Great October Socialist dies and lives; with combative and Revolution, the socialist construction, militant organs and Base Organizati- first of all by keeping the flame of the ons, which ensure the promotion of communist perspective alive today. Marxism-Leninism within the ranks of every CYO and more broadly within Especially today, when the degree of the youth. We have to bear in mind socialization of labour has reached that the current members and cadres unprecedented heights, huge potential of the CYOs are the “future” of the has emerged with the transformation Communist Parties and that today we of science into a direct productive need to take all necessary measures force and the impressive increase in so that the International Communist the degree of automation of industrial Movement, our common cause, can production, the gap between current

22 living and working conditions and This effort is of great importance, the modern needs and possibilities is and we aim to connect it to the daily even larger. struggle for all the problems the wor- king and student youth face. We can prove directly, even more convincingly that the socialism that Our slogan “Socialism or Barbarism” we, the workers, will construct in remains timely! And this can be seen every country in the 21st century will from all aspects of life of young pe- lead to a level of social prosperity ople in Greece, in Europe, in all over and to a degree of participation in the capitalist world. workers’ control, which both will be Comrades, higher than the standard of living ac- hieved in the countries of socialism in The conditions under which the KKE the 20th century. and the KNE developed their activity in Greece in the past months are de- This year, 150 years after Lenin’s termined by the following factors: birth, we can say that his work, like that of Marx-Engels, remains an ir- 1. From the further intensification of replaceable weapon, it remains timely the inter-imperialist competition in “as if it was written yesterday” beca- the Eastern Mediterranean region, use the revolutionary change of the which include the competition of the world is timely and necessary today bourgeoisie of Greece and the bour- as never before! geoisie of Turkey, the escalation of Turkish aggression. Armed with Marxism-Leninism, our worldview, we can give convincing 2. From the course and the outburst answers to the reasonable questi- of the pandemic in our country and ons that millions of young people in internationally, the tragic situation in Europe and around the world have, public health systems, the consequ- such as: “How do the capitalists make ences of the pandemic on the life and their profits? What is the source of the rights of working class and the exploitation in today’s society? What popular strata, as a result of anti-pe- is the character and role of the state? ople policy and measures. Can this world change and how? Is revolution necessary? How will pro- 3. From the outbreak, the evolution duction be organized in the society and the depth of the economic crisis, of socialism-communism to meet the which does not have as its main cau- needs of the people? How will the se the pandemic, as claimed by bour- participation in decision-making and geois governments and international the implementation take place? What organizations. In the world capitalist is the character of the working class economy there were serious prob- power, of the “dictatorship of the lems of over-accumulation of capital, proletariat”? What are the duties of which mathematically led to a new the communists in their intervention crisis, which was accelerated by the within the mass movement?” pandemic.

23 4. From the intensification of autho- the health of the members and friends ritarianism, repression, anti-commu- of KNE. Mainly it showed the way to nism, as it was shown recently when block the climate of silence that the the government of the conservative government wanted to impose aiming party New Democracy (ND) approved to unleash its attack on labour - pe- by vote of the new law that restricts ople’s rights. and bans the demonstrations. On the basis of the previously men- Under these difficult conditions, and tioned conditions, we come across while having as our decisive weapon an increasing concern of the working the positions and the activity of our class and the youth, a concern that is Party, we make a significant effort based on the deterioration of the life -and we have succeeded in this– from conditions, the insecurity about the the beginning of the pandemic not to near future, as well as the contradi- suspend the activity of KNE. On the ctions of the governmental policies contrary, we managed to intensify the regarding the management of the efforts, necessarily adapting both the pandemic that cause confusion. At internal function of the organization the same time, during this period, the and our intervention in the movement. consistent stance of the KKE and KNE Our effort is not to let the quarantine is appreciated by a significant section and the lock-down affect the com- of the people, especially of the youth, munists, not to put in quarantine our regarding a number of issues, since mind, our study, our political criticism the beginning of the year, demonst- and polemic against the system and rating organized disobedience against not to put obstacles political action. the calls for “national harmony” and consent on the part of the govern- An important moment of this effort ment and the rationale of “we’ll deal was the success of the 46th Festival with it later”, on the part of the soci- of KNE-Odigitis, which, even though al-democratic SYRIZA. We highlighted it took place in a different form this that there cannot be a “national goal” year, finally it left a strong aftermath, that is common for the bourgeois it sent a message of optimism and class and the people. We had to con- hope to thousands of young peop- front the enhanced propaganda of the le. By traveling in dozens of cities of opponent. Against the rationale of the Greece with the slogan “Socialism, “individual responsibility”, we opposed for us to breathe freely, for life to be the state responsibility of taking the victorious” we highlighted the only necessary measures for the protecti- development path for the benefit of on of people’s life, health and inco- the people. The success of the events, me, but also, as a condition for the as well as the Two-Day Anti-imperia- comprehension of the individual one. list Camp of KNE in summer (a camp The management of the pandemic, with thousands of participants) is an according to the criteria of rescuing example of the way that the organized the profitability of the capital and the disobedience to the system can over- fiscal stability, even at the expense of come practical difficulties and ensure

24 the people’s health, the dangers de- necessities, when they highlighted riving from the deeper entanglement the choice of all governments, throu- of the Greek bourgeois class in the ghout the years, to spend billions for inter-imperialist antagonisms, brou- the NATO military equipment, which ght into surface the unbridgeable gap has nothing to do with the defensive between the capital and the working buttressing of the country. class, the poor popular strata, under In each place where the forces of the intervention of the members of KNE intervene, we seek not to exha- the KKE and KNE. ust the aim of the demands on what Also, during the previous period we was guaranteed until yesterday, on took steps regarding the goal we had the contrary, we promote our propo- set in our 12th Congress (February sal, in an aggressive way, having the 2019), in other words, the utilization contemporary needs as a criterion, and our contribution in the elabora- in other words, the needs based on tions of the party for the formation today’s possibilities. KNE is at the of demands and a framework of forefront, to develop combative acti- struggle, regarding the sharpening vity, in every place where the youth problems that concern the areas of lives, works and gets educated, aga- health, welfare, culture and sports. inst the silence that the rest of the These demands facilitate the conne- forces maintain. With the following ction of the workplace struggle with slogan “To make the invisible heroes, the neighbourhood struggle, they protagonists! We will not pay for their come into conflict with the rationale crisis again!” KNE started a campaign, of class collaboration or dealing with from June until September, addressed the issues in a classless way, forming to the young workers, highlighting the conditions for the formation of an - one of the most significant conclu- anticapitalist - antimonopoly directi- sions that has been confirmed during on in the struggle. Especially, on the the pandemic- that they are the ones occasion of the pandemic outbreak, that are useful, they are the pillars we highlighted our positions for the of society and not the capitalists, the strengthening of the primary health parasites of society. During these th- care units, for the requisition of the ree months, we met with thousands already existing infrastructure be- of young workers, contributing in a longing to the major private clinics, decisive way, in the entry of more apart from the necessity for the im- young workers into the trade unions. mediate cover of the deficiencies. The forces of KNE were at the fo- refront of demanding means of prote- At the same time, the members and ction, defending the rights that were friends of KNE, who were at the under attack. Based on the elabora- forefront of the school student mo- tions of our Party, we published ma- bilizations of this period, gave the terials and we organized meetings on best response to the government’s the topic of the new labour relations argument that allegedly there are not that were established on the occasion enough money for covering the basic

25 of the pandemic, placing emphasis on 3,000 that exist nationwide) and telework and how this is utilized in large student demonstrations organi- today’s system for the extraction of zed on a weekly basis. An important more surplus value to place more obs- element is that these mobilizations tacles in the trade union action. are supported by Associations of Pa- rents and Teachers, with the decisive Regarding students, despite the un- contribution of the KKE forces that der-functioning of the vast majority of participate in them. This school-stu- the Faculties, for more than 8 months, dents’ struggle, but also specifically the Students’ Struggle Front (MAS), the intervention of the school-student with the decisive contribution of KNE and area-based organizations of KNE organized dozens of interventions already contribute to the acquisition about issues that concern immediately of rich experience for the following the popular families, as a spearhead, steps. It is an important element that such as: to find a way not to cancel the framework of demands formed the exam periods, to keep the student by the School-Student Coordinating dormitories and canteens open, since Committee in Athens, which has been during the period of quarantine, it established in recent years at the initi- was attempted to throw students out ative and active participation of scho- on the street, to fill the vacancies in ol-students - members of KNE, touc- teaching personnel. Furthermore, the hed the vast majority of the militant period before summer, the forces of school-students, managed to orientate MAS, especially the ones in the facul- the struggle according to the demands ties of Health Sciences, were at the and the necessity for mass collective, forefront of a number of initiatives for democratic procedures. The bourgeois practical solidarity, such as voluntary state mobilized all its apparatuses blood donations and the preparation to hinder the school-student move- of antiseptics, in the faculties’ labora- ment, with the help of the bourgeois tories. Media. But the just cause of the scho- However, the section of the youth that ol-students was stronger. Thus, the marked strongly the previous period government’s attempt to identify the was that of the school-students. For students with the mask-deniers, to the past 2 months, since the begin- intimidate them with the intervention ning of the school year, school-stu- of head-teachers and the police, but dents all over the country have been also to hold them accountable in ad- in turmoil, demanding the obvious, vance for the transmission of the virus open schools with all the necessary during the sit-ins -even if 25 and 27 protection measures, recruitment of school-students are piled up in a small the necessary teachers and cleaning classroom during the classes- went staff. These are the largest mobiliza- unheeded. The culmination of the tions of students of the last 15 years, repression effort was the beating of in terms of participation, with over the students by the Riot Police (MAT), 800 sit-ins in secondary education the arrests and detentions of students schools (out of the approximately even for 4 whole days.

