Saturday, January 31, 2009

Maoists to campaign for 'One Madhes, many province'


The internal deliberations of the Maoist party on the issue of Madhes concluded, Friday, with the party deciding to launch public campaign in the region.

Speaking at the meeting, party chairman and Prime Minister Prachanda' has expressed firm commitment to resolve Madhes problems. He termed the slogan of Madhesi parties "One Madhes, One Province" as being anti-Madhesi.

The Maoists have, instead, favoured the slogan of "One Madhes, Many Province."

The party will mobilise its entire force to campaign and strengthen its organisation in Madhes region.

"We have seen the Madhesi problem not in isolation but taking it as a national problem, which also has class dimensions," said Maoist spokesperson Dinanath Sharma.

The party's central secretariat meeting is expected to take concrete decisions regarding the party campaign.

Friday, January 30, 2009

International forces creating trouble in Terai says Prime Minister Prachanda


KATHMANDU, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Nepali Prime Minister Prachanda has claimed the international forces have been brewing trouble in Terai districts of southern Nepal by creating a number of factions and sub-factions, local news websiteNepalnews.com reported Thursday.

Addressing the gathering called by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) on charting out new strategies for Terai to reestablish its power, Prime Minister Dahal, who is also the chairman of the party, claimed the foreign powers are playing with the fluid situation in southern districts.

The UCPN-M called for wider discussion on Terai issues in a bid to address the grievances and increasing dissidence in recent years. The gathering includes party's central leaders, members from state committees and party-near intellectuals -- all from Madhesi community.

Terai is the plain area in south Nepal, where most of the Madhesi people, socio-culturally close to neighboring Indians, reside.

Concluding that some of the Terai-based groups have been instigating unrest in the south without concern for national interests, the UCPN-M has called for broader consultation on the issue.

Speakers at the consultation underlined the failure of the UCPN-M to keep up its influence in Terai in past years. They have also expressed concern that movements across the country, including that in Terai districts, have been diverted to ethnic demands instead of class struggle.

The speakers suggested the party to ensure proportional representation of the Terai community in bureaucracy, commissions, government media and other sectors and to declare a few well known personalities from Terai districts as national heroes to win the support from the south.

The consultation is expected to chart out strategies for strengthening the Prime Minister's UCPN-M's hold in Terai districts.

Maoist Rebel News - China is not a Communist Country

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

PM Prachanda confers with Khanal over worsening Maoist-UML ties



Picture Jhala Nath Khanal of UML

Prime Minister Prachanda held discussion with UML general secretary Jhala Nath Khanal on Wednesday in a bid to improve relations between the Maoists and the UML as well as to reach an understanding on formation of different commissions.

The meeting between the Prime Minister and the general secretary, at Baluwatar, came ahead of a cabinet meeting taking place later today.

Enhancing the effectiveness of the government's works, programmes announced by PM Pranchanda in his address to the nation on Sunday, formation of local bodies and improving the deteriorating relations between the two parties were chiefly discussed during the meeting.

A number of commissions envisioned by the Interim Constitution could not be formed due to lack of understating among the parties including the ruling ones.

The two parties are engaging in a verbal duel with DR Bhattarai of UCPN Maoist and M K Nepal of UML crossing swords and by a the clash between the student groups in Pokhara.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Maoists prepare to unite with CPN-ML Revolutionary


Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, Jan 24 - Having completed the unification with Unity Centre (Masal), the Maoists are now preparing to merge with another leftist party, CPN-ML Revolutionary.

A meeting of the Unified CPN-Maoist and ML Revolutionary on Saturday agreed to form a high-level panel for finalising work division.

CPN-ML Revolutionary leader Navaraj Sharma informed that agreement concerning party unification has been reached in principle, however no understanding has been reached on work division at the meeting held at Maoist party headquarters at Buddhanagar in the capital.

A recent meeting of the Unified CPN-Maoist Central Committee had decided to initiate the process for the unifying with other leftist parties

Source : Maoist List

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Maoist Rebel News 24/1/2009

YCL earns democratic epithet, will become YCDL

The meeting of the powerful organisation department of the Unified CPN-Maoists, Saturday, decided to change the name of its youth wing the Young Communist League (YCL).

The YCL – which has come under criticism from various quarters for its militant and often violent activities – will now be changed into YCDL (Young Communist Democratic League).

The change in the name will be endorsed by the central secretariat of the party, soon.

The meeting also decided to change the names of various sister organisations.
The names are being changed following the unification of CPN-Maoists and CPN-Unity Center Masal.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

United CPN Maoist concentrate on Madesh problems



Picture Matrika Yadav who is reported to start new Madesh Party

The central secretariat meeting of the United CPN (Maoist) has decided to hold discussion with experts and political analysts next week to seek solution of the party's troubled Madhes state committees.

The central secretariat concluded Friday that there is problem with the party organisation in Abadh, Bhojpura and Mithila sub-state committees, whose in-charge Matrika Yadav recently announced to launch a new party .

A separate team of Madhes-based lawmakers will be constituted to study the situation in Terai districts.

The meeting, however, remained undecided whether to relieve its senior leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai from all party roles and promote him as deputy prime minister in the coalition government and replace his role as deputy leader of the parliamentary party by Narayan Kaji Shrestha, but it decided to dissolve the Revolutionary People's Council led by Bhattarai. Dr Bhattarai did not attend the meeting.

Upholding the decision of the central committee, Narayan Kaji Shrestha has been given the responsibility of the parliamentary front. Likewise, the secretariat decided to spearhead a nationwide campaign to strengthen the party's organisation. The organisational bureau will finalise the campaign strategies Saturday.

But the meeting failed to reach any consensus on the proposed 'party headquarter', which will act as the top commanding body of the party

Friday, January 23, 2009

We are going to accomplish the New People's Democratic Revolution


Nar Bahadur Karmacharywa

How are you taking the recent unification of the CPN-Maoist and CPN-Unity Centre?

- I have taken it very positively. This is a polarization among the revolutionaries. This polarization is not only the unity of two revolutionary parties, but it is the beginning of the unity of true revolutionaries.

Some people say that this unity will not exist for a long time because of the differeces of the opinion. Can you clarify them?

- There are no differences of opinion. If there were differences in opinion, the unity would not be possible, rather it would be impossibe. We came to the conclusion because there is no difference in opinion. It is only an illusion of those who are saying so.

Would you tell us something about Maoism and Mao Zedong-thought that the party has accepted?

- We split 13 years ago. The issue of debate was whether to apply the strategy of Peope's War or the People's Movement. The then CPN-Unity Centre, at that time, was pleading for People's Movement. However, the then Maoist was infavour of People's War. Now, it is the time of the People's Movement.

After 13 years, we have united. The cooperation for the 19-day People's Movement began from the Siliguri meeting, in India, with the 12-point understanding. Along with cooperation, the inter-relationship and understanding developed between the two parties. The Unified CPN-Maoist has openly accepted Maoism amd Mao Zedong-thought. We have, now, made a strong unity and it is the starting of the unity for the revolutionaries. This is a very positive initiative in the history of communist movement of Nepal. We are going to accomplish the new People's Democrtic Revolution.

So, you think that the Unified CPN-Maoist is able to lead the People's Movement or rebel here after?

