52nd KNE – “Odigitis” Festival in Thessaloniki ends with mass rally
All images via the KKE
On September 19, the three-day programme of the 52nd KNE (Communist Youth of Greece) – “Odigitis” Festival in Thessaloniki culminated with a great political rally, where the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas, gave a welcome address and the Secretary of the Central Council of KNE, Thodoris Kotsandis delivered the keynote speech.
This large gathering was not just a bigger festival than previous ones. It was not merely the result of the KKE and KNE forging closer ties with more young people, more workers, and even larger sections of the people within the struggles. It was, at the same time, the response given by the people of Thessaloniki, together with the communists, at a time when the clouds of imperialist war are gathering across the world, bourgeois governments are fostering a “culture of war” and the barbaric system of exploitation is once again giving rise to the monster of fascism.
This was the response of the people who, under the red banners, are taking a stand against the sirens of imperialist war; who clench their fists and fight for peace, against the country’s entanglement in imperialist plans and wars waged for the profit of capital.
Koutsoumbas: With a much more powerful KKE, now is the time to step up our struggles in conflict with capital’s strategic choices.
The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, referring to the forthcoming parliamentary elections, noted, amongst other things: “A powerful KKE – that is the real issue at stake for the people in the run-up to the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The real dilemma is whether the political forces defending the ‘stability’ of the system of exploitation and war will be strengthened, so that capital wins, or whether the force fighting to overthrow it will be strengthened, so that the people win. After all, it is only by clashing with the current decay and barbarism that the people can impede anti-popular plans, achieve individual victories and gains, and tip the balance of power in their favour”.
He added that “The KKE will be stably at the forefront of the struggle for the interests of the working class and the people. It is the only Party that both wants and is able to struggle with determination for the final victory over this rotten system of wars and exploitation. Join us! Now is the time for big decisions, so that our people can experience their own great moments, so that we can build a better world, the society that we and our children deserve.
With a powerful KKE, steadfast in every trial, ready to answer history’s call for a new society, for socialism! This is the way forward. This is where hope lies.”
Thodoris Kotsandis, Secretary of the Central Council of KNE, emphasized the following: “The dilemma we face today is this: shall we choose the path of submission to capitalist barbarism, or shall we choose the path of overthrowing it? Shall we let them drag us back to the ‘Stone Age’, as they are now openly threatening, or shall we turn the wheel of history forwards? Shall we choose socialism or barbarism? (…)In the age of artificial intelligence, it is absurd that the new generation has to live worse than the previous one. We must put an end to this! To the absurdity of a system that has become obsolete(…) Only the goal and the struggle for a society that will abolish the exploitation of man by man can offer hope and a vision to the people. It is this goal that unites us with young people seeking a better life. (…) The stronger the workers’ and people’s organization and struggle become, and the stronger the social alliance grows, and the more deeply its orientation against capital, the state and its institutions takes root, so it will be possible to resist, to reverse the negative balance of power, to win gains and to consolidate them. (…) We take up the thread of these struggles and follow in their footsteps. For we are deeply convinced that the only path to a brighter future is the uncompromising struggle for social liberation.”
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