26 A few weeks ago, the trial of the Nazi ceted intervention (thematic events, criminal organization Golden Dawn publications, documentaries, initiati- (GD) was concluded. 7 years after ves within the movement etc.) aiming the assassination of the anti-fascist to increase young people’s awareness musician Pavlos Fyssas by the GD of the clear position of the KKE; The and after an unacceptable delay of defence of sovereign rights, territo- 5,5 years of the hearing procedures rial integrity and borders from the with great responsibilities of the go- standpoint of the people’s interests, vernments of ND and SYRIZA, it was acquire true meaning only when com- recognized by court decision what bined with the struggle in Greece: the people had already proclaimed, - For the disengagement of our that the GD is a criminal organization. country from the dangerous plans of Dozens of thousands of workers and NATO, US, EU. young people participated in a mag- nificent demonstration outside the - For the closure of the foreign mili- courts on 7 October, the day when tary bases in Greece. the court ruling was announced, to reaffirm that belief. The contributi- - For the disengagement of Greece on of KNE in the previous years was from the imperialist organisations, important in revealing the role of the with the people in power, owner of GD, the fact that its criminal charac- the wealth they produce. ter stems from its Nazi ideology. All Comrades, these years, when cadres of ND were talking about the need for “a serious Increase in deaths, cases and intuba- GD” according to the standards of the ted patients all over Europe, constitu- Le Pen party and cadres of SYRIZA tes the chronicle of a predetermined used the so-called institutional role crime. It is under the responsibility of of the fascists to participate in joint the longstanding directives of the EU events, the members of KNE came and the governments that the public forward to isolate fascists in every healthcare systems are stripped of university, school and neighbourhood. personnel, infrastructure, ICUs, di- agnostic reagents and the means to We are not complacent; we continue run diagnostic tests. The miserable the struggle against fascism. We are situation that forces doctors to deci- well aware that fascism neither is de who lives and who dies and leads dealt with by court decisions nor by nurses to wear garbage bags for their anti-fascist fronts with parties that protection against the virus, as well serve the same system that gives rise as the general condition that negati- to it, but by the struggle that targets vely affects the health and life of the capitalism itself, the womb that gives peoples, expose that the real virus, birth to fascism. the visible enemy, is capitalism itself. Lastly, concerning the dangerous The developments themselves -in developments in the Eastern Mediter- every aspect of social life- place a ranean, we are developing a multifa- strong focus on the issue of the only 27 real way-out in favour of the wor- kers’-people’s interests. They also show the need to break the vicious circle of contradictions of a system, which is unable to meet the vital ri- ghts and needs of the vast majority of the people, while the increase in productivity and the development of technology and science create the preconditions for leaps to improve and address social problems radically. These further highlight that, organi- sing the economy based on capitalist profit, makes it an obstacle to social progress and prosperity. Ample evidence shows the necessity of socialism-communism, i.e. the working class power, for establishing social ownership and central scienti- fic planning of the economy, on the criterion of the expanding satisfaction of all social needs. The KKE and KNE devote all their forces for our people, the workers, to believe in the power and the potential they have to deter- mine the developments, to make their mark, to make this way-out a reality.

28 Connolly Youth Movement - CYM bility to uphold the guidelines to re- duce transmission rates of COVID-19. Capitalism in Ireland was already in The resulting reliance on social media crisis at the outbreak of COVID-19. has placed us in a uniquely preca- The two traditional parties of domes- rious and vulnerable situation, and tic and international capital, Fianna our social media accounts are being Fáil and Fine Gael, have just received categorically targeted and attacked their worst election results in the as result of a policy of active political history of the 26-county state and censorship by the bourgeois compa- have been forced to drop the preten- nies which own them. The awareness se of competition between each other of these limitations and self-refle- and enter into coalition. As such, the ction on them poses fundamental present epidemic has simultaneously questions to us on how to continue deepened the political crisis in Ireland to effectively propagandise in a me- while also providing a pretext for dia environment which is being given the government to engage in unp- greater and greater privileges and recedented measures to cling on to power for the ideological policing of power at a time when their base, and society on behalf of neoliberalism. the broader ascendency of the capi- Only by increasing the technical skill talist class, is under a novel threat. of our members, and utilising media The legislature in Ireland has taken critically and efficiently, can we navi- advantage of the unusual situation gate this situation without becoming to drastically reduce the speaking vulnerable to censorship and disrupti- rights of smaller political parties, to on on social media. remove economic rights of tenants by allowing landlords to digitally requ- The epidemic has cast light on many est expedited judgements, and other processes that were occuring quietly measures designed to tighten control, in the background and has exposed, ranging even into sealing politically accelerated and inflamed them. Scan- sensitive documents related to the dals are accumulating weekly and the Catholic Church’s action at the Tuam legitimacy of the political establish- Mother and Baby Home, where infants ment is fraying. The massive increase were taken from pregnant mothers in unemployment is being actively and buried illegal. These actions of lauded by the far-right as providing those of the recently disgraced EU them an opportunity to insert them- Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan (who selves into the narrative as national failed to observe COVID-19 and traffic saviours, and they are working in laws in order to attend a golf party) overdrive and with unprecedented show the intense unaccountability boldness in pursuit of this. Their op- and exceptionalism of the Irish bour- position to the lockdown measures geoisie. The scope of in-person cadre and the refusal of the state apparat- work available to us as activists in chiks and the neoliberal journalistic Ireland is reduced in many areas due commentariat to adequately confront to our political and social responsi- them allows them to majorly expand

29 the scope of their operations during sation during the years of austerity, the epidemic, due to the restriction and the overall situation is being used of the traditional anti-fascist supp- to prepare justification for renewed ression as a result of unwillingless to disenfranchisement of the working violate public gathering guidelines. It class under the guise of debt repay- is no accident that this trend is being ment and endless “restructuring”. The ignored or excused by the bourgeois partition of our national by British private media and government, as imperialism, which already plays a it is exactly in these types of crises role in the suppression of class for- that the fascists can prove useful as a ces through its inherently sectarian mechanism to waste popular energy premise, also hamstrings the efficacy and resistance while diverting people’s of our response to the present crisis. attention from capital. Some in at- We are one people and class that has tendance at “anti-lockdown” protests too long been divided along the lines by the far-right are business owners of jurisdiction and health policy wit- who stand to benefit economically, hout any serious co-ordination, caught the petite bourgeoisie being one of between two comprador governments the mainstay demographic resources that serve the interests of investors of fascism. Violence in the methods of rather than people. The occupied six the far-right is escalating, and during counties are suffering disproportio- the COVID-19 epidemic far-right vio- nately as a marginalised province of lence in Ireland has become a public a colonial centre, while the free state issue of significant concern for the government relies entirely on the EU first time in many decades. We must for its initiative and marching orders, confront fascists and continue to work sacrificing its sovereignty in the hope through the masses against them, re- of avoiding complex political questions connecting and remolding our political and receiving support for its own fal- work to serve the needs of commu- tering domestic position. nities under attack or being won over The Connolly Youth Movement is at- by the far-right, and wresting the key tempting to anticipate the attacks on ideological identification of the right the working class by the bourgeoisie, to the nation as a community for all to support trade unions in contesting of the working class from their ideo- illegal firings and avoidance of seve- logical inroads to debase and villainise rance packages, help tenants against our national premise as Irish under the illegal evictions, and prepare agita- corruption of racism and xenophobia. tors for a more difficult environment As Georgi Dimitrov wrote, they are the through both practical experience most reactionary wing of finance capi- in campaigns for higher wages and tal and must be exposed as such. unionisation drives, and theoretical The present crisis has revealed the sharpening through shared education. dysfunctionality of many sectors of The cry of all of the forces of capital the economy which suffered privati- is for a “return to normal”, but we sation, asset stripping and marketi- know that normality for the working

30 class was brutality prior to the epide- tical landscape, to frustrate and delay mic, and that brutality is only going it as much as possible while continu- to intensify. There is a real possibility ing our numerical growth and unity in Ireland of a social democratic go- with the working class. vernment in the short-term, that may Our current slogan is ‘onwards to the alleviate some of the intense pressure red decade’. This is because the key faced by young people being crushed goal of recovery and consolidation between high rent and low wages. from the last decade has been achie- However, we know from the expe- ved, and we are now ready to go on rience of the European working class the offensive and escalate confron- more broadly, in particular of Syriza’s tations with the bourgeoisie. this will act of betrayal in Greece, that there involve mobilisation of youth cadres can be no solution to the problems of into every social and political institu- capitalism within the European Union, tion, as only public, highly amplified and a project of the scale and depth confrontation can force the bourgeoi- we need to address our problems sie to reveal the nature of its political will require immediate withdrawal control in the form of undeniable rep- from the EU. Hence while confronting ression. We look forward, tentatively fascists physically and the domestic but optimistically to the future where overseer caste politically is vital, we we will overcome the contradictions must also give special attention to facing our political work by earning confronting social democrats theo- greater legitimacy with our class’s retically in exposing the illusion that generation by stark contrast with there can be any weakening of the the bankruptcy of the passive tactics control of the capitalist class on the advocated by reformists. The real economy while membership of the economic situation in our countries is EU continues. The European Union’s becoming more and more resonant, ideological core is constantly toug- and only through constant dialogue, hening, as it commits more and more support and study of each other’s to illegal interventions outside of work and conditions, and daring to Europe, while attacking the left more take risks to help each other, can the intensely internally through its conf- potential of international proletarian lation of socialism and nazism. The solidarity be unlocked. We are in a instinct of the Irish bourgeoisie, which time of international crisis, and only has never been strong enough to sur- through collective and shared soluti- vive on its own capital alone due to ons to our problems can we establish its emergence from a colonial system, the superiority of our methods to the has always turned to more disgraced individualism, chauvinism and directi- servility and increased integration onlessness of the capitalist response. into the imperialist machine in times of crisis. Our goal is to destabilise and challenge this tendency, both on the Thatcherite right and reformist left that dominate the gamut of our poli-

31 Front of Communist Youth - FGC asures, more than half of all the wor- kers continued their work in presence, Dear comrades, On behalf of the CC of almost all in factories and logistics the Front of Communist Youth (FGC) warehouse. Already during the first I warmly greet all your organizations, week of the general lockdown, many we thank the Communist Youth of factories, instead of following it to Turkey (TKG) for its efforts in this ini- contain the pandemic, imposed overti- tiative to organize this online meeting. me work, even over the weekend. For It is a pleasure to be connected with this reason, the main places of con- you after months of complicated and tagion were hospitals, factories and intense work for our organizations logistics warehouses. among the context of the pandemic crisis. Since the beginning the government Many comrades have contracted the policies have been shaped on the virus, many have been in home isolati- interests of the capitalist and their on, yet our activity has never stopped associations (Confindustria). The ow- placing every effort in the direction ners were allowed to delay the closu- of an intensification. The origins of re for weeks, with consequences on the pandemic in Italy most likely date the growth of infections. Even after back to last November, it is useful to the general lockdown, thousands of underline that the government prepa- companies ignored it going in comple- red control protocols that made it im- tely derogation to the anti-contagion possible to identify cases. It is no co- safety rules in the workplaces and to incidence that the famous patient zero the list of the essential activities. The- was found only in February, thanks to re was a clear disparity between the a group of doctors who deliberately zeal with which runners, walkers and decided not to apply the ministerial individual were persecuted, and the protocol. The lack of a pandemic plan enormous discretion that - in fact - and the related stocks of medical de- the companies enjoyed. vices and material immediately deter- In the middle of the second wave of mined the state of emergency. infections, emerged again and more A new pandemic plan, hastily written forcefully all the limits of this system by the government in February, was to provide the basic need to the peop- instead completely useless since it did les and all the bourgeois government not consider both the real progress of responsibilities, that had as its only the pandemic and the real structural objective to protect the profits of the capabilities of public health system, capitalist. In eight months, very little weakened by decades of cuts. For this has been done to prepare health care, reason, the Italian government was schools and transport for this situa- the first to decree a general lockdown, tion, while billions were given to the despite the propaganda it was only capitalists. Using this crisis to give a nominally “general”. In fact, with the greater strength to the processes of total absence of individual safety me- capital concentration, the pandemic