People rebel. When the enemies of the people create problems and they do not give way to write the constitution, we call the people for rebel against the foreign reactionary powers and their domestic puppets and the remnants of the feudal order. We will successfully lead the rebellion.

Are you thinking to carry the process of party unity ahead with the other communist parties and organizations too?

The process of party unity has begun. The recent unity is a great beginning of the party unity. We hope that other small communist parties and organizations will be for party unity.

Some others say that the party unity is to make a big party for the next election. The slogan of insurrection is only speech. How do you respond them?

The important election of the Constituent Assembly has already been accomplished. We have to accomplish the revolution according to the aspirations and the mandate of the people expressed through the struggles. The question of a big party is not related to the question of insurrection. The party line is the important thing for it. Nepali Congress was a big party, but it was defeated in the elections. Therefore, the conception that a big party always wins the election is wrong. The policy, plan and the decision of the party addressing the voice of the people is the main thing here.

You are the only remaining founder member of Communist Party of Nepal. How do you feel on the revolutionary party unity?

- The dream of accomplishing a new Peope's Democratic Revolution that we had at the begining of the Communist Party of Nepal has not been accomplished yet. However, in my life, the monarchy has been abolished and Federal Democratic Republic has been declared. I got opportunity to see it in my life. I have yet to see the New People's Democratic Revolution and Peoples Republic of Nepal.

What do you want to say to the interntional revolutionary parties and the organizations?

Firstly, I want to say that the countries of the world have their own specificities. According to the specificities and the situation of the country, communist parties should do their work. They should try to make their own plans suitable to the specific situation. I want to call them to make and launch the struggle in their own country. By making the policy and plan of the struggle for the implementation in our own countries, we can serve Proletarian Internationalism.

From RedStar the paper of CPN Maoist

Thursday, January 22, 2009

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Monday, January 19, 2009

Maoist Strategy in Nepal: for a People's Republic from the Streets, Government and Parliament.


picture Mohan Baidya

Source: Kantipur

KATHMANDU, Jan 19 - The newly formed 15-member secretariat of Unified CPN (Maoist) on Sunday came close to handing over three major responsibilities — the government, the street, and parliament — to three senior leaders, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Mohan Baidya Maoist Strategy in Nepal: for a People's Republic from the Streets, Government and Parliament.and Narayan Kaji Shrestha, respectively. The decision was arrived at after discussion among secretariat members at the prime minister’s residence at Baluwatar on Sunday. But as the Central Committee (CC) will have the final say on the matter, the suggestions will be floated at the party's CC meeting on Monday.

The Unified CPN (Maoist) National Cadre meet in November had agreed to start separate movements — from the government, the street and parliament — to institutionalise People’s Republic.

“The three leaders will now be responsible for raising the issue through three major mediums to achieve the people’s mandate,” said a central committee leader.

Secretariat members had to extend the meeting to Sunday when it could not reach any conclusion on the work division of CC members.

The CC meeting scheduled for Saturday could not take place due to lack of homework on work division for central committee leaders. Secretariat member Lilamani Pokhrel said Sunday's meeting discussed the need for political framework that would be agreeable to all political parties regarding the constitution drafting process.

Another secretariat member Top Bahadur Rayamajhi said the central committee members will be given new responsibilities, which will be decided by the CC on Monday.

The 175-member CC meeting of the Unified CPN (Maoist) held its first meeting on Friday and formed a 15-member secretariat and a 45-member politburo of the new party, but division of responsibilities among party leaders could not be agreed upon

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine on "Ceasefire"


PFLP: Our position on the "ceasefire," "calm" and the weapons of the
resistance

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine reaffirmed on
January 18, 2009 its position on the so-called "ceasefire," stating
that the PFLP regards with the utmost respect the decision of our
brothers and sisters in the resistance of declaring a one-week
ceasefire with the enemy. As we share in the declaration of victory
with all of our people today, we want to reaffirm our rejection of any
ceasefire and the politics of the so-called "calm".

We have continually opposed the politics of "calm," because it
presents an opportunity and yet another false justification for Israel
to attack our people and increases the pressure on the resistance from
all of the forces in the enemy camp - not only Israel's military
assaults, but also the political pressure and attacks from Arab
regimes, the European Union, the United States and the so-called
"Quartet." The politics of "calm" becomes a trap for the resistance
that we should always seek to avoid, since occupation itself is an act
of aggression. Our people have the right to resist, as an occupied
people, and while the resistance can make tactical decisions about how
to wage that struggle, we can never allow that decision and
determination to become a weapon in the hands of our enemies.

Elements of the enemy ground forces remain in Gaza and the siege has
not been ended, nor have the crossings, particularly Rafah crossing,
been opened. The enemy did not declare the end of its naval siege and
their air force continues to invade our skies, in an attempt to create
fear and terror among our people who have given over 1300 martyrs in
the past 3 weeks, as well as over 5000 wounded, amid the destruction
of over 4000 homes, entire neighborhoods, and much of our civil
infrastructure in Gaza. The borders have not been opened, and at all
crossings, particularly the Rafah crossing, goods intended for our
people are waiting for safe and secure passage.

The enemy is trying to achieve by political means what it could not
achieve by military means. It failed, despite its scorched-earth
tactics and its massacres of our people, to eliminate our resistance
or crush the steadfastness of our people. Now, it is trying to cover
its failure with the Livni-Rice agreement with the United States - an
agreement that is not worth the paper it is written on. The PFLP is
making clear with this position that our people and our resistance
will not give up our rights or our arms, and that, in fact, this
latest aggression is only going to strengthen our determination to
build our resistance and the capabilities of our forces.

In addition, the summit of Sharm el-Sheikh between the Europeans and
some Arab regimes represents a threat to the entire Arab world and is
a symbol of an attempt to revive colonialism in the Arab world.
"Monitoring" the Egyptian-Palestinia n borders only means that there is
no sovereignty in the Arab world, neither in Egypt nor in Gaza, and
that these colonial powers and their forces are returning to our
region. Sovereignty is a critical question and differentiates a free
people and nation from one that is under the boots of colonialism and
occupation. The use of the term "smuggling of weapons" is yet another
method of turning our national cause into a "security question" and is
an attempt to make the weapons of the resistance of our occupied
people illegitimate. The right of a people under occupation to resist
through all means, including armed struggle, is fundamental and
inviolable, and we will not allow our rights to be liquidated under
the slogan of "security" or "stability."

The PFLP has engaged in the battlefield with our brothers and sisters
in all organizations of the resistance from the beginning of the
aggression on December 27, 2008. We have shared in this battlefield
and we continue to share the bread and bullets in order to fight our
common vicious Zionist enemy and those who back our enemy. The PFLP
was the first to launch a missile against the enemy forces in this
aggression and we will be on the front lines chasing the enemy as it
retreats from the last centimeter of the Gaza Strip.

Glory to the martyrs! Victory to resistance! Long live the Palestinian
people and the Arab nation! Long live international struggle and
solidarity!

Dr Bhattarai warns to launch 'massive revolt'


Senior Maoist leader and Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai warned that his party would opt for “massive revolt” if any political party made any attempt to topple the incumbent government.

While speaking at a programme held in Tanahu on Monday, he said, "It will be foolhardy to expect our party to remain silent if any party tried to prevent the government from smoothly functioning", adding, "Some parties which are still obsessed with feudalistic culture are making attempts to negate the historic political gains the country has witnessed.”

