On 12 January, one of the major Greek newspapers, published a two page article about the Greek Marxists of the Communist Tendency of SYRIZA and their programme. We publish the reply of the Greek comrades in responce to this attack.
See also the paper's interview with the comrades of the Communist Tendency: Greek Marxists interviewed by major Greek newspaper
To read the full programme of the Communist Tendency of SYRIZA in English please click here
On Sunday 12th January the newspaper “Proto Thema” (PT) chose to deal with a topic that must have caused, no doubt, quite a sensation to thousands of its readers. It was a two page long article dedicated to our Greek Marxists organised in the Communist Tendency of SYRIZA (see below pictures of the original newspaper article). This article included extracts taken from our programme and publications, pictures taken from our events, and of course the all-important ironic commentary, personal attacks and irrelevant gossip.
Of course the purpose of this newspaper, which represents the views of the bourgeois establishment, was not to advertise the ideas of Marxism. It is obvious that the bourgeois masterminds of PT are trying to put pressure on the leadership of SYRIZA to expel the communist “extremists”, in order to provide solid proof that they are maturing and can govern when the time comes – govern as a good administrators of the capitalist crisis, that is.
Every left activist of SYRIZA expects the leadership to resist to this pressure. Nevertheless, regardless of what the SYRIZA leadership will do, this attack on the Communist Tendency by PT evidently shows that the ruling class is increasingly worried and is escalating its propaganda regarding the influence of the communists in SYRIZA and thereby pushing for an official “denouncement” of their ideas by the party.
We are not surprised by the attitude of the article in “PT”. In the first part of the article entitled “Tatsopoulos is gone, what happens with the rest?” (pages 26-27), a member of our tendency is mentioned as a “hardcore SYRIZA member” in a timid effort to speak to incite the fear of conspiracy in the average man and woman. Focusing on life styles rather than politics, our other member is presented as a supporter of a specific football club – a fact that has obviously been discovered after a vigorous research in social media sites.
We did not, of course, expect any different. What is of real interest however in the first part of the article – following the attempt to incriminate the comrade general secretary of SYRIZA, who gave a formal and kind address to the recent open meeting of the Communist Tendency – is the open confession of fear by the bourgeoisie in the role that the tendency can play in the near future. In particular, the ruling class is worried of the role that our tendency can play in the very important matter of the unification of the Greek communist movement.
The editor writes: “..on behalf of the leadership of SYRIZA, the tendency welcomed with open arms Dimitris Vitsas, probably expressing sympathy towards a “mini-KKE”, which could create a bridge with the original Communist Party”.
In the second main part of the article, (page 28-29) entitled The tendency suggests taxation of 75%, nationalization of the media and people’s army”, the paper starts off with two distortions of our positions.
It is clear from our programme that the 75% taxation is not concerning the lower and middle classes, but only the big earners. Also, the “nationalisation of the media”, is in reality the socialisation of the media, meaning their appropriation from the chains of the big capitalists and their allocation to the workers unions. Thus they can be put to use for the real needs of society rather than profits.
PT also try to stir up a suspicions of conspiracy theories, using titles such the “red incursion of SYRIZA”, and mentioning a British “ideological mentor” – hinting at a sort of “foreign intervention” – referring to the famous Marxist writer and comrade Alan Woods, whose books and articles, as it is widely known, we have been translating for years. We also had the honour to have Alan as a guest speaker last April at the founding event of our tendency.
All these, however, are expected of a newspaper of the caliber of Proto Thema and are immaterial. What is truly impressive in the second part of the article is that the paper has included very important extracts regarding key issues taken from the communist platform, which is the programme of the Communist Tendency.
The masterminds at Proto Thema, blinded by their reactionary hatred towards authentic communist ideas, extensively refer to these ideas in their article. The writers and editors of PT are assuming that their readers will find the ideas of the communists as repulsive as they do. These gentlemen are so deeply immersed in their bourgeois illusions that think that the thousands who have been impoverished by capitalism, and who buy “Proto Thema” for its supermarket coupons, will be hostile towards the only political ideas and positions that can take them out of this permanent misery of poverty and unemployment.
Taking all these into account we would like to deeply thank Proto Thema for this political advertisement – of course enriched with plenty of irony and completely hostile intentions – of real communist ideas; of the ideas of the Communist Tendency of SYRIZA. The fact that they choose – even in this unorthodox way – to express their worries about the rising influence of these ideas, is proof that the Communist Tendency is on the right path. Its supporters and friends are fighting daily to make its voice stronger. They are not fighting in vain; they are not making sacrifices in vain.
So comrades lets go ahead with even more enthusiasm and militancy in the fight for the ideas that the bourgeoisie is terrified of!
The spectre of communism – the spectre of the Communist Tendency – is already haunting their nightmares!