32 has in fact greatly accelerated the the government’s policy is to use the crisis of capitalism, already present state as a collective capitalist, to mi- and mature among the society. The tigate the differences in the particular plan of the capitalist and their gover- interests of the various monopolies nments is clear from the beginning: and to try to guarantee social peace. to move the cost of the crisis to the The goal is to dilute the immediate workers and the popular strata. This effects of this crisis over time, exten- second wave began at the begin- ding the payroll subsidies until the ning of September in factories and end of January just as the industrial warehouses with infection rates far association threatened two million higher than the national average at layoffs in August and the cancellation that time. The government decided of the national collective contracts. not to do anything, not to close those This proposal was forward by our or- outbreaks and not to apply safety ganization to the combative workers regulations in the workplace. While and unions to bring together all the individual behavior was demonized, struggle activities in a single groove the government left the field open to give strength and credibility to the to Confindustria to freely apply inef- perspective of the struggle against fective and superficial containment the capitalist management of the cri- measures. Since March, every Con- sis. The proposal was positively wel- findustria action has been directed comed by the unions that in recent to negotiate with the government years have proved more combative minimum containment measures in and by groups of workers in diffe- the workplace and to delay closures, rent other unions that have matured then once the crisis began they have during the lockdown the awareness proceeded to threaten two millions of that there is no possibility within the layoffs and attack national contracts class collaboration. It is useful to re- claiming lower and precarious wages, member that during the lockdown of after the summer they deliberately March / April the activity of the large continued to produce even in outbre- concertative unions was to avoid the ak companies, preventing the possibi- state of agitation and to cancel the lity of any containment intervention. spontaneous strikes promoted by the workers crushed in the blackmail Our activity in recent months has between health and job in the outb- been based on the involvement of reak companies. combative trade unions, activists and all the workers and unionist that sha- As soon as the first lockdown phase re an open conflicting position and was over, we organized a first student who reject both the policy of national mobilization date (May 28) in dozens unity and that of class collaboration. of cities against the failure of distan- This united front tactic that we con- ce learning, as the result of years of sider necessary to face the strategy cuts in public education. On 6 June of a social appeasement pursued by the communist youth promoted and the government. In fact, in this phase animated a first mobilization date in

33 the perspective of the class united A necessary work because, as already front with unionists and workers from mentioned, the government policies different sectors. This was a first sig- to dilute the immediate effects of the nificant attempt to unify the mobili- crisis, the activities of the concerta- zation of students to that of workers, tive unions to stifle any spontaneous in the perspective of constant support mobilization and the pandemic situ- over time. Already during the month ation itself are producing a low level of June, our organization strongly of mass agitation among the workers, supported the strikes and produc- except for few sectors. It is significa- tion’s blocks in the logistics sector, tive that in the sectors, such as ali- which after having amassed workers mentary and logistics, where workers in warehouses during the lockdown have been more combative in recent declared thousands of layoffs. Our years, Confindustria’s line is relatively organization has moved nationwide to less aggressive, publicly proposing to ensure the success of the production renounce at the demanding of revoca- shutdowns, despite attacks by police tion of national labor contracts in exc- and private taser guards, which both hange for a single condition. Immedia- injured many strikers. At the same tely stop the state of agitation. These time, within these processes of stru- are those sectors that have benefited ggles, we have set up a systematic most from the lockdown, increasing political work for the transmission of profits, and that are approaching the more advanced political-organizatio- peak of work and revenue by the end nal elements within those groups of of the year. The workers’ decision was combative workers, rapidly building a to continue, with the strike of last recognized position that has helped October 23, and with the next ones in us to win the resistance to the par- November and December throughout ticular problems of the various com- all Italy. On this occasion too, students bative unions and call a first national and communist youth militants are meeting of combative workers. An going to support the organization of assembly held in Bologna on 27 Sep- these strikes and the warehouse’s blo- tember in which unionist and workers ckades effectiveness. from various sectors participated in Comrades, In this new phase, we as- presence and online, which approved ked ourselves what the current tasks the organization of a national initiative of the communist youth are in the day for 24 October, the structuring of perspective to their higher structuring local assemblies of combative workers and to the overcoming of the histori- on regional base and identifying as an cal limits of the communist movement immediate goal to work to widen the in Italy after World War II. In fact, in state of agitation, to bring the com- Italy the reaction of the opportunist pany strike into a sector strike, and forces to the pandemic was that of a the sector strike into a general strike substantial class collaboration, decli- to counter the capitalist offensive. ned in various direction, in a reformist sense or in an openly chauvinist key

34 in welding with the most reactionary MECYO is a first important signal that forces of the bourgeoisie crushed by not only the communist organizations the monopolistic concentration. You are reshaping their activities with the know all the damage that opportu- pandemic, but that we can discuss nism has caused in the movement of and read together the consequences workers in Italy, ending up destroying of this common international crisis much of the work done in the past. despite the differences with which Many years ago, Antonio Gramsci it manifests itself in each different wrote in prison “I am convinced that country. even when all is or seems to be lost, we just have to steadily get back to work, starting from the beginning”. The answer we gave ourselves was to continue working for the commu- nist reconstruction process in Italy, the immediate tasks are first of all to reshape the activities in the new context of a pandemic that has elimi- nated the school and neighborhoods as meeting places of the proletarian youth within which to develop our political work, obviously also to “gain them back in safety”, and work to build a coherent response to the bourgeois offensive that has already strongly manifested itself, intended to an intensification in the coming months which will clash with an unprepared and politically backward labor movement even in its most combative components. For this reason, we must intensify the political work and the mobilization to strongly respond to those who want to severely limit the possibilities of strike and public demonstration. As we have been saying for months “if we can work, we can strike”. There is a real risk of greater passivity among the proletarian youth, increasingly exposed to the important level of mobilization implemented by the pe- tit-bourgeoisie in recent months. This

35 Communist Youth Movement, CJB with flexible working relations and self-employed are struggling to sus- Dear comrades, tain themselves and their families. It is good to see so many of you in In many workplaces the protective these embattled times. We would like health measures are lacking. Lots to especially thank the TKG for taking of other workers have to work from the important initiative for this mee- home, often without being provided ting of Communist Youth Organisati- the necessary equipment (such as an ons. In all of our home countries we ergonomic office chair). The capitalists are hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and use teleworking to further blur the the in some ways even more deadly limits of the working day and increase capitalist responses to the virus. work intensity. In the Netherlands, as in many other In the meantime, students in vocatio- countries, we find ourselves with a he- nal and higher education are isolated alth system which has been battered as well. They keep paying tuition fees by years of austerity measures. The for education they hardly receive and capitalist mode of health care proves many are delayed in their studies wit- time and time again it is neither able hout compensation. Hardly any pro- nor willing to ensure the care the pe- tective measures have been taken for ople need. Whether it is the shortage students and teachers in high schools of testing kits which were monopo- and primary education, were up to 30 lized by the Roche company, or the pupils are stacked in a room as there shortage of IC units thanks to years is a shortage of teachers. of neglect and downsizing, every time During all this the governments’ po- we are faced with the shortcomings of licy is mostly preoccupied with ensu- capitalism. ring the profits for companies. Once The number of infected people has again large bail-outs make sure the risen because of the unwillingness of working class pays for the continua- the government to take measures in tion of profits for the capitalist class. an early stage. Thousands have died Sadly, the enormous financial gifts to from Covid and regular health care the companies are not the only way has now been drastically downsized in which the government serves the for the second time since the outb- capitalists. Even the management of reak of the pandemic because of the the pandemic itself is focussed only shortages in doctors, nurses and beds, on keeping business going as usual. which may have dire consequences for Measures are always too little and too people that need healthcare. late and try to mostly limit private life and relaxation instead of non-essential The pandemic acted as a catalyst sectors of industry. The government for the outbreak of the new capita- does not even try to eradicate the vi- list economic crisis. Our workers are rus but wants to ‘control’ the spread facing mass lay-offs. Tens of thou- of the virus so that not ‘too many’ sands have lost their job. Workers people need hospitalization. Anybody

36 can therefore observe how human world. lives are sacrificed for capitalist pro- The youths of today have already li- fits. Because of this, the Netherlands ved through three ‘once in a lifetime’ has a relatively high death rate per capitalist economic crises, but this capita from Covid-19 compared to ot- one kickstarted by Covid is likely to her countries. This strategy will cause be the biggest one yet. The theme even greater economic destruction for this meeting was therefore aptly for the working class and will drive chosen: the choice we have before unprecedented amounts of Dutch us, is more pressing than ever before. workers into poverty and despair. CJB Socialism or Barbarism. It is our task demands a strategy for eradication of as Communist organizations to orga- the virus, putting peoples’ lives above nize the working classes to make this profits. choice, or it will be made before us, In the meantime, the bourgeois poli- and its consequences will be felt. tical parties are preparing the ground That said, we, the Communist Youth for the upcoming general elections in Movement of the Netherlands, are March 2021, making all kinds of pro- heading for our next General As- mises that conceal the attack on the sembly on the 14th of November. The rights of the workers that will follow, General Assembly will concern itself regardless of which parties win the with the new statues for the CJB, as elections. The pandemic is also used well as the political evaluation of the as an excuse for restraining political general developments and the tasks rights and enhancing the suppression for the CJB in the coming years. We apparatus of the bourgeois state. have good hopes for the future. We This health crisis is the opening epoch are growing as more and more youn- for an economic crisis that was alre- gsters turn away from the appalling ady in the making. Economic growth conditions capitalism offers them. has been hampering for several years Perhaps even more important, we are and decreases in the industrial produ- educating members to be capable ction were already setting in before of organizing at the work places and Covid came around. The real cause in the schools, in order to create a of the economic crisis lies not in the strong and steeled cadre. pandemic, even though it certainly The CJB and the New Communist acted as a catalyst, but in the laws Party of the Netherlands are stea- of the capitalist way of development dily working to collectively improve itself. The capitalist economic crisis our understanding of the pressing in its turn amplifies the contradicti- issues that concern the lives of the ons between the imperialist powers working-class youth on the basis of that compete for the control over Marxism-Leninism, in opposition to resources, transportation routes and the influence of bourgeois ideology markets, increasing the danger for and opportunism. Such issues are the escalations, imperialist interventions international and national and even war in various parts of the

37 developments, the labour and stu- dent movement in the Netherlands and the requirements to enhance a class-oriented line, but also issues such as climate change, emancipation of working-class women, the struggle against racism and the discriminati- on of other minorities, which are all connected to the struggle against the exploitative capitalist system. Both the pandemic and the capitalist economic crisis have laid bare the necessity of a socialist organization of society. Through central planning and the social ownership of the me- ans of production many unnecessary deaths and suffering could have been prevented. The anarchy of capitalism has however shown its bloody con- sequences and as infection rates are rising rapidly, will probably continue to do so. We are grateful for the TKG to orga- nize this meeting of communist youth organizations. The effects of the pan- demic and the government responses are felt throughout our countries. It is important we face these challen- ges united. Let us loudly declare our choice: Socialism-communism is our answer to these dire conditions!