He also made it a point to relate that the government is committed to carry out people-centric works.

Against the complicity of the Greek government with the US-Zionist crimes in Gaza


The Communist Organization of Greece (KOE) salutes the heroic Resistance in Gaza and the thousands of Greeks mobilizing every day all over the country in support of the martyred Palestinian People and against the reactionary Karamanlis’ government. Yesterday Thursday 15 January took place in the port of Astakos (Western Greece) a massive and militant mobilization against the attempt of the Karamanlis’ government to facilitate the shipment of US arms to the Israeli Neo-Nazis.

The contingent of KOE, by far the biggest and most combative, was in the front line of the protest. The demonstrators, despite the heavy presence of the police, pushed away the barbed wire “protecting” the privatized port and entered the location, scanting slogans against the complicity of the Greek government, denouncing the US-Israel genocidal aggression, demanding the immediate break of all relations with the Zionist state and saluting the Palestinian Resistance. The Communist Organization of Greece, which mobilized all its forces in Western Greece, warned that any further attempt to use the Greek soil against the Palestinian People will meet the resolute and combative resistance of the region’s inhabitants and of the Greek People as a whole.

Today Friday 16 January, on the initiative of KOE, a protest was organized outside the Press Ministry in Athens, where an official seminar was planned with Eytan Gilboa as main guest. Eytan Gilboa was councilor of the Zionist government and director of the “Defense College” of the “IDF”. The Greek Minister Pavlopoulos, as well as the head of the diplomatic office of Papandreou (leader of the main opposition party PASOK), had announced their participation in this “seminar”. The Communist Organization of Greece condemned this new sign of complicity of the Greek government and of the social-democratic PASOK “opposition” with the Zionist Neo-Nazis, while they hypocritically pretend to opoose the Israeli crimes, and called for a protest against the presence of the Zionist speaker.

Thanks to the mobilization, most the journalists who were present refused to cover the event and declared their solidarity with the protest. Also the Press Ministry Employees’ Association gathered on the spot and immediately adopted a resolution against the presence of Eytan Gilboa. Under the pressure, the representatives of the government and of the “opposition” cancelled their participation at the last moment. The Communist Organization of Greece hailed the tactical success of the mobilization and the support of the Press and Ministry’s workers, and declared that any attempt of the Zionists to speak on Greek soil will be met with the resolute protest of the movement of solidarity with Palestine.

Tomorrow Saturday 17 January a new demonstration against US-Israel will take place in Athens, while at the same time the mobilizations of the youth and of the Radical Left against the anti-people and repressive policy of Karamanlis’ government continue in several cities of Greece. After a big students’ demonstration that took place yesterday in Athens, and while the occupations of several faculties continue all over Greece, new mobilizations are in the agenda. Tomorrow a big demonstration will take place in Larissa. In this city of Central Greece dozens of the demonstrators who were arrested by the police during the December Revolt are accused as “members of terrorist gang” under the draconian “anti-terrorist law”, and they are threatened with heavy sentences without possibility of appeal. At the same time, the “Communist Party of Greece” (KKE) continues its slanderous attacks against the movement, and especially the Communist Organization of Greece and the Radical Left Coalition, as well as its divisive and separate “mobilizations” even in the case of solidarity with Palestine. In the next statement we will refer to the new “doughty deeds” of KKE, which shamelessly continues to offer its support to the block of “law and order”, together with the government party and the extreme right-wing.


*****
Communist Organization of Greece / Kommounistiki Organosi Elladas (KOE)
International Relations Department

Friday, January 16, 2009

Resistance until the victory! All of us are Palestinian, everywhere is Palestine!


We salute the heroic resistance of the Palestinian people against the aggression of the Zionist Israel and we believe that US-EU-backed Israel could not suppress the right struggle of Palestinian people.

During this attack, Turkish Republic criticized Israel and tried to show that it supports the rights of the Palestinians but this is not true. Fascist Turkish state is the best ally of Israel in the region and both are the puppets of the US imperialism. Israeli soldiers are still trained in Turkey and Turkish army bought millions of dollars cost weapons from Israel just before the occupation.

PM Erdogan tries to show that he is a friend of Palestinians and by this, US and Israel wishes to send Turkish troops to Gazza. So all Palestine can be under control of US imperialism and Israel by the help of their Turkish allies’ military forces. In our country hundred thousands of people condemned Israeli aggression and show their solidarity with Palestinian people. YDG actively joined and organized such protests. Savra savra hatta nasr!

New Democratic Youth - Turkey

Democracy and Class Struggle TV this week



http://www.mogulus.com/democracyandclassstruggle

Zionism - Enemy of The Jewish People.

John Pilger on Zionism

Norman Finkelstein on Gaza

Norman Finkelstein and Alan Hart on Palestine

http://www.mogulus.com/democracyandclassstruggle

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Israeli Rights Groups Call for War Crimes Investigation


The latest attacks came after a coalition of nine Israeli human rights groups called for an investigation into whether Israel is committing war crimes. In a statement, the groups, including the Israeli sections of Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights, condemned what they call the “wanton use of lethal force” against Palestinian civilians.

They continue, “This kind of fighting constitutes a blatant violation of the laws of warfare and raises the suspicion…of the commission of war crimes.” There are worldwide calls for prosecuting Israeli leaders. On Wednesday, hundreds gathered outside the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Sobhi Khansa of the International Coalition Against Impunity said Israeli leaders should be tried for crimes against humanity.

Sobhi Khansa: “The crimes of Israel against Gaza increase day after day. And now it’s terrorist crimes, you know? They are using terrorist weapons, murder, crimes against humanity, war crimes. So, for this, we came to the Hague to ICC Court. We want the court to go and start investigation about these crimes.”

The Guardian of London reported this week diplomats are considering asking the United Nations General Assembly to refer Israel’s actions in Gaza to the World Court. The UN’s special rapporteur to the Occupied Territories, Richard Falk, has said Israel’s attack on Gaza could be in violation of the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions, international law and international humanitarian law.

Source : Democracy Now

Press Statement Bring Israeli War criminals to justice! Free Palestine!


January 11, 2009

The diabolical military assault in Gaza by the state of Israel, backed by the US, since December 26, 2008 has already claimed more than 3,000 Palestinians dead or injured. And the toll is rising as the indiscriminate and disproportionate assault continues unabated. This is the single largest massacre of the Palestinian people in their own land since Israel illegally occupied Gaza in 1967

A majority of these victims are either civilians or are those engaged in civil administration of Gaza. By being the perpetrator of this massacre, Israel has violated provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention as it has failed both in regards to the protection of civilian population under its control and in requirements of the laws of war including humanitarian.

The Israeli siege and military aggression in Gaza are not isolated events. It is a direct result of Israel's ongoing occupation of Palestine and its refusal to abide by numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions. Progressive Nepali Forum in Americas (PNEFA) condemns Israeli military assault on the people of Gaza and demands an immediate cessation of its siege there.

PNEFA also strongly urges individuals, organizations and governments around the world to adopt a program of BDS - boycott, divestment and sanctions - against the state of Israel until that state recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and complies with international laws, including the rights of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes as stipulated in UN resolution 194. This tactic of BDS program was used very successfully against the apartheid regime in South Africa in a very similar situation. This will work again. Together we will make it happen.

