Dear comrades,

with this brief informative note we intent to inform you on the developmetns in our country and the activities of the KKE that this year will host the 20th International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties.

As you will know in Greece a deep capitalist crisis was manifested in 2008 and was accompanied with harsh anti-worker – anti-people measures, in the effort of the bourgeois governments and of the EU to load the burdens of the crisis on the back of the working people. These developments met the hard resistance of a big part of the people, in our country big strike struggles broke out, where the communists and the class-oriented trade-unions played the leading role: the forces that rally in All-Workers Militant Front (PAME). The bourgeois system advanced in a reconfiguration, with new parties appearing, ready to administrate the system in the new conditions. So since 2015 the government alliance of the new social-democratic party SYRIZA with the nationalist party ANEL assumed the administration of the crisis, an alliance that continued the anti-people policy of the former right-wing and social-democratic governments.

The SYRIZA-ANEL government rejoiced on August 21st 2018 at the formal exit of Greece from the memorandum and attempted to cultivate a climate of joy among the people that now things will change for the better in their everyday lives. They even called this development “a return to normality” and “the beginning of just development”.

The KKE immediately responded with arguments against this government propaganda for these reasons:

The truth is that the memorandum, that is the agreements between the Greek governments and the EU and WMF for lending the greek economy, in exchange for anti-worker and anti-people measures, did not precede but followed the manifestation of the capitalist economic crisis in Greece 2009. This crisis whose causes were found in the the capitalist means of production itself, were manifested in Greece with the decrease in production and the expansion of the public debt, the causes of which have been analyzed in detail in the past. The expression of the capitalist crisis in Greece led, among other things, to the signing of 2 memorandum by the ND and PASOK governments and a third memorandum by the SYRIZA-ANEL government with the imperialist organizations the EU and the IMF, the foreign lenders of the country. These memorandum stipulate hundreds of measures – commitments that have been undertaken and implemented by the Greek governments all these years with the full support of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) and the other associations of big capital. The measures were not imposed “by foreigners” but constituted a strategic program of capital in order to return to profitability again, loading the burden of the crisis onto the workers.

The bourgeois system demonstrated that it has reserves in place, which was demonstrated when SYRIZA assumed power and continued the anti-people policies that today account for 700 anti-popular laws that have been voted in over these past 10 years.

In order for capital to return to profitability the price of labor power was shrunk, as much by the reductions in salaries and pensions, as with the reduction of social gains, the significant restriction in budget expenditure for social spending, as well as the heavy burden of taxation on the people. The losses in popular income are in the range of 30-40%.

The SYRIZA-ANEL government is lying when it speaks of a “new era” after the memorandum, because:

• he hundreds of anti-popular laws have remained! There are commitments to capital and the imperialist associations that the same anti-popular policies will continue, which will benefit the so-called “competitiveness” and “entrepreneurship”, that is, the increase in capital gains.
• New attacks on people's rights have been accepted and will be implemented over the next years.
• With the so-called "European Semester", the "Euro Plus Pact", the "Financial Covenant", "Enhanced Economic Governance", just as in other countries that are in the EU, the EU will strictly monitor the continuation and the escalation of the anti-popular attack. In any case, anti-people measures were taken in the other countries of the EU that didn't have memorandum like Greece did.

But even if there were no oversight by the EU, there would be – as there is in every capitalist society – the “supervision” of big capital, the monopolies and there aims to increase their profitability. For this reason, there can be no “just development” under capitalist conditions.

At the same time the SYRIZA-ANEL government has asumed the position of “flag-bearer” of the USA-NATO-EU in our region. It actively participates in all military operations of the imperialist organizations of NATO and the EU. It has granted to NATO and the USA military installations in Greece, such as the Suda base (Crete), that has expanded greatly in the context of the renewal of the strategic partnership of Greece with the USA. The installation of the Araxos base are being renewed so that the base will be able to host nuclear weapons. New military bases are being created to serve the imperialist plans in other regions of the country (e.g., Alexandroupolis, Syros), the government under the pretext of the immigrants, invited NATO to deploy its fleet in the Aegean sea. The government presents these developments as an “upgrade of the role of Greece”, and it is obvious that it expects many things in return in favor of the Greek bourgeois class. In order to facilitate the integration of the West Balkans in NATO and the EU, among other things, the government intends to rapidly resolve open issues with FYROM and Albania. These developments are particularly dangerous for our people, that is getting involved in interimperialist competitions.

The KKE plays the leading role in the struggle of the workers and of the youth both against the anti-people’s policy of the SYRIZA-ANEL government and against the foreign policy of supporting the imperialist plans.

The very moment the SYRIZA – ANEL government seeks to persuade the people that a “new era” is beginning, following the formal termination of the memorandum with creditors, it seems to be disturbed by the voice of the KKE that reveals the truth. It is not at all surprising therefore that it resorts to repressive measures at the expense of the communists. While the bourgeois system uses the criminal fascist organization “Golden Dawn” as a “guard-dog” against the people’s movement, which is an organization under trial for 5 years, without outcome.

In these years the leading role of the KKE and the class-oriented unions that struggle within the ranks of the All-Workers' Militant Front (PAME) is especially important, organizing the workers', popular struggle, carrying out dozens of strike mobilizations, hundreds of demonstrations, taking over ministries, and more.

Despite the difficulties the role of SYRIZA, the new social democracy, and the other bourgeois parties was revealed. Popular resistance was promoted, new positions were gained in the trade union movement of the working class and the popular strata, the workers' struggle continued with demands based on their contemporary needs. The necessity for the anti-capitalist, anti-monopoly struggle with the real enemy, capital and its power, is emerging.

There is a way out for the people! It is found in the struggle with the KKE in the regroupment of the labor movement and the strengthening of the Social Alliance, against the plans of the government, the EU and its parties, serving the profits of capital, the struggle to abolish all anti-people laws, the restoration of popular incomes, the concentration of forces that will banish capitalist barbarism to the “dustbin of history” and will build a new society, without crises, unemployment and wars. A socialist-communist society with the socialization of the means of production, central planning of the economy, withdrawal from the imperialist associations of the EU and NATO, with workers' power.

A hopeful message towards that direction was sent by the dozens of activities of the Festival 100 years KKE – 50 years KNE, that were organized all around Greece, and counted with the mass participation of workers and youth.