38 Portuguese Communist Youth, in Byelorussia; it proceeds with the JCP confrontation, interference and war against the peoples of the Middle Dear comrades, East such as in Palestine, Syria, Iran, In the name of the Portuguese Com- Yemen and Lebanon. munist Youth, we send our salutation Today we point out and the celebrate to every organization present in this the October revolution, a revolution meeting, and greet the comrades that was an emancipator act, the from TKG for the initiative. start of a new historical era that The world’s situation brutally exposes remains open on the horizon of the the capitalism’s exploitive, oppressi- workers’ and peoples’ struggle – the ve, aggressive, and predatory nature, era of the transition from capitalism evidencing its profound inhuman cha- to socialism – and in it the materiali- racter, its immense responsibility for zation of a millennial dream of eman- the serious problems and scourges cipation and freedom of generations that hit Humanity. of exploited and oppressed! In the context of the capitalism’s We point out October so not to for- structural crises, the COVID-19 pan- get the role of the working class, the demic as come to accelerate the new workers, the peoples and the youth, economical crises that had long been of its unity, organization and struggle announced, that exposes the enor- in the process of social transformati- mous and unacceptable injustices and on and, particularly, the historical role social inequalities that mark the rea- of the working class and its allies in lity of millions of human beings. such Pioneer realization of the new society, without antagonistic social Trying to contradict its relative dec- classes and free from the exploration line and preserve its hegemonic do- of Men from Men. main in the world, the Unites States of America, with the support of its Comrades, allies – NATO and EU –, intensify the The political situation in Portugal in aggressive action against the inter- marked by the structural problems national rights, imposing sanctions, and deficits, derived from decades of economical blockades and operations right-wing politics of successive go- of destabilization and aggression. vernments of PS (Socialist Party), PSD The situation aggravates in several (Social Democrat Party) and CDS-PP countries and regions throughout the (Democratic Center and Social Popu- world, derived from imperialism’s lar Party). This period of the pande- offensive that proceeds and inten- mic has come to expose with more sifies its politics of interference and clarity the deficits and problems of aggression, such as in Latin America our country, increasing the aggres- to what comes to Cuba and Venezu- siveness of the great capital in the ela; it persists on the promotion of search of the profit accumulation. “regime change” operations such as 39 The last months confirm the essenti- mocratic processes, in particular Stu- al traits of the situation in Portugal. dent’s Associations and Students’ As- In the economical overview, a brutal semblies. JCP has been affirming that, breaking of the richness produced towards every attempt to condition and of the consumption. In the social democracy, the best way to protect overview, the aggravation of the life our rights is to exert them. conditions of the workers, peoples and It should be noticed that in this pe- youth, in which the lost of salaries riod of confinement the problems of and income, the increase of unemp- mental health, in particular of the loyment and the failure of micro and students, have increased, and JCP small companies take on a particular has been demanding the hiring of serious expression. In the political more psychologists for schools, so to overview, the intensification of the an- answer such a big health problem ari- tidemocratic offensive with affront to sing from the pandemic. Young wor- the democratic regime, the exhibition kers, in this pandemic panorama, have of reactionary projects and agendas of been one of the most attacked. A lot the far right wing. of them went to lay-off, seeing its This recent period is marked by the salary reduced to a third, others were aggravation of many other problems. fired due to the precarious contracts. To what comes to education, the Por- Culture is a central element of democ- tuguese situation is marked by the racy and, due to the pandemic situa- return to presential classes. JCP and tion, this sector was one of the most the students have been struggling, scourged. JCP has been demanding demanding urgent measures so that support and measures for the serious every hygiene conditions and secu- situation in which workers and cultural rity in schools are granted. Also, the agents are living. necessary increase of hiring public workers to grant hygiene conditions, Comrades, the hiring of more teachers, making possible the reduction of the number In JCP, the reinforcement of the stru- of students per class. ggle of the youth is a supreme prio- rity, and it was in these hard and new In Portugal subsist the tuitions, fees times that we took every measure so and national exams, elements that try not to stop our intervention and stru- to elitize education and that in this ggle. Creativity in the ways of getting period it has become more clear, with to the youth, with a lot of initiatives the difficulties of the students in fol- on social media, but never stopping lowing the subject taught in distance from being present in the street next teaching. Using the justification of the to the young workers and the stu- virus, the attack against democracy dents. JCP did not remain confined has been increasing in schools and and continues its activity, giving conti- universities, trying to stop propaganda nuity to reunions, the presence in the distributions and also conditioning de- work centers of the party developing our work.

40 We can say that we were reinforced. democracy and socialism. This party There has been intervention, strugg- remains marked by the resistance, les, contacts and rruitments of many capability, initiative, responsibility, young people that took the step of courage and trust in the future of taking our side. PCP and JCP. We are currently poin- ting out the centenary of our party, From here, we send a strong salutati- the Portuguese Communist Party, the on to every sister organizations that, party of the antifascist resistance, of even in the most difficult situations, freedom, democracy and Socialism. A did not stop their activity and ma- party that, past a hundred years, re- intained the struggle to protect the mains in the front line of the struggle workers and the youth. for the concretization of this millen- nial dream that mobilizes millions in We look for fighting fear and resig- the whole world, the realization of nation. We point of the tremendous a land without masters, free from struggle action of the Portuguese exploration and oppression. JCP, with workers on the 1st of May, summoned the motto “The Future has a Party”, up by CGTP-IN, the unitary syndical will take the centenary of PCP to the central of class, the struggle of the youth with a great initiative that will 26th of September demanding the take place in two thousand twenty general increase of the salaries of one with documents, posters, murals, ninety euros, the increase of the nati- debates and other forms of propa- onal minimum wage to eight hundred ganda. and fifty euros, the prohibition of -fi Comrades, ring workers and the implementation of the thirty five laboratory hours for Close by pointing out the seventy five all the workers. We also point out years of WFDY, JCP reaffirms the im- the students’ struggle for specific de- portance of the reinforcement of the mandings as well as general ones, in Federation, a structure that congre- particular the ones that have already gates many other youth organizations occurred in the universities. beyond the communist youth organi- zations, corresponding to their purpo- We point out the realization of Avan- ses, principles and anti-imperialist te! Festival that, confronting a strong character. A priority that comes from attack accompanied by a campaign the plain conscience that the com- of lies, in which the most reactionary munists’ intervention is central to the sectors of the capital tried everything reinforcement of the anti-imperialist to stop it from happening, an atta- movement in the struggle for peace, ck without regard to our party. The the youth’s rights, integrating all of Avante! Festival was accomplished those that defend these values. and it was a tremendous political ac- hievement, affirming itself once again in our country to be the fest of the youth, workers, peoples, freedom,

41 JCP believes that that broad unity in the action among communists – with its identity and positioning – and other anti-imperialist forces are determinant in the combat against the common enemy, imperialism. In these times marked by uncertainty, dangers and potentialities, JCP points out, with trust in the youth, the workers and the peoples, the development in the struggle of the masses and the rein- forcement of our Party with the ne- cessary path for the defense of peace, the development and the progress, of the construction of a patriotic and left wing alternative, of the advanced democracy with the April Values in the future of Portugal, Socialism and Communism.

42 Union of Socialist Youth, UTS ople towards the countries that have succeeded in staying safe through The Union of Socialist Youth has had socialist measures. a difficult time during the pandemic in an organisational sense but has Italy has received a lot of foreign aid compensated by raising online acti- from socialist republics and in this vity and online engagement. In our process has probably “harmed” its collective loneliness we have found, relationship with the United States. like all our comrades across the wor- Romania has rejected Cuban aid, not ld, a pure mismanagement of a crisis. surprisingly, and, whilst receiving ab- A few countries managed the situa- solutely no help from the collapsing tion better – such as the Asian and United States, our government has South-American socialist republics signed a contract with the American (Bolivia has managed to stay ahead company Raytheon – we are going whilst also undoing a fascist coup) to spend 2.7 billion dollars on an- whilst other countries have not only ti-aircraft weaponry compatible with managed to handle the situation bet- the Patriot rockets we have bought a ter, they have also aided the rest of few years ago for another 3.9 billion the globe in an internationalist way dollars. This, whilst our healthcare whilst sheltering themselves also – system is being massively neglected such as Cuba. – there are not enough hospital beds, not enough equipment for treating The pandemic makes an extraordinary covid-19. Not only this, but all other argument for central planning, espe- patients, especially seriously ill pa- cially in times of extreme need – as tients with other diseases, are being well as for the necessity of redirec- massively neglected on account of ting production towards essentials. pandemic regulations and the re- Comrades from our organisation stud- direction of limited medical efforts ying in the UK, before flying home, towards covid-19. We are not going to found themselves needing to make share the terrifying statistics of how their own masks out of cloths and many cancer patients have died in plastic because a set of 5 masks was this period – cancer deaths have risen more than 30 pounds on Amazon – on account of treatment becoming and the pharmacies, drug stores and harder and harder to get in this hor- NHS had none to offer anymore, and rible period. this was early in March! This could have easily been avoided if a price All of this reflects a systemic failure cap would have been set and private of capitalism to deal with crisis. Sad- ownership of the means of production ly, this is only the beginning of the wouldn’t exist – even if perhaps we crisis – and the discourse undertaken may not be able to dismantle capita- at the beginning of the pandemic by lism overnight during the pandemic, most financial outlets speaks volu- we should make the argument for mes about the forces in power. Zizek, socialist measures, and when they are all criticism towards him aside, no- not undertaken, we should point pe- netheless makes a good point when

43 he jokingly calls this phenomenon capitalism decay, whilst also thinking capitalist animism – “treating social further than that – because this coro- phenomena like markets or financial navirus pandemic is only the beginning capital as living entities”. Basically, of further global collapse. don’t worry about the deaths, but We should not say capitalism has fai- about the fact that “markets are get- led. The bureaucracy of capitalism, the ting nervous”! political structures of the capitalist The Youth’s duty is to contest this by economies have actually been func- all means necessary and to undertake tioning perfectly, as intended – they a struggle in culture, media, arts, and have protected the markets and capi- in all other aspects of superstructu- tal whilst ignoring our welfare and the re to promote a discourse based on working class. people, health, and emancipation of the working class. Millions of wor- king-class people have been forced to pick between coronavirus and health! Thousands of Romanian workers, some during the lockdown, were al- lowed by the government to leave and to go work in Germany, in the UK, on plantations, picking fruits, sometimes with no protection and no health be- nefits, while the tech industry showed how the apparent inability to work from home for the exploited is a farce! It should not surprise us that so many proletarians sadly do not understand the real threat of the virus – they have to be dismissive in order to not become insane, because they are for- ced to endanger themselves to not starve! Many disillusioned middle-class youths, or even working-class youths, in the face of this crisis of horrible proportions are unable to pause the- ir hedonistic lifestyles because this is how they have been rendered by brutal consumerist propaganda – bars and pubs and clubs re-open, nobody wears masks, and another wave of the virus hits harder! We need to educate the working-class Youth to survive in this horrible circumstance, in this