Abi Sharma
President
Progressive Nepali Forum in Americas

White Phosphorous - the evidence against Israel mounts

Prime Minister Prachanda on Thursday vowed to bring those involved in the murder of Janakpur-based journalist Uma Singh to book


PM Prachanda objects to attempts linking Maoists in journalist murder; cancels visit to Scandinavian countries

Prime Minister Prachanda on Thursday vowed to bring those involved in the murder of Janakpur-based journalist Uma Singh to book, but said attempts to show Maoist involvement in the incident are inspired by “wrong intentions”.

In a meeting with a team of Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) that had reached his official residence in Balwuatar to submit a memorandum asking the government to ensure security to the journalists and guarantee that such incidents do not repeat, PM Prachanda said the Maoist party of which he is a chairman can’t be blamed for the murder of journalist Singh just on the basis that her (Uma Singh’s) father and brother were abducted and disappeared by Maoist cadres in the past.

He said he was “shocked and speechless” after hearing the news about the gruesome murder of the 26-year-old journalist who reported on women’s issues. He also assured that strict action will be taken against anyone involved in the murder, that he will spare no one, not even his own cadres if they were found involved in it.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Avi Shlaim on Israeli Propaganda about Gaza



Oxford professor Avi Shlaim. He served in the Israeli army in the mid-1960s and is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on the Israeli-Arab conflict

AMY GOODMAN: Professor Avi Shlaim, Israel says the reason it has attacked Gaza is because of the rocket fire, the rockets that Hamas is firing into southern Israel.

AVI SHLAIM:
This is Israeli propaganda, and it is a pack of lies. The important thing to remember is that there was a ceasefire brokered by Egypt in July of last year, and that ceasefire succeeded. So, if Israel wanted to protect its citizens—and it had every right to protect its citizens—the way to go about it was not by launching this vicious military offensive, but by observing the ceasefire.

Now, let me give you some figures, which I think are the most crucial figures in understanding this conflict. Before the ceasefire came into effect in July of 2008, the monthly number of rockets fired—Kassam rockets, homemade Kassam rockets, fired from the Gaza Strip on Israeli settlements and towns in southern Israel was 179. In the first four months of the ceasefire, the number dropped dramatically to three rockets a month, almost zero. I would like to repeat these figures for the benefit of your listeners. Pre-ceasefire, 179 rockets were fired on Israel; post-ceasefire, three rockets a month. This is point number one, and it’s crucial.

And my figures are beyond dispute, because they come from the website of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. But after initiating this war, this particular table, neat table, which showed the success of the ceasefire, was withdrawn and replaced with another table of statistics, which is much more obscure and confusing. Israel—the Foreign Ministry withdrew these figures, because it didn’t suit the new story.

The new story said that Hamas broke the ceasefire. This is a lie. Hamas observed the ceasefire as best as it could and enforced it very effectively. The ceasefire was a stunning success for the first four months. It was broken not by Hamas, but by the IDF. It was broken by the IDF on the 4th of November, when it launched a raid into Gaza and killed six Hamas men.

And there is one other point that I would like to make about the ceasefire. Ever since the election of Hamas in January—I’m sorry, ever since Hamas captured power in Gaza in the summer of 2007, Israel had imposed a blockade of the Strip. Israel stopped food, fuel and medical supplies from reaching the Gaza Strip. One of the terms of the ceasefire was that Israel would lift the blockade of Gaza, yet Israel failed to lift the blockade, and that is one issue that is also overlooked or ignored by official Israeli spokesmen. So Israel was doubly guilty of sabotaging the ceasefire, A, by launching a military attack, and B, by maintaining its very cruel siege of the people of Gaza.

SOURCE DEMOCRACY NOW 14/1/2008

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

New Communist Party of Italy extract from "Let's dedicate the new year to the second wave of proletarian revolution!"

Many countries are already moving towards extraordinary political and social changes, which are favoured and imposed by the emergency conditions that the general crisis creates everywhere in the world.

The communist movement's rebirth and the action of strong and advanced communist parties will accelerate them and make them easier, less painful and destructive. The revolt that in Greece for several days shakes the authority is an example of what will happen in other countries. The mobilization of workers, students, women and in general of the popular masses is growing also in our country and confirms that the road which we show is right and possible, that the popular masses are moving on it.

One crucial issue for carrying out a right politics in the next months, is that we Communists accustom ourselves to idea that certainly in the near future there will be extraordinary changes in the political system of our country as in many other countries.

It is hard for everybody to understand and believe that during this crisis there will be a break in the political regime of our country; that will fail the institutional continuity by which a government follows another, respecting the established forms and the authorities who preside there officially (President of Republic, Parliament) and de facto (the Vatican, USA, criminal organizations, Italian Manufacturers' Association, etc.) and it is formed by long time politicians (the members of the Christian Democratic regime had large room in all governments of the Berlusconi's gang and for the rest they were representatives of the "civil society", namely approved and devoted men of imperialist bourgeoisie, clergy and the other ruling classes or even their employees).

It will be hard to believe that it will be formed a political system that will break with the ongoing one which dates back to the end of the Antifascist Resistance, when in our country the current Pontifical Republic was established.

We are accustomed to political continuity, we have lost every experience and conception of break. For over 60 years in our country there has been a formal continuity in the political field. In Western Europe, after the Second World War, we had few experiences of breaks of the formal continuity of politic regimes: they were cases where in a country it was imposed a government formed out of the regular procedures, but that was imposed by the need to face an emergency situation.

We had a political break in France in autumn 1958 (consequence of the crisis in Algeria). We had more of a discontinuity in Greece, the last in 1974 with the removal of the colonels' regime. We had a political break in Portugal in 1975 (consequence of the end of colonial empire). We had a political half-break in Spain in 1976 - 1978 driven by the monarchy which Franco restored just in view of that passage that had to occur at his death.

So we have not experience of political breaks. The political breaks that there were in the late '80s in Eastern Europe and in USSR, in the first socialist countries, belonged to another world.

It seems to us so unlikely, we can not imagine that the final phase of second general crisis of capitalism leads and will cause a formal discontinuity in the political system of our country and in general in political regimes of imperialist countries.

We think that until 2013 there will be this government (the government of Berlusconi's gang), unless it resigns and that the Republic's President dissolves the Chambers and indicts new elections, to which there will be present more or less the same parties that are in field already today and then some of them will form the next government. The whole political propaganda and culture of the regimes exclude the possibility of an emergency government from the number of events we may think real. Instead the break of continuity of the political regime is not only realistic and possible, but it is inevitable. In fact there is no other way to get out from the economical crisis in which we are plunged and that has entered in its final stage.

We Communists we have to accustom ourselves to the idea of a traumatic break of the political system, we have to propagandize it in our ranks and outside (among the advanced workers and the advanced elements of the other classes of popular masses, among the auxiliary and intermediate organizations), we have to get ready to drive the political crisis in the direction and towards the result of the formation of a government of People's Block, namely towards the formation of a government formed by workers and people's organizations. Communists have to do this now.

