Students’ struggle brought the first victory and goes on for the final ruin of the government’s projects

Greece

The reform of the Constitution, attempted the recent period in the Greek parliament by the government of New Democracy (centre-rightist) with the collaboration of PASOK (social-democrat), is part of the attack by the capital’s forces against the workers, the youth, the interests of people’s toiling majority and the democrat and social gains.
The constitutional reform concerns certain subjects of decisive significance since they were the result of our people’s struggle and gains for decades.
It concerns:
Article 16. It concerns the FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION which is the state’s commitment for all education stages. The abolition-reform of this article opens the way for the abolition of the right to education of the people, the working class and the youth. It is also connected with the abolition to professional and democratic rights of the youth and the people. It opens the way for the complete privatization of Education and the establishment of private Universities.
Article 24. It concerns the declassification of forest land which becomes prey to the constructive capital, land-grabbers and temporizers of every kind. Practically it aims at turning large forest land to building ground bearing great danger for the environment.
Article 103. It concerns the abolishment of permanence of public service employees (they cannot be fired). It is the overthrow of the labor relations and being a hostage of the workers and the working class in the capital’s hands.

The required process is the follow:
At first we should clarify that a referendum is not required for the reform of the constitution articles.
It requires the majority of Parliament Members, 3/5 of the current parliament – that is 180 PM – in order to reform the articles by the simple majority of the next parliament (government) – only 151 PM. If in this parliament the number of PM who will vote for the reform of the article 16 is less than 180 then in the new parliament that will try to reform the constitution the number of PM that is required should be more than 180.
Therefore it is important to develop such a movement that will include all the people and it will cause such political problems to both parties ND and PASOK in order to make it impossible to reach this majority and to sharpen the contradictions within the bourgeoisie. It is also important to create the conditions for the building up and the existence of a movement that will be able to defend people’s gains, to politicize even more in its confrontation and be able to win.
The initial plans of the ND government – with the collaboration of PASOK – were to vote for the new law for the Universities and the reform of the article 16 during summer. This changed after the great mobilization of the students and it was postponed for October. However it was followed by the great –also- strike of teachers that lasted six weeks and the students in high schools who sat in their schools. For reasons concerning the shortcomings of the movement and the balance of power within the teachers’ sector the strike and the sitting in the high schools “stopped” – sold out- the moment that this movement was tending to include the whole education section (to gain all education features). We believe it was not by chance. Once again – with PASOK’s collaboration – the vote for the reform was postponed for January.
Despite the blackmail for losing the semester and the exams and despite the fact that time was barely enough, almost every University school went on strike and sitting in right after the Christmas holidays and the rallies in January the 10th were massive ones all over Greece. Things went on the same way. All the more university schools, via the decisions of student’s unions’ general assemblies, were seized and continue week after week. Certain initiatives have been established trying to put forth this issue to trade unions, parents’ associations and neighborhoods. They try to turn it from an issue of the education sector to the case of all people, who is the only guarantee for the final victory.
It’s almost one month since the students started their struggle and the first victory came. PASOK, under the movement’s pressure withdrew from the constitutional reform and the government is left alone and with its back to the wall. The students though demand full victory with final withdrawal of every project and law of the government and they continue their struggle unflaggingly. More than 300 university schools are on strike and sit in, all over the country, demonstrations are organized with thousands participants and open debates to inform the people about what is going on. An all-education and all-people front is being organized. The struggle goes on.


Chrissi Perperidou "mailto:chrissip62@hotmail.com
ILPS, ICC member
Greece, 5/2/2007

STRUGGLE TO RESIST THE GOVERNMENT’S REACTIONARY EDUCATION POLICY.

More than 200 university students’ unions, all over Greece are on strike. And the list is growing. The students through the decisions of their general assemblies decided to go on strike in order to oppose the new law concerning universities. They are opposing the reactionary education policy of the government. On Thursday, in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Chania and Heraklio and other cities there were mass demonstrations against the law.
The students were chanting slogans against the privatization of universities, the abolishment of the asylum and the criminalization of students’ struggle. They also demanded to find jobs once they finished their studies.
Despite the police brutality and the assaults against the demonstrators in Athens, Chania and Xanthi, the students continue their struggle.
The solidarity to students’ movement is necessary to grow with the support of the workers and toilers.
The students’ movement can win this battle.

DOWN WITH THE EDUCATION LAW

HANDS OFF THE ASYLUM
THE ASYLUM BELONGS TO ALL THE PEOPLE.

IN THE STREETS WE BREAK THE LAW

STUDENTS MILITANT MOVEMENT


May-June 2006

The struggle goes on

For more than a month and across Greece the students’ mobilization has been developing. A student’s movement that was the sequence of the student’s uprising in May-June. Every day in many university schools general assemblies are organized and all the more university schools decide for sitting in. The seized schools are more than 350 across the country. Every week mass rallies are organized in Athens and Thessaloniki and in other cities as well with thousands of people participating and demonstrating against the reform in education -privatization and abolishment of students’ and people’s rights and gains- attempted by the government through the reform of the article 16 of the constitution.