44 Revolutionary Communist Youth even their lives. As it was expected League (Bolsheviks) - RKSMb crisis affected Russian people too. Dear Comrades, let me greet all of It might look like the first wave of you on behalf of the Revolutionary the pandemic was held by Russi- Communist Youth League — RKSM(b)! an government comparatively well. Our youth organization is deeply Measures were taken to seize the grateful to the Communist Youth of spread of the virus over the country: Turkey for arranging this meeting and outdoor moving of people was rest- inviting us to participate in it! And ricted, schools and universities were thanks to all Communist Youth or- transferred on remote studying from ganizations who attend in this event homes, as well as many office emp- today! loyees who had to work remotely. Before summer, spreading of the virus Up to the end of the year 2019 the was suppressed by these measures. crisis of imperialism was reaching it’s But even though this fact sounds peak. Contradictions between diffe- positively, it has another side. Private rent groups of financial monopolies capital responded on that measu- were sharpening, destabilization was res with “cost optimizations”, firing growing, affecting markets in almost thousands of workers, unemployment every country of the modern capita- was growing tremendously. Many list world, which, of course means, enterprises were sending workers to affecting workers of all nations, ma- unpaid leave or cut wages. Quality of king their lives even more miserable. education fell even lower then it did And there came the virus. Pandemic years before. All this side-effects of of COVID-19, who’s threat was un- anti-pandemic measures have once derestimated by many bourgeoisie again disclosed following facts: governments in the beginning, aggra- vated development of the economic 1) bourgeoisie government is not able crisis of capitalism. When the threat to fulfill properly it’s responsibilities had become clear, once again, capita- within healthcare, education and list governments demonstrated their other important social areas during inability to protect peoples from such considerably calm time, and comple- challenging phenomena. Too busy tely fails in the moment of crisis; with protecting private capital, admi- 2) market economy, based on the dif- nistrations of many capitalist states ference and contradiction of interests failed to protect workers, pensioners of different holders of means of pro- and youth from the upcoming disas- duction is not able to mobilize itself ter. You know the story, comrades. and organize cooperation of all it’s Lockdowns, quarantines, and so called participants in the struggle for health “cost optimization” measures of com- and lives of entire society; panies, that left countless number 3) instead of mutual help within of workers and their families around common struggle for lives of people the globe out of their working places, during pandemic, imperialist states out of their homes and some of them rather uses pandemic to fulfill their

45 geopolitical ambitions, discouraging rent economic sectors, are not con- the anti-pandemic struggle. nected and not cooperated between each other, and has occasional chara- The second wave is another tragic cter. Special attention deserves stru- prove of the fact, that bourgeoisie go- ggle of medical staff, who are fighting vernment’s priority – is to save private against pandemic on the front line. capital and its profits first. Regardless Many doctors and nurses died due to of dangerous pace with which new coronavirus, fighting this battle, saving coronavirus is spreading, Russian go- thousands of lives. These heroes are vernment hesitates to implement even not able to just organize a strike or those measures that were implemen- to refuse to work in this difficult peri- ted in Russia this spring, even though od of time, to make government pay death toll is rising daily: in Russia this them for their sacrifice, but still they week virus was killing in average more are struggling, organizing meetings than 300 people every day. But cafes, and pickets. In September medical restaurants, malls and cinemas are staff in many cities of Russia have or- still open. Only now they’ve began ganized protests campaign under the to implement certain restrictions and slogan “Pay for the COVID!”, because measures to slowdown the spread. many doctors and nurses didn’t get Meanwhile in many regions of Russia promised compensation for working hospitals and ambulances are overloa- with patients infected with COVID-19. ded during several weeks. On the other hand we have historical Labor protests had increased it’s num- examples of how this kind of challen- ber since the spring, comparing to the ges better be overthrown: at the end previous years. Workers are organizing of December 1959 one soviet artist strikes all around the country, and in returned to Moscow from India, wit- some cases they even got to direct hout knowing that he brought smal- aggressive actions out of outrage, for lpox. He died six days after his arrival. example In July on the Amur, workers On January 15th 1960, infection was at the construction site of a large raw confirmed, when it was already rapidly materials monopoly company, due to spreading. In short period of time all non-payment of wages, seized the contacts were determined, in entire contractor’s office, causing riots in it. Moscow region was shutdown, all The workers’ revolt was suppressed by railways and flight were closed, even the police forces. There were strikes passenger-jet departed from Moscow of the workers who works in the areas was turned back on it’s way to Paris. where demand had increased due to Planes delivered 10 millions dozes of pandemic, like delivery service sector. vaccine to Moscow from different re- Also in July in Moscow couriers of gions. Up to January 25th 5,559,670 food (mostly migrants and students) citizens of Moscow were vaccinated, organized strike and founded their as well as 4,000,000 people from the trade union, called “Kurier”. These and Moscow region. From the moment of many others strikes and protests in arrival of the infection to Moscow it different regions of Russia and diffe-

46 arrival of the infection to Moscow it the barbaric system of capitalism, took 44 days to completely stop the and to build socialism and outbreak, and only 19 days since the communism! outbreak was discovered. As an out- come of the outbreak: none of people lost their jobs or their homes; 45 people were infected and only 3 per- sons had died. Mind that smallpox is spreading much faster than COVID-19 and it is much more dangerous. Soviet Union has made a great contri- bution to defeat smallpox in the wor- ld, providing 1.5 bln dozes of vaccine and many soviet specialists to the countries where this disease was not defeated yet. Here you may compare and see, what the difference between two systems. What is important for capitalist sys- tem and what for Socialism. Unfor- tunately, today we have to deal with the system, which thinks rather not about what it must sacrifice in order to save peoples lives, but about how many lives it can sacrifice in order to secure profits for privet capital. And that is what we, as communist youth, are trying to explain to students and young workers. Capitalist system is the reason of why peoples are facing not only this pandemic tragedy, but apart of it also crisis, poverty, hunger, ignorance, wars, violence used by po- lice forces, destruction of the nature and many other major problems of the modern world. Now, in the day 103 years after Great October Soci- alist Revolution, and in the year of 150th anniversary of dear Comrade Vladimir Lenin, we, once again, appe- al to the youth of Russia and entire world, to join the organized struggle of the working class, to overthrow

47 Young Communist League of protocols and protection measures. Yugoslavia, SKOJ For the leading capitalist countries the criteria was to control the effects of Dear comrades! the pandemic on the economy in the On behalf of the Central Committee of best way possible, especially during SKOJ I greet you all and I congratulate tourist season and thanks for it, we you and your organisations members could see an uncontrolled outbreak the 103-rd anniversary of the Great of the pandemic, as we have seen in October Socialist Revolution! We hope other EU countries, Brazil and the US. that all of your members and comra- The criteria was, therefore, the pro- des are in good health and that their per function of capitalism. In fact, the fighting spirit was not undermined by international difficulty of the system the pandemic situation. We want to in addressing the pandemic, with the thank the Communist Youth of Tur- millions of dead, shows that the prob- key (TKG) for organising this meeting lem is deeper and entirely due to the which we find very important for our barbarity of the system that treats common struggle. health as a commodity. The pandemic acted as a catalyst for the outbreak Due to the situation with covid-19 of a new and deep capitalist crisis on pandemic we were not able to orga- a global scale, as the signs were alre- nise the Meeting of Communist Youth ady visible. The crisis arose from the Organisations (MECYO) which was “normality” of the contradictions of planned to be held in Belgrade. We the capitalist system and no mixture express our hope that the problem of management can prevent its mani- with coronavirus will be solved and festation. that we will be able to organise it in 2021. We consider MECYO as very The adoption of an expansionist-Key- important event for the struggle and nesian policy by the EU and the capi- prestige of our organisation, as well as talist states, i.e. a greater state inter- the strengthening international solida- vention, with the allocation of funds rity in a common fight for the causes to business groups and other similar of Marxsism-Leninism. measures that are necessary for the capitalist economic recovery, will not We are in the midst of the pandemic bring a dynamic growth, not even to of the new coronavirus threatening any level of the past, because the people in our country and the peoples previous capitalist recovery was also of the entire world. UN predicted that weak and did not reach the pre-crisis unemployed will be arose in the near levels. The basic problem of capitalism future by 315 million people. The re- to return to previous growth rates surgence of the pandemic in the World and manage the over-accumulation of bears the stamp of capitalist policy, capital, the debt, etc, remains and is which gambled the health of the pe- sharpened. ople for the big business interests, es- pecially in tourism and transportation, Furthermore, the workers will not and did not strictly follow the health benefit from this growth, while at the

48 same time the fierce attack on the Lot of governments communication workers’-people’s income and all strategy of turning everything into rights continues. A bigger state in- “individual responsibility” is devious, tervention, after all, puts again the precisely because it hides the truth burden on the people, in a different from the people. way. The people are to pay the new It aims to conceal the enormous governments loans and lift the bur- shortcomings in the public health den of the loss-making private busi- system due to the EU’s overall po- ness groups. licy, which has been accepted and The money, which is allocated to sup- endorsed by bourgeois governments, port the capital through state subsi- as well as the to date policy of deg- dies, freeing businessmen from debts radation, commercialization, and cuts and losses, will be earned from the that all governments, have followed bleeding and heavy taxation of the over time. workers and the popular strata. The hypocrisy of the current all The situation formed in the workpla- bourgeois governments in the Wor- ces under the pretext of the pande- ld is also proved by the necessary mic is explosive and cannot be pret- restrictive measures. Because these tified with the crumbs of subsidies, measures stop outside the “gates” of from which big employers benefit workplaces, hospitals, supermarkets again through the subsidy of sala- and other workplaces, where workers ries. Unemployment, redundancies, are crowded without the necessary part-time work, rapid expansion of precautionary measures. flexible working forms, intensification, And all this, while there is the special purpose leaves, extension of example of Italy, where, as it is al- teleworking, increase of unpaid wor- leged, the spread of the virus is lar- king hours, unpaid overtime in case of gely due to the fact that, under the preventive quarantine of employees, responsibility of industrialists and reductions in wages, and debts of the government, the large industrial households, self-employed, small and zone of the North has not ceased to medium-scale farmers have skyroc- operate, acting as the main outbreak keted. These measures, which passed centre. with various governments Legislative Acts, will continue to be valid, unless After all, the dissolution of the public the labor-popular movement abolis- health system, from the obsolete or hes them. non-existent Primary Health Care up to major hospitals that had already WE DO NOT DENY INDIVIDUAL reached their limits independently RESPONSIBILITY. from the pandemic, now has its own

seal. But individual responsibility is estab- lished when a state assumes its own THE MYTH WHICH IS UTTERLY primary responsibility. REFUTED during the coronavirus