Democracy and Class Struggle holds in high regard the New Communist Party of Italy and agrees with their characterisation of this period as a new General Crisis of Capitalism something which still has not penetrated many on the Left which still uses the vocabulary of economic recession.

Verdict on Obama on Israeli Invasion of Gaza - Iranians burn his picture




"The German newspaper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung no less, scorned Obama for his stance, stating that "Gaza is burning, and Israel's bombs are causing daily casualties, but the world can only expect change at twelve noon sharp on January 20." And, all the way in the Philippines, Randy David writes thus: "By any measure, this is not a war but a slaughter, not a retaliatory response but an outrageous massacre. The Jewish nation's transformation from colossal victim to callous aggressor is complete... As Israelis and Palestinians stared menacingly at each other on Christmas Day, the rest of us stared indifferently, forgetting that, in the last analysis, we are all Gazans".

From First Mistake - Barak Obama's Silence on Gaza by Ru Freeman

Video Report from Gaza



919 Palestinians killed by Israel including 284 children & 100 women, 4260 injured.

Mauritania and Venezuela have expelled Israeli ambassadors to their countries. Iran has praised the two nations for doing so

CPN-Maoist, Masal unite - Prachanda warns of Peoples Revolt if government is forced to quit



The formal announcement of unification between CPN (Maoist) and Unity Centre (Masal) was made in Kathmandu amid a mass gathering Tuesday.

Party workers took out rallies from different parts of the capital prior to the mass gathering at Khula Manch, which was attended by senior leaders from the Maoist party and the now-dissolved Unity Centre (Masal).

Prachanda, Prime Minister and chairman of CPN (Maoist), heads the united party which has been named as Unified CPN (Maoist). The party will have a 175-member central committee that includes 38 members from Unity Centre (Masal).

Addressing the mass meeting, party chairman Dahal warned of 'people's revolt' if the current Maoist-led government is forced to quit.

"This government is not a repetition of past ones. If it is overthrown our party will spearhead a people's revolt from the next day and capture power," he thundered, "Nothing in the world will stop us." To try to topple the government, he said, is to push the country into disarray.

Prachanda also indirectly warned the coalition partners, saying "We are in the same boat. Other parties will sink along with the boat if they make holes in it." "We are revolutionaries and we will manage to sail through."

The Maoist leader, however, admitted his cabinet has not been able to meet the aspirations of the people.

"People want the government to deliver, but it has not been able to deliver fully. We communists are in majority, but we are plagued by lopsided attitude [towards of each other]."

Monday, January 12, 2009

Remembering Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknect - 90th Anniversary of their murder




80,000 people at Luxembourg and Liebknect 90th Anniversary Commemoration in Berlin

Remembering Rosa by Berthold Brecht

Israelis accused of using white phosphorous in Gaza

Song For Gaza - We will not go down without a fight




Blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze:

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze:

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight

We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Sunday, January 11, 2009

London - Paris - Oslo - Berlin - We shall fight we shall win !



A London protest against the Israeli military campaign in Gaza turned violent Saturday night as police charged demonstrators outside the gates of Israel's embassy.

It was one of the largest of many, many demonstrations across Europe on Saturday. Protests in Paris, France also turned violent.

One police officer was knocked unconscious and two were injured in the fray, according to The London Paper. An estimated 300 police in riot gear charged protesters as the crowd chanted "free, free Palestine," hurling hundreds of shoes over a police barrier in front of the embassy.

Tensions continued to rise as the crowd found more objects to hurl -- signs, eggs, red paint, barriers, rocks, etc. -- until police began efforts to disperse the demonstrators.

Protesters smashed and destroyed a Starbucks, and the Daily Mail reported that others tried to set police vehicles on fire.

London police told BBC that just 20,000 people were involved in the protest, but BBC estimated 50,000. The London Paper gave a figure twice that, claiming over 100,000 joined the demonstration.

"We want the British government to take a much stronger position," said Lindsey German, an organizer with protest group 'Stop the War,' in a BBC report. "There would have been outrage from governments around the world if this had happened anywhere else - the condemnation has been at best half-hearted."

"The British government and European Union have the economic leverage to stop this carnage," said Ken Livingstone, the former mayor of London, in a prepared statement. "They must take decisive action to force Israel to end the slaughter."

Protests ripple across Europe

About 30,000 people marched through Paris, the interior ministry said, and more than 90,000 joined protests in more than 120 towns and cities elsewhere in France.

In the capital, thousands of French men and women of Arab origin carrying Palestinian banners joined forces with left-wing militants amid cries of "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greater) and "Israel murderer."

Protesters smashed a bus shelter and a telephone box in central Paris, and bottles were later thrown at riot police and shop windows smashed.

Police fired teargas after mobs overturned motor scooters and set them on fire.

A march in the southern city of Nice descended into violence. Seven police were hurt and 11 rioters arrested as youths broke off from a 2,500-strong crowd of protesters and smashed shop windows.

Demonstrations took place on the streets of other European cities including Athens, Berlin, Budapest, Oslo, Sarajevo and Stockholm.

In Sarajevo, peace activist Svetlana Broz told a 1,000-strong pro-Palestinian demonstration that the city knew better than others "what happens when the world remains silent at a time when innocent civilians suffer", referring to the bloody siege of the city in the 1992-95 war in the former Yugoslavia.

Police in Oslo fired teargas after a small group among a crowd of 2,000 pelted them with stones, and up to 5,000 demonstrators gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm to call for an end to the military campaign.

More than 6,000 people gathered for a peaceful rally in Berlin, with similar shows of support for the Palestinians in Munich and Cologne.

In western Germany, some 10,000 people, largely from the ethnic Turkish community, protested in Duisburg. Police briefly intervened when demonstrators threw snowballs at a window bearing two Israeli flags.

Innsbruck in western Austria staged a peaceful protest of 3,500 people waving banners saying "Stop Israeli terror" and 7,000 protesters turned out in Bern, Switzerland.

In Athens, more than 2,000 people took part in a protest staged by left-wing groups and thousands demonstrated in Milan and Turin.

SOURCE: Press Reports

Galloway speaking at London March against Invasion of Gaza on 10/1/2008

Friday, January 9, 2009

Gajurel speaks about People's Republic


CPN (Maoist) foreign affairs bureau chief C.P. Gajurel, has reiterated that another phase of movement is required in Nepal for establishment of People's Republic.

He asked the party workers to get ready for final show to turn Nepal into a Peoples Republic saying the current form of republic cannot address the grievances and miseries of the people.

Addressing the gathering of Maoist-affiliated government employees in Sindhuli Friday, Gajurel claimed the final war could start any time.

Gajurel sided with Mohan Baidya at the recent party gathering in which there was debate on the political line – People's Republic or democratic republic.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Communists and National Liberation Struggles in Middle East - Opinion Piece from Maoist List by John Ball


In a recent A World To Win article about Palestine, it was stated that:'If they [potential supporters of the AWTW line] work to break themselves and others out of that Zionism-versus- Islamic-fundamentalism framework instead of tailing behind it, they can play a crucial role in both opening new eyes to Israelis crimes and the reasons behind it and unleashing the far broader support for Palestine than we have seen so far – support it objectively deserves, needs and could have today.'What this implies is that we should only support a communist or progressive national resistance to Israel.

