Finland: Revolutionary Communists founded in Helsinki!

The Finnish organisation of the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) held its first conference amidst an enthusiastic, militant atmosphere on the weekend of 17-18 May. Around 30 comrades gathered in Helsinki from all corners of the country to discuss the explosive world situation and the perspectives for the future Finnish revolution.

Finland has been named the ‘happiest country’ for eight years running by the ‘World Happiness Report’. But this accolade does not measure up to the reality on the ground. The same crisis of capitalism that crushes workers throughout Europe has inflicted austerity, precarity and rising living costs on the Finnish masses as well. The status quo is hated, and millions are desperately seeking a way forward.

In other words, the field is wide open for revolutionary communist ideas!

This is the context in which the comrades held their founding conference. Attendees came from as far afield as Tampere, Pori, Harjavalta, Kajaani, Vaasa and, of course, from the Helsinki metropolitan area. We were also joined by a couple of international guests.

Joe Attard from the RCI’s International Centre in London introduced the discussion on the world situation. He explained that an 80-year world order has been turned on its head seemingly overnight, with US President Donald Trump leading the charge.

In reality, Trump is merely expressing and intensifying a process that was already implicit in the crisis of world capitalism. The last decades have seen a relative retreat of US imperialism and new tensions emerging as the world is redivided between new challengers on the world stage.

The result is an epoch of war, revolution and counter-revolution. The rotten establishment is widely despised, and the masses are looking in every direction for a way forward.

If, for now, right-wing forces have been able to capture some of this anti-establishment mood, given the pathetic failure of the so-called left to offer any answers, this will only precipitate a sharp shift towards radical left-wing politics in the future. The communists must be organised and prepared for this if we are to grow our forces!

Joe was followed by Ela from Tampere, who introduced the discussion on Finnish Perspectives.

Following four years of a scandal-ridden, right-wing Social Democratic government under Sanna Marin (who has now retired from frontline politics to join the Tony Blair Institute), Finland has been led by an unholy coalition of the ‘centre-right’ National Coalition Party and the nationalist Finns Party (formerly the True Finns).

This government has carried out a raft of attacks on working people. They have also introduced legislation to curb the right to strike, to make it easier to fire people and to limit the scope of collective bargaining by the unions. This will inevitably lead to an intensification of the class struggle in the coming years.

One point that came strongly out of the discussion was the need to win over the youth, who have been enraged by Finnish imperialism’s support for Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

On the second day, Leo from the Swedish Revolutionary Communist Party (RKP) introduced a session on the importance of democratic centralism to building a Bolshevik organisation. To become a weapon of revolutionary struggle for the working class, such an organisation requires the maximum freedom of discussion and unity of purpose.

This was followed by a session on the organisational tasks of the newly founded Finnish Revolutionary Communists, introduced by Mikko from the Finnish leadership. He outlined three major goals for 2025: increasing the membership to 50 comrades, acquiring a professional-level printer and increasing the average dues to €40 per month.

Mikko also emphasised the necessity of grounding the organisation in the ideas of Marxism to provide the correct analysis and guidance in the stormy period ahead. Appropriately, the discussions, both after the leadoffs and more informally at the evening social event, showed a thirst for theory and ideas.

Without raising the theoretical level throughout the entire organisation, it will be impossible for us to achieve our goal of first reaching 50 and then 100 members as soon as possible.

Many Finnish comrades made excellent contributions to the discussions over the course of the weekend: on China, on the situation in Gaza, on practical lessons from the experience of building branches across Finland, on professionalism in communist work and many other subjects. The comrades also took full advantage of the opportunity to chat with their international guests.

Finances are one way of concretely demonstrating the commitment of the comrades. Following an excellent and very serious financial appeal by Joonas from the Finnish leadership, the event raised a total of €2,303.50. One comrade announced that they would increase their dues from €40 to €100. Another said that they would increase their dues from €150 to €200. Others made financial sacrifices as well.

The conference undoubtedly solidified the commitment of many of the newer comrades to the organisation. One comrade, who had only been with us for a few weeks and had travelled to Helsinki from afar, said after the conference: “Participating in this event made it possible for me to call myself a communist without shame or apology.”

Immediately after the conference, some of the comrades were so motivated that they even went to build the party at a demonstration against austerity waged by the Finnish right-wing government in the centre of Helsinki.

“Long live the Revolutionary Communists!” rang out in the hall at the end of the meeting, to great applause. Then the international workers' anthem, The Internationale, was sung, ending the founding meeting of the Finnish Revolutionary Communists on a triumphant note.

One thing is clear: the communists have come to stay in Finland!

Let the Finnish ruling class tremble!

The Finnish working class shall rise and rediscover its glorious traditions of 1918!

Workers of the world, unite!