49 pandemic is the one saying that the the capitalist economy, will be paid public and the private sector can once again by the workers who will coexist harmoniously and thus cont- be called to fill the new fisal gaps and ribute to address this situation. This the new lending. myth is refuted by the profiteering As for the famous “European soli- of private health centers conducting darity”, it sounds like a joke, even the coronavirus testing, which is only among the bourgeois circles of the accessible to those who can afford it, country. Especially when, in the Euro- depriving state planning of valuable pean Union of “freedom of movement resources and at the same time incre- of goods”, Germany and France even asing the risk of spreading the virus. banned the export of the necessary This myth is also refuted by the fact sanitary material to other countries! that the state depends on the world It is therefore proved also in this way, market “war” conducted by the big and even in tragic times for the pe- companies, which found the opportu- oples of Europe, that the EU is not nity to run a very lucrative business, a union of peoples, but a “predatory for the supply of basic material and alliance” and a “lion’s den”, an impe- drugs. rialist union of states, demonstrating The necessity for an exclusively public the necessity of not just a more tough and free Health system with the abo- stance against it, as various bourgeois lition of any business activity has been parties promote when they are in op- dramatically demonstrated. position, but of a political and strate- gic choice that will lead to disentang- THE SECOND MYTH WHICH IS REFU- lement from it, with the working class TED is the one about “returning to and the people of each country having normality” and high growth rates. All power and ownership. of this now give their place to the ac- ceptance that the Serbian economy as It turns out that contemporary needs well is in deep recession. and social goods, such as health, can- not be left to the mercy of markets The slowdown of the economy in the and profit. EU and other major capitalist econo- mies has, of course, preceded, increa- This decay cannot be concealed by the sing the risk of a new capitalist crisis. adjectives that some people use to describe capitalism, such as “neolibe- The measures taken by the EU and the ral capitalism”, “extreme capitalism” governments of its member states, and so on, ultimately only to conceal proceeding to protectionist measures, that they fully support the capitalist closing borders, and financing their system itself. own monopoly groups with funding packages, will not stop this course. Because, now it can no longer be said that “it may be a wrong approach”, We must know that this Keynesian-ty- a “simple political strategy mistake” pe state intervention, as well as the that may perhaps be “corrected by promoted fiscal relaxation, to support 50 individual improvements” or by loyers trample over any remaining “changing some managers of the labor rights, try new forms of exploi- bourgeois power by alternating from tation, such as teleworking, and pro- liberals to social democrats” and vice ceed to mass layoffs. versa … It is the same old story ... Against the decay of bankrupt capi- But the people in this case are per- talism, we can clearly see the superi- manently intubated, trapped in condi- ority of socialism that ensured health tions of a coronavirus pandemic whi- and healthcare for all, let alone in ch may not be that difficult, but in the previous century and in countries any case under capitalist conditions. that began its construction under conditions of great delay at all levels. These outrageous situations, with doctors being forced to choose who The figures in Soviet Russia 30 years will live and who will die, exist both ago, which cannot even be com- in countries with “neoliberal” go- pared to the situation prevailing in vernments, such as Italy, but also in EU countries, are relentless: over countries where fake “progressive 1.1 million doctors, exclusively free alliances” govern, such as Spain. healthcare for the entire populati- on, 1,387 hospital beds per 10,000 Today capitalism itself is bankrupt, inhabitants. Even today, the mission the market economy itself in all its of the Cuban doctors to Italy, the He- versions is bankrupt, which nullifies alth infrastructure in countries such every opportunity for the working as Germany, existing thanks to the class and the people to enjoy hi- socialist system of half of Germany gh-quality health services in line with back then, the German Democratic the evolution of science and techno- Republic, and even the management logy, precisely because its main crite- of the pandemic in socialist China and rion is capitalist profit. Vietnam show that socialism has left Even in pandemic conditions, every- its powerful social imprint even three thing is subject to the profitability of decades after its overthrow in the the capital. This is why workers in the Eastern Europe. Thanks for socialsam industries of Northern Italy have been heritage, in Serbia and cooperation working despite the prohibitions, wit- with socialist China we succeed to se- hout protective measures, with the cure lives and our healthcare system. known tragic results. So in these unprecedented conditions, This is why the competition between we must stay strong, we struggle for transnational monopolies over who protection measures of workers’ lives will patent the new vaccine is sharpe- and rights, we put forward the only ning, at a time when there should be perspective for the working class, the cooperation and joint efforts by the majority of our people, which is the world’s best scientists and research new society, i.e. socialism. centers. The tangible superiority of socialism, This is why even now the big emp- social ownership, and central scien- 51 pandemic is the one saying that the the capitalist economy, will be paid public and the private sector can once again by the workers who will coexist harmoniously and thus cont- be called to fill the new fisal gaps and ribute to address this situation. This the new lending. myth is refuted by the profiteering As for the famous “European soli- of private health centers conducting darity”, it sounds like a joke, even the coronavirus testing, which is only among the bourgeois circles of the accessible to those who can afford it, country. Especially when, in the Euro- depriving state planning of valuable pean Union of “freedom of movement resources and at the same time incre- of goods”, Germany and France even asing the risk of spreading the virus. banned the export of the necessary This myth is also refuted by the fact sanitary material to other countries! that the state depends on the world It is therefore proved also in this way, market “war” conducted by the big and even in tragic times for the pe- companies, which found the opportu- oples of Europe, that the EU is not nity to run a very lucrative business, a union of peoples, but a “predatory for the supply of basic material and alliance” and a “lion’s den”, an impe- drugs. rialist union of states, demonstrating The necessity for an exclusively public the necessity of not just a more tough and free Health system with the abo- stance against it, as various bourgeois lition of any business activity has been parties promote when they are in op- dramatically demonstrated. position, but of a political and strate- gic choice that will lead to disentang- THE SECOND MYTH WHICH IS REFU- lement from it, with the working class TED is the one about “returning to and the people of each country having normality” and high growth rates. All power and ownership. of this now give their place to the ac- ceptance that the Serbian economy as It turns out that contemporary needs well is in deep recession. and social goods, such as health, can- not be left to the mercy of markets The slowdown of the economy in the and profit. EU and other major capitalist econo- mies has, of course, preceded, increa- This decay cannot be concealed by the sing the risk of a new capitalist crisis. adjectives that some people use to describe capitalism, such as “neolibe- The measures taken by the EU and the ral capitalism”, “extreme capitalism” governments of its member states, and so on, ultimately only to conceal proceeding to protectionist measures, that they fully support the capitalist closing borders, and financing their system itself. own monopoly groups with funding packages, will not stop this course. Because, now it can no longer be said that “it may be a wrong approach”, We must know that this Keynesian-ty- a “simple political strategy mistake” pe state intervention, as well as the that may perhaps be “corrected by promoted fiscal relaxation, to support 52 individual improvements” or by loyers trample over any remaining “changing some managers of the labor rights, try new forms of exploi- bourgeois power by alternating from tation, such as teleworking, and pro- liberals to social democrats” and vice ceed to mass layoffs. versa … It is the same old story ... Against the decay of bankrupt capi- But the people in this case are per- talism, we can clearly see the superi- manently intubated, trapped in condi- ority of socialism that ensured health tions of a coronavirus pandemic whi- and healthcare for all, let alone in ch may not be that difficult, but in the previous century and in countries any case under capitalist conditions. that began its construction under conditions of great delay at all levels. These outrageous situations, with doctors being forced to choose who The figures in Soviet Russia 30 years will live and who will die, exist both ago, which cannot even be com- in countries with “neoliberal” go- pared to the situation prevailing in vernments, such as Italy, but also in EU countries, are relentless: over countries where fake “progressive 1.1 million doctors, exclusively free alliances” govern, such as Spain. healthcare for the entire populati- on, 1,387 hospital beds per 10,000 Today capitalism itself is bankrupt, inhabitants. Even today, the mission the market economy itself in all its of the Cuban doctors to Italy, the He- versions is bankrupt, which nullifies alth infrastructure in countries such every opportunity for the working as Germany, existing thanks to the class and the people to enjoy hi- socialist system of half of Germany gh-quality health services in line with back then, the German Democratic the evolution of science and techno- Republic, and even the management logy, precisely because its main crite- of the pandemic in socialist China and rion is capitalist profit. Vietnam show that socialism has left Even in pandemic conditions, every- its powerful social imprint even three thing is subject to the profitability of decades after its overthrow in the the capital. This is why workers in the Eastern Europe. Thanks for socialsam industries of Northern Italy have been heritage, in Serbia and cooperation working despite the prohibitions, wit- with socialist China we succeed to se- hout protective measures, with the cure lives and our healthcare system. known tragic results. So in these unprecedented conditions, This is why the competition between we must stay strong, we struggle for transnational monopolies over who protection measures of workers’ lives will patent the new vaccine is sharpe- and rights, we put forward the only ning, at a time when there should be perspective for the working class, the cooperation and joint efforts by the majority of our people, which is the world’s best scientists and research new society, i.e. socialism. centers. The tangible superiority of socia- This is why even now the big emp- lism, social ownership, and central 53 scientific planning is the great legacy talist society health is not a necessity for the next day. but a commodity and that only the abolition of capitalist and establish- We must deny any political “quaranti- ment of socialist system can and save ne”, we must oppose the “quarantine” lives and provide people the health in thought. We think, study and act, protection they deserve. Corona is the facing today, adapting our action, but virus, capitalism is the pandemic also looking to the future, preparing tomorrow. The protection of public health is ma- inly ensured by preventive measures, first and foremost in large workplaces, and by the decisive strengthening of the public health system. This is also proved by the experience from other countries, such as Italy. Under no circumstances should indivi- dual responsibility be blamed for state deficiencies or the pandemic outbreak be exclusively attributed to individual behaviors, so that major state defi- ciencies remain unaffected. From this point of view, the minimum and obvious action, which should have already been taken, is the requisiti- on of private health units and their integration into state planning, the immediate supply of hospitals with all necessary means required by the healthcare personnel. To open all ICUs (Intesive Care Unit) and recruit the necessary healthcare pesonnel. To take measures to avoid congestion and provide the necessary protection measures in workplaces, supermar- kets, pharmacies, hospitals, means of transport, etc., where the virus can be easily spread. We invite progresive people of all countries to take their struggle for ac- hieving the free, accessible and public healthcare. We consider that a capi-