But this is just the usual western left delusion.What are the communist forces in the Middle East? The revisionists such as the Iraqi Communist Party that sat on the Iraq Governing Council as collaborators when the US was carrying out its genocidal attack on Fallujah.

The Worker-Communist Party of Iraq and Iran whose mentor Hekmat openlysupported the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.The Communist Party of Iran (Marxist-Leninist- Maoist) who repeat the error of the 'Three Worlds Theory' by calling for 'revolutionaries' to fight to achieve the same objective as the US (overthrow of the current Iranian regime) in the event of a US invasion of Iran. The Three Worlds Theory was the theory that revolutionaries and progressives should effectively unite with US imperialism to defeat the perceived greater threat of the Soviet Union.

The CPI-MLM just takes the same dud theory and applies it to Islamic Fundamentalism. Communists have sold out the people of the Middle East too often to be trusted now. It is obvious that the US and its proxy Israel is the main enemy of the people of the Middle East and other oppressed nations. They have devastated Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Palestine.Why on Earth would the people of the Middle East choose to try to resist this dreadful force that is bringing their nations to ruin under the leadership of people that time and time again side with the country that is the cause of all their misfortune? It's absolutely ridiculous for communists to make such a meal of criticising national liberation movements like Hamas.

Yes, we know such movements can end up vacillating in their resistance to imperialism. But the communists who make this criticism of Hamas just use this as an excuse for siding with American imperialism in a far more decisive manner than groups like Hamas and Hezbollah have done.The vacillations of the national resistance movements are just used as an alibi by the communists for their capitulation to imperialism.

Rather than criticising groups like Hamas from such a position of abject weakness, communists should be criticising themselves for the way they have failed the people so dreadfully. Only once this is done can credibility be regained.Does any of this mean we should tail Islamicists? Not at all, though that is the slander thrown against all Maoists that disagree with the policy of fighting on the same side as US imperialism.

The Maoist line in the case of an attack on an oppressed nation is to unite with all forces that can be united with to resist the foreign invasion. The Maoists therefore form a United Front to wage a war of national resistance. This front must be led by the Maoists, not by the reactionaries.This leads to an obvious problem that initally the Maoist Party will be small and unable to lead. Therefore their priority is to build up their strength. This can and will lead to conflict with the reactionary government and the reactionary resistance movements, just as Mao's PLA fought with the Chiang Kai-Shek's army before and after the anti-Japan United Front had been formed.

Even while engaging in such conflicts Maoists must stress the line that the main enemy is the invader but that only the Maoists can lead successful resistance, not the reactionaries. Such a line is a world away from the line ofuniting with imperialism against local reactionaries.

Finally, we must avoid the moralism that says we, who are not in theMiddle East, should not tell them how to run their struggles. When Communist parties are going very badly wrong then it is our responsibility to point this out. The CPI-MLM has certainly not beenshy of expressing its criticisms of the CPN (M), so I hardly think moralistic considerations should concern us either.

SOURCE: Maoist List

Negation of the Negation by Roshan Kisson - Provocative piece in Red Star


The Nepali revolution has not won, but neither has it lost. There does not seem an imminent danger to the CPN Maoist led government, yet also the government does not seem completely safe. Some believe the Nepali revolution signals the first of a new cycle of revolutions inspired by the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. Others believe the Nepali revolution signals the last of the cycle of revolutions inspired by the Bolsheviks in Russia. We may think of this cycle as starting in Russia, then China, Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, etc, through to Peru and Nepal. I think the latter correct-future revolutions must take a different form, and move away from the Bolshevik or Marxist Leninist model of revolution. Thus far, Marxist Leninist revolutions in the various countries have ended the 'feudal relations of production', and replaced it with 'capitalist relations of production'. Simply put, the Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cuban etc revolutions have created modern capitalist nation states, not communism. I think the leaders of the CPN-Maoist implicitly recognise this, hence Dr.Bhattarai's statement in the US to 'leave communism to our grandchildren'. The limitations of the Nepali revolution show the limitations of the Marxist-Leninist theory as well as practice.

Contradictions in Historical Materialism

The science of Marxism has, indeed, discovered the laws of society that can explain how one form of society changes into another form of society. Marxist historians have revolutionised the study of history in every area, from the early origins of humanity to the modern world. Historical materialism can explain and shed light on all periods of human history. Historical materialism does not seem able, however, to explain itself. In those periods of history when Marxism itself played a decisive and dominant role; historical materialism does not seem able to explain nor understand. This seems a contradiction inside the Marxist system, and the inability to resolve this contradiction prevents the Communist movement from advancing ahead. For example, Marxists constantly say that the 'masses are the real creators of history', as an explicit challenge to the 'great man' hypothesis of bourgeois history. However, in all the Marxist-Leninist revolutions, we see again the 'great man'; the great Lenin, the great Stalin, the Great Mao etc, without whom the revolution would not have succeeded. This seems a glaring contradiction. Again, consider the following questions about the USSR

Did the revolution create a socialist state?

If so, when did the USSR turn into a capitalist state?
The Khrushchev line parties claim socialism ended when the USSR collapsed. Maoist and Hoxha line parties claim that Khrushchev ended socialism by turning away from the line of Stalin. Trotsky line parties claim that Stalin ended socialism, and Stalin himself represents the counter revolution by turning away from the line of Lenin. Nobody dares to criticise the great Lenin.
Marxists seem unable to analyse the USSR with any kind of objectivity, and instead of analysis we get a 'party line' that passes for analysis. If one reads or listens to an account of the Russian revolution by parties or historians that 'uphold' Stalin, the role of leaders such as Trotsky, Bukharin or Radek do not merit mention or study. They do not mention the Moscow trials of the 1930s. They tell a story of the 'good guy' Stalin saving the revolution from the 'bad guys' such as Trotsky, only for the evil Khrushchev to cunningly reverse all the gains made by Stalin.
Likewise, in Trotskyist accounts, they simply show us with the reverse picture; the 'good guy' Trotsky outwitted by the villainous Stalin. Just as the 'Stalinists' keep an ominous silence regarding the Moscow trials; likewise the Trotskyists keep an ominous silence regarding the Kronstadt rebellion against the Bolsheviks and Trotsky's role in this tragedy. It seems to me that Trotsky's criticisms against Stalin seem correct, but Stalin's criticisms of Trotsky also seem correct. They both seem correct and both seem incorrect. International revolution was impossible and socialism in one country was impossible, as socialism in one country turns into its opposite, state capitalism and finally just capitalism. Marxism-Leninism has not gone further in theory or practice.

Marxism-Leninism has not properly addressed the following problems:

1. The Bolsheviks smashed the Tsarist feudal state, and created a new 'workers state'. Why didn't the revisionists or bourgeoisie smash this so-called 'workers state' in turn when they reintroduced capitalism?
2. In China, the Communists also smashed the old feudal state and created a new 'workers state'. However, Deng Xiaoping and his successors seem quite able to use the 'workers state' for capitalism. How?
3. In the USSR, why did the masses seem unable to tell the difference between a revolutionary line and a counter revolutionary line, or the difference between the line of Lenin and that of Stalin, and the line of Stalin from that of Khrushchev?
4. Likewise in China, why did the masses seem unable to tell the difference between the revolutionary line of Mao Zedong and the gang of four, and the revisionist line of Deng Xiaoping?
The simplest and best explanation is simply that the Russian, Chinese, Cuban, Vietnamese etc revolutions were bourgeois revolutions, and not proletarian revolutions. I think the Nepalese revolution can change the feudal relations of production and introduce capitalist relations through agrarian reform or revolution. If the Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese etc revolutions created modern capitalist states, then why should the Nepalese Communists, following their examples, go further?

Party Vs Class

The bourgeois nature of all the forms of Marxism-Leninism seems clearest in the form of organisation. The Leninist idea of a centralised, hierarchal party led by professional revolutionaries, a party that seeks to centralise all power in one organisation, proves extremely effective for an underground struggle, such as an urban insurrection or a Peoples War. However, this form of party, a 'democratic centralist' party, does not belong exclusively to Marxist-Leninists. Any political ideology can use this form of organisation for any ends whatsoever. In Nepal, many of the Terai and Madhesi armed groups, some led by former Maoist commanders, use the 'democratic centralist' form of party.

The LTTE in Sri Lanka and many other nationalist and even Islamic groups across the world also use the 'democratic centralist' form of organisation. Even some NGOs and multi-national companies use this form of organisation. Undoubtedly, this form of organisation proves extremely effective for struggle. Otto Ruhle, a German Marxist of the early 20th century, in a provocative essay entitled ' The struggle against Fascism begins with the struggle against Bolshevism', argued that Hitler and Mussolini only copied the Bolshevik model for their Fascist ideology, because the party and state structure of Fascism bears remarkable similarities, in form, to the Bolshevik party and state. Mao Zedong seemed aware of this, as he often warned that if the political line of a Communist party changes, the party itself can turn into its opposite, a Social Fascist party, or Fascism presenting itself as Socialism.

A Fascist party and a Communist party share the same form of organisation, but the ideological content appear as opposite. Mao seemed aware that the 'democratic centralist' party would centralise not just power in one place, but also wealth in one place, in the party itself. Thus, after a revolution, the new bourgeoisie would emerge from inside the party. Mao did not seem able, however, to condemn the 'democratic centralist' form of the party, probably because he himself led such a party! Simply put, 'democratic centralism' is not very democratic, but very centralised.

The Marxist-Leninist tendency to centralise all power in one place, in one person, has proved both effective and ineffective. This tendency seems effective in countries like Nepal, where many people can neither read nor write, and the political tradition demands a single strong leader. In the leader, the people find a reflection of themselves, a leader who can say what they wish to say, and lead them to where they cannot go themselves. However, this form of leadership causes many problems, as the leader becomes more than human, and the person of the leader becomes inseparable from the political line. The tendency of the leader to put their own families and friends in positions of power and to not know 'when' to leave power presents a big problem. The failure of Cuba, after the long reign of Fidel Castro, to find another leader apart from Raul Castro, Fidel's brother, represents a failure of this tendency. The examples of North Korea and Zimbabwe also testify to this failure.

This tendency, taken to its extreme, such as with Chairman Gonzalo and the Shining Path of Peru, has proved tragic. When the Peruvian state captured Chairman Gonzalo and other central committee leaders of the PCP (Communist Party of Peru), their entire struggle collapsed. Even now, the remnants of the Shining Path go on and on about the great leader Chairman Gonzalo, even though Gonzalo now resides in a top security prison and cannot even lead himself to the toilet. From tragedy we move to farce, and the strange behaviour of Chairman Bob Avakian, the leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party of the USA. Even though Chairman Avakian has not led any kind of Peoples War or any major revolutionary struggle in the US, he has declared a 'new synthesis' that goes beyond Marx, Lenin and Mao. Chairman Avakian claims to have a made a 'break in epistemology', yet seems to have never studied the works of Russell, Wittgenstein, Husserl, Heidegger and other philosophers of the 20th century, or even distinguished Marxist philosophers such as Lukacs, Gramsci, Ilyenkov etc. RCP USA comrades describe Chairman Avakian as 'the American Lenin' (which, I presume, would make Lenin the Russian Avakian...) and sometimes even praise god for Chairman Avakian.

Needless to say, nobody outside of the RCP USA actually believes this nonsense, and the RCP USA resembles a strange cult rather than a real Communist party. Ground Control to Chairman Bob...

Dr. Bhattarai, after the Maoist victory in the CA elections, compared Chairman Prachanda to Lenin and Napoleon. I think this seems correct, if we understand that both Lenin and Napoleon turned their countries into modern nation states. This is the limit of Marxism Leninism and this form of leadership. For a Proletarian revolution, I believe we need a new form of organisation.
I do not claim to know 'what' this new form of organisation should take, but I can say what form it should take:

1. The culture and practice of Marxist-Leninists seems stale and completely lacking in creativity. Consider the number of labels Marxists use to criticise other Marxists: 'opportunist', 'revisionist', ultra-leftist', 'rightist', 'dogmatist', 'pragmatist', 'Stalinist', 'Trotskyist' 'petit bourgeois anarchist' etc. If we do not like another's ideas, we can dismiss them as 'eclectic', metaphysical', 'idealist' etc. So many labels, so little thought. If we view the Marxist-Leninist system as a type of game, with certain rules, we observe the following: Comrade A says to Comrade B that X and Y must be done. Comrade B asks why. Comrade A then quotes from Lenin to justify his assertion. Comrade B says to Comrade A that he misunderstands Lenin, and accuses him of misquoting Lenin, taking Lenin out of context, and comes up with a counter quote from Lenin. Comrade A responds by giving the context in which Lenin said such and such thing. Comrade B accuses Comrade A of misunderstanding the context, and so on and so on and so on. Frankly, even though Marxists claim Marxism to be science, this kind of practice does not seem very scientific. Rather, it resembles the kind of theology practiced by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, the 'peoples of the book'. An unquestioned assumption behind this kind of argumentation in the Communist movement is the belief that Marx and Lenin were unquestionably right, simply because Marx is Marx and Lenin is Lenin, and the Russian revolution 'succeeded'. Frankly speaking, the longer and longer the Bolshevik revolution fades into the past, the less and less convincing the tales and legends of the great Lenin will seem.

2. I believe that this emphasis on the great names, on forming a party on the basis of Marxism-Leninism, Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong thought, Marxism-Leninism-Maoism etc seems completely ridiculous. Consider the number of Communist parties in Nepal; 1) CPN-ML 2) CPN-UML 3) CPN-MLM 4) CPN-MLM Prachanda Path 5) CPN workers and peasants party 5) CPN-ML unified 6) CPN-unity centre Masal 7)CPN-Masal revolutionary left wing 8) CPN-Masal etc. L & M, however, are a brand of cigarettes.

3. Marxists seem to already know, without studying, that Marx and Lenin defeated their opponents, and so do not revisit the old debates. The one-sidedness of this seems clear, as we have read what Marx said about the Gotha program, but few have actually read the Gotha program. We have read Marx's criticisms of Feuerbach, but we have never read Feuerbach. We have read Marx's criticisms of Bakunin and Proudhon, but have never read Bakunin or Proudhon. Let us take the last, Marx's criticisms of Bakunin, the Anarchist leader of the First International.