54 Collectives of Young Communists, In this way, managers of capital at- CJC tempt to place in the same sphere workers – forced to keep working Dear comrades, every day without any warrants of First, we want to thank the comrades health safety – and bourgeois – who of the Communist Youth of Turkey prioritize their million profits to the for their commitment in organizing death of thousands of workers –. this online MECYO. We equally want We say, loud and clear, that the only to convey our support to the Com- unity that should exist is the class, munist Youth Organizations present and the main enemy we have are ca- here in their struggle and our soli- pitalists and those who support them. darity to the ensemble of the wor- The largest part of economic indexes king-class and people’s youth in your increasingly evidence that the econo- countries. It is suffering in its own mic crisis now starting worldwide will flesh, just like in Spain, a manage- be one of the direst in recent history. ment of the crisis addressed in every This will lead to a dramatic worsening moment to assure the plundering of of life conditions for workers, espe- capitalists on the working class, even cially for its youth, with very high when there is a first-class health unemployment rates and a temporary emergency like the one we are expe- employment almost already assu- riencing since almost one year ago. med as mandatory. This new crisis, Comrades, catalyzed by the pandemic – and not caused by it, as they will try to make The management of the pandemic in us believe in the following months –, Europe makes more conspicuous than will further increase the exclusion of ever the role of the capitalist State as the working-class and people’s youth the main guarantor of the interests of of the education, will widen the sys- the bourgeoisie. The alleged divisions tem inequalities suffered by working within the political scheme – left vs. women, and will multiply the cases right, progressiveness vs. conserva- of depression and anxiety among the tism – disappear when the profits youth. of the bourgeoisie are at risk, even if the price is the health and lives of Dear comrades, thousands of workers. A look to the The current situation of Spain is one measures adopted in our country is of the most serious of Europe, with enough to check that the bourgeois a second wave causing more than 1 political specter has mainly not been million of accumulated cases. This significant when managing this crisis. is not a coincidence. This summer Therefore, one should not be taken the public health system was not aback to witness how the appeals strengthened nor a safe start of the to national unity against the alleged school year was prepared. Actually, it enemy the virus is have multiplied all was done on the contrary: because of over Europe. entrepreneurial pressures, especially

55 those linked to the touristic sector, to millions of workers, at the same a completely hasty de-escalation ac- time that a few are accumulating companied by an institutional speech enough wealth to solve all the eco- on the population being able to reco- nomic problems our class is suffering. ver normality was made. However, the It is also certifying the need of capi- failure of the measures that pretended talists to maintain a huge industrial to save the touristic season and forgot army that exerts pressure downwards to reinforce the public assistance ser- to the labor conditions of the ensemb- vices was evident. le of the working class. The current Spanish Government, the We cannot ignore the collaboration of PSOE and Unidas Podemos coalition, allegedly communist Ministers in all has counted with the “Temporary La- of this. They announced with fanfare yoffs” (ERTE) as the alleged safeguard the alleged ban on dismissals during of employment among its main me- the pandemic as well as the inaction asures. The State had to take charge of the main trade union boards, which of most of the wages of workers in are whitening the current Government those companies unable to maintain thus containing the social response their activity against what they label- to the new capitalist crisis. We should led as a V-shaped crisis, i.e. a deep alert how the frustration derived from but short-term crisis strictly related the false illusions placed by these sec- to the effects and rhythm of the virus. tors in the current Government, which Nowadays, the reality could not be can lead to wide sections of the pe- more different, as more companies are ople to fall in increasingly reactionary announcing that these layoffs will end stances. We have been witnessing up being permanent. The State has how the far-right now represented spent thousands of millions of public in our country by VOX, and with the funds to save these companies and it assistance of the large media groups, is proving to be unable to assure the is gaining positions en workers’ and most basic life conditions of thousan- people’s environments, spreading aga- ds of workers doomed to unemploy- in the hate and lies against immigrant ment. workers, among the different nationa- lities and demagogically shaking again It is true that certain allegedly social the specter of communism. measures have been announced, being the most showy the creation of the Comrades, Minimum Vital Income, a supposed In the first months of the pandemic, basic income which up to half a mil- the CJC denounced that alleged to- lion of working-class families under tal confinement which maintained especially precarious conditions could in every moment the production of benefit from. However, these measu- sectors which cannot be labelled as res have reached barely 100 thousand “basic”. In this sense, we paid our at- families right now. Nonetheless, these tention especially towards the catering measures are certifying the failure of sector as it is an especially young one, a system unable to grant a worthy life

56 highlighting the riders, whose false decision was made after the unstop- status as “self-employed workers” pable increase in the number of cases is taken as an advantage by certain in the city. Meanwhile the wealthiest companies so they do not need to areas were kept open despite having assure to them the most basic labor similar contagion rates and even rights. About this, we have been war- higher ones. The CJC and the PCTE ning for some time on the standar- were present in the mobilizations dization of the “uberization” of labor following these measures denouncing relations, i.e. the disposal of workfor- the reason why the answer given ce totally “at demand” by employers. by the different – regional and Sta- te – governments was the increase At a students’ level, dependent on of police agents, sanctions and even an educational system weakened police charges against the mobilized after many years of privatizations neighbors. and no investment, there has been no drafting of a plan for the start of Dear comrades, the school year in order to assure It is more necessary than ever the the health measures required for the strengthening of the international presence of students as a key ele- ties between our organizations. It is ment of public education. A return to our duty to offer the working-class the online model could leave behind and people’s youth an alternative to thousands of working-class students the barbarism of capital, an alterna- who do not have enough techno- tive rising to the occasion. We should logical means. Both the CJC and the get ready for a full-scale capitalist Front of Students have been denoun- offensive against the interests of our cing this situation among students. class, which will be hidden under the However, against the possibility to a glorification of national, religious, new confinement, we will appeal as or other differences between the we did last year to solidarity betwe- workers of the world. The increase en students, promoting initiatives of of inter-imperialist tensions – incre- school support among the students asingly ending in open conflicts like themselves, linked to the denounce the one currently happening between of the class-oriented management of Armenia and Azerbaijan, in which the the pandemic also in the educational working class can only lose – is not a sphere, whose result has been an inc- coincidence. rease of segregation. We equally stress on the necessary Last, we want to highlight the mobili- struggle against those who, under zations that have taken place in wor- allegedly progressive positions, pre- king-class neighborhoods, requesting tend us to settle for the crumbs that for a larger public investment in pri- capitalists are offering to us. They are mary attention centers. But especially taking large sections of our class to the struggle of the working-class nei- dead ends. ghborhoods in Madrid, who witnessed how it was their neighborhoods the only ones to be confined when the 57 Our path cannot avoid the defense of the political and ideological inde- pendence of the working-class youth, its organization at workplaces, in the neighborhoods and schools; turning these spaces – our spaces – into real trenches. Trenches to lead the coun- ter-attack from, to spread again the struggle for a new society where there is no room for the exploitation of a majority by a few privileged. Precisely today, at the anniversary of the Soviet takeover in Petrograd, it is more im- portant than ever to remember that that revolution was made not only against the remnants of tsarism, but also against those who wanted to pla- ce the working class in the defence of bourgeois power, under the argument of its possible peaceful reform and the lack of political capacity of the wor- king class. But as the Bolsheviks did 103 years ago today. Our duty among the working class is to make the word “revolution” sound present again and therefore we declare: Communism is the youth of the world! Long live proletarian internationalism!

58 Communist Youth Union of Spain, rease in Spain grew at an exponential UJCE rate, affecting especially places with large concentrations of people. There Comrades, have been 1.3 million people infected Fraternal greetings on behalf of the in Spain and at least 38,486 people Communist Youth Union of Spain have died because of COVID-19. Ne- (UJCE) and all of its members, espe- vertheless, the number of hospitali- cially on this important day, the an- sed people, patients in intensive care niversary of the October Revolution. units and the deceased has not stop- First of all, we would like to share ped growing during the first days of our best wishes with you, your com- the isolation of March. This fact do- rades, family and friends in this diffi- esn’t only have to do with the virus’ cult situation we are suffering around lethality and the increase of contagi- the world because of the pandemic. on but also with the precariousness Thanks again to the Turkish comra- of the public health system, which des for the work done to organise has suffered cutoffs and its services this important online meeting of the being outsourced or privatised for the Communist Youth Organisations of last decade. Europe even in these difficult times 2) Impact of the coronavirus in the we are living. Despite the pandemic, working-class extraction youth in the the work of communists towards study and work centres Socialism must continue. Moreover, because of the pandemic, the need The situation of the youth, as well as for young communists to fight for of the whole working class, was al- that Socialist horizon has become ready precarious before the capitalist more pressing than ever. We will try crisis that has accelerated the pan- to explain briefly what has been and demic. When our class was still dra- what is the situation of the pandemic gging the consequences of the 2008 in Spain, and the role that we have crisis and the cuts that were imposed played as UJCE in this scenario. under the excuse of that capitalist crisis, this new one has exploded 1) The evolution of the data on con- to condemn our generation to a life tagion, deaths etc. and tendencies in plunged into precariousness. Spain Impact of the coronavirus in work The first confirmed contagion case centres in Spain was documented on January 31, being a tourist who had previously Furthermore, thousands of workers been in contact with a patient. The are suffering these days from tem- first case of a local contagion was porary lay-offs of staff (Expedientes not confirmed up until the 27th of de regulación temporal de empleo, February. That suggested the virus ERTEs). While the companies’ profits had expanded through the country are reassured through multi-milliona- without having been identified for a ire government-sponsored guarante- month at least. From then on, its inc- es, the working-class youth is being