Marx argued that the working class in the advanced capitalist countries of England, France, and Germany would lead the revolution. Bakunin disagreed and argued that workers in these advanced countries would not revolt, and considered them as forming a 'labour aristocracy'. (Lenin took over Bakunin's idea of 'labour aristocracy', and developed it.) Bakunin believed that the revolution would take place in Russia, and peasants would play a major role. This is what happened, and the revolutionary role of the peasantry seems clear in Nepal. Marx argued that the First International should have a single line and program, his own line and program, and all the chapters of the First International should follow this line. Bakunin rejected this, and argued that individual chapters should have their own program and line, and that the International should not seek uniformity.

The demand for one and only one political line as the basis of unity does not allow for unity-this is clear enough when we consider the disunity of the various Communist parties and internationals. Marx argued that the proletariat needed a centralised party to represent their interests, while Bakunin argued that a centralised political party of the proletariat would simply turn into the new rulers over the proletariat. This happened in Russia, China and other places. Now, in the 21st century, we can see that Marx's criticisms of Bakunin were correct, but Bakunin's criticisms of Marx were also correct.

Comrades, if we want Communism for the 21st century, then let us drop the 19th century science and metaphysics.

Sign Online Petition against Israeli attack on Gaza


RedStar and RedNick have produced an online Petition against the Israeli attack on Palestine - please support it.

It is at:

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?redGaza&1
To: The UN

مؤخرا ملاين المحتجين حول العالم خرجوا للشوارع للمطالبه بأنهاء القتال في غزه لماذا تم تجاهلهم؟ عدد كبير من الارواح علي المحك وسوف تفقد هذه الارواح اذا لم يتم ايقاف هذه الحرب نحن ندعم اي تدخل سياسي قوي وسريع لااعاده تثبيت وقف اطلاق النار والذي ينهي كل الاعمال العسكريه بينبين الامبرايالين الاسرائلين و حماس ويرفع الحصار عن غزه وهذا تحقيقا للمصالح العليا للمدنيين و خصوصا لاطفال

Recently, millions of protesters around the world have taken to the streets to demand an end to the fighting in Gaza. Why are they being ignored? Countless lives hang in the balance, and they will all be lost if the protesters are ignored.

We support immediate and strong diplomatic efforts to urgently reinstate a meaningful ceasefire that ends all military operations of the Israeli imperialists and Hamas and lifts the blockade of Gaza. This is in the best interests of the civilians, especially the children.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

90th Anniversary of the death of Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht


Exactly 90 years Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht leaders of the November revolution in Germany were murdered. They founded the German Communist Party and afterwards in were killed in January 1919

Lenin, the great leader of the successful socialist revolution in Russia died five years later has a consequences of an attack. This commemoration has become is Europe's largest demonstration for socialism.

Saturday, 10 January is a rally through the city of Berlin followed by evening and overnight. On Sunday, 11 January after the demonstration and rally at the memorial .

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Ian Martin says Nepal Army Recruitment against Peace Accords


The standoff between the Nepal Army and the Defence Ministry over the recruitment of 2,600 personnel has now escalated into a full-scale political issue.

The government justified reaction by saying the recruitment is against the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and the spirit of the peace process.

Ian Martin of United Nations’ Mission In Nepal (UNMIN) also said so.

George Galloway on Palestinians

General Secretary Ahmad Sa'adat: Turn Gaza into a graveyard for the occupation soldiers


General Secretary: Turn Gaza into a graveyard for the occupation soldiers
Comrade Ahmad Sa'adat, the imprisoned General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, issued a statement from his prison cell on January 5, 2009, calling for Gaza to be turned into a graveyard for the occupiers and for the Palestinian resistance to unite and strike the occupation everywhere they can in order to defeat the enemy.

General Secretary Sa'adat also called upon the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to immediately release its political prisoners and for PA President Mahmoud Abbas to make clear where he stands - on the side of the resistance, or on the side of the enemy. The General Secretary's call was widely distributed by Arab media.

Aziz Dweik of Hamas and Marwan Barghouthi of Fateh, Palestinian national leaders also imprisoned by Israel, also issued statements echoing Comrade Sa'adat's sentiments, calling for national unity and resistance to the occupier.

A statement from Palestinian political prisoners inside Israeli jails was issued last night, signed to by all national and Islamic forces, calling for steadfastness in front of the Israeli crimes and massacres in Gaza and for unity in the battlefield in the struggle.

Jack Shapiro on Gaza Massacre

Monday, January 5, 2009

Defence Minister takes exception to CoAS remarks, says Katawal might face action

The differences between Defense Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Rookmangad Katawal have come to surface with Thapa accusing Katawal of giving political statement.

Speaking at the face-to-face programme organised by Maoist affiliated Revolutionary Journalists Association in Chitwan Monday, Minister Thapa said the government might take action against Katwal if he defies the government order to stop new recruitments in Nepal Army.

Saying that the law of the land does not allow army commander to make political statements, Thapa added that the army should act according to the directions by the government.

Referring to Katwal's statement on Sunday that new recruitments in NA would not stop, the Defence Minister said the government would initiate action against him soon. He further said Katawal's statement that attempts are being made to drag the politicise the army was objectionable.

He said the government would ask the army chief for clarification as to why new recruitments in NA cannot be stopped

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Gaza is not alone! Solidarity in Greece



On Saturday 3 January a massive and combative demonstration took place in the center of Athens and marched towards the Zionist embassy. Thousands of people responded to the call of the Palestinian Community, of the Greek Social Forum and of the Left organizations (with the exception of the "Communist Party of Greece" - KKE). With slogans against the Zionist murderers and their accomplices, the USA, the EU and the so-called "international community", and throwing stones, the people resisted for long time the attacks of the Police Special Forces. The Police attacked with chemicals in an attempt to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the embassy.

The spirit of the demonstration, one of the biggest of the last years, was characterized by outrage for the Zionist crimes, anger for the pro-US, pro-Israel stand of the Greek government, and by resolute spirit of solidarity. The main slogans scanded also by the block of the Communist Organization of Greece were:

"Bush-Olmert murderers! Victory to the Intifada! Freedom for Palestine!"
"The people does not want them here - Throw the Zionist embassy out of Greece"
"Solidarity is the peoples' weapon - War against the imperialist war"
"Zionist pigs murderers: Gaza is not alone"
"Bush and Olmert kill, Karamanlis and Papandreou applaude"
"USA and EU, accomplices in the crime"
"No justice, No peace - Solidarity with Palestine"
"The real terrorists are in the embassies of USA and Israel"

Similar demonstrations took place also in Thessaloniki and other Greek cities. Today Sunday 4 January in the afternoon a new demonstration is called by the Palestinian Community, the Greek Social Forum, the Coalition of Radical Left (SYRIZA), etc. Unfortunately, and despite the plea of the Palestinian Community to organize one common demonstration, the KKE refused and will organize its own separate "peaceful march" 1 hour earlier... The same happened in Thessaloniki.

The Communist Organization of Greece calls upon the Youth and the People of Greece to get into the streets, to take part in the mobilizations organized by the Palestinian Community and the Left, and to express their outrage for the Zionist criminal aggression and for the shameful complicity of the Greek government.

All out to the streets!
Throw out of Greece the embassy of the Zionist murderers!
Unconditional support to the Palestinian Resistance!

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Communist Organization of Greece / Kommounistiki Organosi Elladas (KOE)
International Relations Department