59 pushed to the ERTEs as a means for During the first wave of the pandemic, the bourgeoisie to minimise its eco- online study was adopted as a measu- nomic risks. This way, they suspend re to afford the situation. However, at our contracts and reduce our salaries, the start of the course in September, not ensuring that we have enough to and even now in this second wave of face home rent, electricity, heat and the pandemic, the studies are done at food among others. The working-class the study centres. Anyway, this was youth is also suffering from mass re- the situation that students suffered dundancy, again without securing our from the first wave of the pandemic material needs. Such is the case for when the face-to-face study was the seasonal workers whose contracts suspended. The online lectures pre- are over or those workers who are ferred by most of the study centres, paid under the counter whose income institutes, professional training centres disappears. The difficulties to secure and universities in Spain cannot be the Social Security contributions make carried out by those who do not have access to unemployment benefits the needed informatic resources in complicated, leaving thousands of us their homes, such as a WiFi network, in a most absolute state of instability a personal computer or a printer; or and poverty. Nor is telework the so- by those who despite having them lution to this health crisis. Firstly, it is cannot access them as they are also a measure the whole of the working used by their relatives, who still have class cannot take and, thus, it is not a to telework so the capitalists’ profit valid solution. Furthermore, the lack rate does not decrease. Besides, tho- of regulations on telework increases se who combine study and work to the exploitation of the working-class pay tuition fees or school materials youth, blurring the workday schedule have experienced how, when we are and the workplace. Likewise, the cost not forced to keep on working for the reduction it means to the company company in a perilous situation, the is burdened upon the worker whose lay-offs (temporary or not) have made bills are increased due to a rise in the it harder to pay those fees, a situation use of facilities we need to work from worsened by the universities, which home, for it is we who set the means are not planning on returning a part of needed to work (electricity, furniture, the fees due to the lack of face-to-fa- equipment). The Government recent- ce teaching, nor are they planning on ly approved a regulation of telework an extension of the student grants to which, in the beginning, stated that compensate for these damages. Allof the enterprises should afford all of its this comes into play in the middle of costs, but after strong pressure from the alarm that has grown within our the bourgeoisie vía it’s media and poli- families through these days due to the tical organisations part of the regulati- expansion of the COVID-19 and the on was repealed. large material instability from the in- coming economic crisis, which makes Impact of the coronavirus in study it impossible for us to reproduce the centres academic habits we had in our study centres. 60 3) Political situation in Spain on the gerence, being one of the main actors COVID-19 to ensure the capitalists’ interests are fulfilled over the health of the wor- As we said before, on March 14 the king class. The employers have cons- first state of alarm was declared. The tantly pressured to avoid any kind of declaration was delayed for too long isolation affecting the production in while waiting to know the size of the Spain to assure that the Government epidemic and how it could impact the played its part protecting their pro- Spanish economy. In this declaration, fits and all the costs the COVID-19 isolation measures were enacted so crisis could bring fall on the working that nobody could exit their homes class. The 28th of April, a process of but to get to work or seek assistance. de-escalation of the confinement in Leisure services and catering servi- several phases was also announced, ces were completely closed and only which varied the permitted activities productive labour was kept working. (individual, sports, commercial, etc.) After that declaration of the state and the controlled capacity for the of alarm, many measures have been different spaces. This de-escalation taken, all of them sharing a charac- was accelerated because of corporate teristic: they are presented as a rest- pressures, putting millions of peop- raint for any immediate catastrophe le at risk. Now, in the second wave towards the working class in Spain, of the pandemic, we are seeing this but without solving the severe situ- role of the Spanish bourgeoisie even ation threatening us in the middle clearer. The main motto that accom- and long term. An example of what panies any measure is to avoid the happened with these measures is the economic consequences of new home shutdown of all the non-essential confinement. Although the data are production (from March 29 to April getting close to those achieved in 13). This shutdown had been one of the first wave of the pandemic (with the most demanded measures for around 20.000 contagions and 200 long. While it was finally enacted, we deaths every day), the measures are found a limitation in this measure, as less restrictive and are aimed at re- it turned into a returnable paid lea- ducing any activity except economic ve which meant that the hours not one. The situation of “state of alert” worked during this shutdown must be was called again the 25th of October, returned before the end of this year. pretending to maintain it until May That is to say, there was no shut- 2021, but this time instead of whole down but a deferment instead. After state-enforced home confinement, April 13, despite most of the recom- each region’s autonomous govern- mendations made by scientists, the ment has the ability to enforce diffe- shutdown finished and the productive rent measures related to their epide- economy was resumed due to the mic situation. Faced with these mea- pressure of the bourgeoisie. Broadly sures, the far-right reactionary forces, speaking, the role the bourgeoisie especially VOX, is trying to capitalize has played in Spain during the health on the discontent, presenting itself as crisis has been one of complete belli- the only real political force defending 61 freedom, denying COVID severity and against the relapses in labour rights even promoting conspiracy theories, in which would take place during the a way it resembles the United States isolation period with the excuse of far-right. To this end, it has called for the exceptional juncture were funda- various demonstrations, launched se- mental. In the educational sphere. As veral campaigns, extensive use of fake an organization, we’ve always claimed news and disinformation (not only that the continuity of the academic against the government, but also tr- calendar through ICTs would raise the ying to promote hate among the poor, segregation rate and it would hit the immigrants, and the sectors most working-class students harder. Now affected by the crisis), carried out a that the education face-to-face has failed motion of no-confidence in Par- restarted, the main problem is that liament against the government and the ratio of students per classroom more recently it has called for riots has not decreased, not enough teac- in the streets and then blame immig- hers have been hired, and in general, rants and antifascists for them. not enough has been invested by the central and regional governments in 4) The work of the UJCE concerning security measures to ensure that clas- the COVID-19 srooms are not a source of contagion. One of the most important tasks for In the care sphere. Under the situation us as Communist Youth was, in the of isolation and the closure of public face of the state of alarm, the iso- services such as kindergartens, scho- lation juncture, and other measures ols and daycare centres for the elderly which meant difficulties to take the and the disabled; along with the vul- streets. We had to rethink our exter- nerability in which many people in our nal goals and those concerning the country live and the inability of the reorganisation of the working-class State to give a correct answer to all youth. For that matter, two key con- of this, we have been supporting class cepts concerning our external work solidarity in our districts through the were pointed out: on one side, on an promotion of self-organized networks. ideological level and, on the other External work lines side, that concerning our work among the masses itself. In the work sphere. As the UJCE we are aware of the clear need of taking On the ideological level part in the labour conflicts created in We set our goal on making a campaign this situation, supporting the self-or- dealing with those issues concerning ganisation of the workers. Therefore, the working-class youth as a con- we must boost the trade unions so sequence of the enactment of the that they do not accept any resigna- state of alarm and facing the health tion concerning labour rights as an crisis. For that matter, the main lines excuse to deal with the hard situation are: In the work sphere. We unders- we are living because of the pandemic. tood the defence of the rights of the In the educational sphere. From the working class at all cost and the fight moment in which the cancellation of

62 the academic calendar was enac- the main rôle on the organisation of ted in some territories, we all knew working-class solidarity against the it was just a matter of time that misery this new crisis will bring with it would replicate in the whole of itself. The support networks created Spain. Therefore, as we have alre- to face the COVID-19 must be an ady pointed out, we put our student example for the future. On the other unions and associations to work in side, pointing out this crisis and its measures dealing with class solida- consequences toward the working rity, with the creation of online les- class have someone to blame: the sons and lecture-note repositories. capitalist system. Only through the Now that face-to-face education has organisation of our class and fighting returned, our demands go in the di- for the building of Socialism, we will rection of demanding that schools be able to end the miseries we are not be a focus for contagion. In the doomed to face. Comrades, it’s in working-class districts. Apart from our hands that after these months of pointing out the companies’ abuses suffering for our peoples we can ac- concerning the conciliation measures, hieve a decent life for the youth and our support to class solidarity and the working class. We wish you many the popular answer is the main axes successes and victories. to answer such a crisis. Therefore, support networks dealing with care work (grocery shopping, childcare, elderly care, food distribution) were created and strengthened to serve those people who cannot conciliate their labour and family life during this situation or those who are facing a situation of vulnerability. What to do now as young commu- nists? Although there’s still months or even years before the pandemic ends, the consequences the COVID-19 is having in our countries and especially in the capitalist system are evident. A new capitalist crisis is starting, whilst the working class is still suffering the consequences of the previous one. Likewise, the intentions of the bour- geoisie on making the working class pay for the capitalist crisis are be- coming visible. Facing this situation, our work as young communists must re-double. On one side, assuming 63 Communist Youth of Catalonia, a window of opportunity for dange- JCC rous positions that must be stopped. We can see how the extreme right is Dear comrades, trying to use the skepticism and the

mistrust on governments and insti- First, we would like to send our best tutions to expand their message and wishes to all of you and your orga- disturb our societies. Far right, united nizations. We hope that, despite the with deniers of the virus and conspi- pandemic situation, your activity racy theorists, represents a menace keeps going on, and we would like for the working class and appears to to send our sincere support to those protect the interests of the national who suffer directly or indirectly the bourgeoisie of our countries who don’t worst consequences of COVID-19. We care to put workers lives at risk to appreciate a lot the organization of exploit them. Moreover, the recent this event by the comrades of the terrorists attack happened on France Communist Youth of Turkey (TKG), to and Austria have been used for sprea- whom we send a special greeting after ding racism around the continent. We, the last week earthquake. the working youth, must fight against

racism and radicalized religions; in The situation produced by the pande- defense of the human basic rights in mic has shocked the whole world, but our countries and in the countries that specially has shocked our continent, have suffered the imperialists wars. Europe. A continent that was not used to face this kind of problems, whose It is not a coincidence that far right States have not been really worried imperialists personalities, such as Bol- about other illness and pandemics sonaro, Trump or Boris Johnson have that were existing and exist in other shown that position in public: their parts of the world. When our conti- interests are opposed to ours. We also nent, and specially the European Uni- have seen how the state members of on institutions, were starting to focus the European Union had an important on a supposed economy recovery after discussion about the way of financing the crisis of 2008, they have had to the funds for the “recovery”, with a face the thread of the COVID-19. The liberal group pressuring for indebt the virus has proven how the neoliberal countries and a socio-liberal group policies have diminished the public se- pressing for an increase in the produ- ctor: the incapacity to provide health ction of euros. The discussion proved care during the first wave, the inability how after the crisis there are still to have a scholar course in acceptable countries which defend the austerity conditions, the lack of policies focused policies, the ones that bring the wor- on guarantee the minimal living condi- king class to the ruin while the capi- tions such ashousing have proved how talists keep increasing their bank ac- capitalism is not and never will be a counts. In any case, neoliberal policies system for the people. and social democrat policies come to We have seen how this crisis has been the same point: a failure for the wor-

64 institutions will fail again and will lar culture and an alternative leisure not solve the problems that our class and for a change of system, not the has to face. Besides all the social planet. We are working on a transla- and economic implications of the tion in English of the conclusions that crisis, which the young working pe- we wrote at the end of each section ople knows well and by firsthand, we which, of course, we will send to your would like to focus our intervention organizations together with the docu- on the necessity of the communist ments in Catalan and Spanish. organizations to keep insisting on organizing the working class youth Furthermore, we also discussed the at every neighborhood, workplace, working lines that will guide our po- education center and the other spa- litical action for the new period until ces in which the young people spend our next Congress. We defined more their time. The restrictions applied by than 200 working lines and at the governments have limited some of same time we reorganized our organs the activities we used to do before, by increasing the number of mem- but those restrictions cannot stop bers of the Central and Executive our action. The Communist Youth of Committees and by developing the Catalonia (JCC) has celebrated some intermediate structure of secretaries important events during this last 8 and working areas that will have to months since the pandemic stroke implement those working lines. us. In the first time, during the con- finement we created what we called the “red confinement”, a program of online activities in which we included all kind of talks and events about different things: historical Marxism, international solidarity, sustainability, antifascism and more related issues. At the same time, we prepared our Third Congress, by having the discus- sion of the documents and the pro- cess of amendments which concluded with the realization of the Congress during the 15th and 16th of July in Barcelona. In this Congress we ap- proved our “Manifest-Program” based on ten sections which titles were: a program for the working youth, for a world of peace, for the democratic breach: a Catalan Republic, to leave precarious work, for a public edu- cation, for a revolutionary and class feminism, for LGBT rights, for a popu- 65 Our proposal for this course is to increment the participation of the comrades on the fronts: spaces of international solidarity in our country, on the workers and students union, on the tenants union, on the feminist and ecologists movements, on the youth councils… In summary: wherever we can fight for the working class and to achieve the victories we need or to repel the attacks of neoliberalism. For this month, in which we are facing hard and new restrictions, we are or- ganizing the online formative school “Lina Ódena”. Because as Gramsci once said: “Ideas do not live without organization”.

Beloved comrades, we encourage all of you to keep going on the struggle for the rights of our class and to be the forefront of the revolution. Inter- national solidarity among peoples will always be a pillar of the construction of the socialist society. We hope to see you soon on a presential meeting, in which we could all share and conc- rete our experiences and opinions, as well as we could be having a better space to meet into bilaterals.

Comradely yours.

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