The article 16 of the constitution established the state’s commitment to provide public and free education to all. Its reform will allow the establishment of private universities and will change the function of the public ones in which the overwhelming majority of students is studying. In a few words, public universities due to the antagonism with the private ones and according to the free market criteria will adopt criteria of free enterprise in their function, that is they will impose tuition fees, payment for books etc, (everything that stands in other countries where all these are already happening). Therefore, education from the right of all people will become the privilege of the few, the ones that will have the economic ability to study.
The government has announced its intention, right after the constitutional reform, to put forth for voting in the parliament the new law regarding universities. It is the law that the students’ movement in May-June has opposed and prevented its voting.
The new law, in combination with the reform of article 16 intensifies studies and abolishes a number of rights that our people have struggled for them for decades.
The right to public free education (free books, providing of feeding and housing etc).
The right to work, because the new diploma will have no professional rights and the new employer will become prey in the hands of the employee.
The democratic rights, since they plan to abolish the university asylum (the police and the army cannot enter in the universities) and consequently the prohibition of every free political, trade unionist, social and cultural activity of students.

The student’s movement says No to this University without rights, the university for the few and privileged. They say No every day in their general assemblies and their rallies in the streets.
In the present phase of its development the movement is trying to escalate their struggle through their connection and coordination with the students in high schools, the teachers and the workers in general. Already there have been scheduled meetings, debates, and activities to this direction. Because it is about an issue that concerns the whole society and in order to reach the final victory is required an all people ceaseless struggle.
January 2007

“EITHER WE CARRY THE LIFE TO THE DEAD STARS OR THE DEATH WILL COME DOWN TO OUR WORLD”*

To All Workers and Oppressed Peoples of the World,

We salute international proletariat, oppressed peoples and nations, sister communist parties, revolutionary parties and organizations, national liberation movements and all patriots who resist against imperialism, fascism and reactionism with the revolutionary spirit of Communism that is glorified by our Party’s 8th Conference!
We celebrate our Party’s foundation’s 35th anniversary by declaring our Party’s 8th Conference that is concluded by the triumph of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism! Our Party’s 8th Conference whose essential agenda was the People’s War, took steps to advance our struggle.
Our Party’s 8th Conference is an important milestone for the People’s War that is executed by our Party which is founded by the leading Comrade İbrahim Kaypakkaya in the year 1972. This is materializing the leaps and advances of our Party that commits the duty of the Turkey part of the struggle for the proletarian world revolution.
(Imperialists) Who supposed to be able to do everything and who believed to rule the world as they wish until yesterday, is facing with difficulties in believing their disappointment today. The mercilessly struggle and resistance of peoples is rising against the furious imperialist aggressiveness under the leadership of USA.
The 4th and 6th years of the Iraq and Afghanistan occupation turned into a bog that pulls the tyrants to inside by the resistance of the peoples. In tye metropolises of the world, the protest chains of the workers and laborers meet with the rebellions of the “curseds” that grows the fire. The freedom winds of the peoples of Latin America shake the castles of imperialism and carry the important messages about the future’s socialist world unless it blows up the sails of the reformism for today.
The power marches under the leadership of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist parties are climbing to the peaks. The new ones are added to the countries that fires the People’s War. The flag of Maoism is waving in all continents. The ideology, which will be printing the course of the century, is showing itself in the beginning of the process. The fallowing days will witness the growing of this reality.

To the International Communist Movement and sister Communist Parties,
Comrades;

Our Party, TKP/ML, which endeavors to be a honorable component of the International Communist Movement in it’s 35 years old history according to it’s conception of internationalism, decided to continue it’s activities for advancing the International Communist Movement with a great sacrifice and decisiveness in it’s 8th Conference.
Our 8th Conference is clear that the ideological struggle against modern revisionism, Trotskyism, reformism and any kind of opportunism and liquidation can not be divided from the class struggle against imperialism, fascism and any kind of reactionism.
Who can not get any success in liquidating the communist ideology in the material reality of the class struggle with poor propaganda, endeavors to make it invalid by the demagogy of “the change in the conditions” and by degenerating it’s essence with falsifying. Because of this reality, ideological struggle against various bourgeois currents, which use all opportunities, is one of our prior duties.
In practicing this duty, with using the advantages of having the science of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, it is important to underline some key concepts. The first of these concepts is the People’s War which was the main agenda of our Party’s 8th Conference. People’s War strategy, which should be defended as the universal liberation way of the semi-colonial countries, will act as a determinant role in advancing the proletarian world revolution in leaps.
Imperialist-capitalist system, which reached to the 21st century with many difficulties, is dragging humanity to the catastrophe with itself. The only force that can stop this is the revolutions under the leadership of the proletariat. With the stupendous experiences of the last century, oppressed peoples of the world under the leadership of proletariat will give an end to the sovereignty of the cruelty.
For this, communists must execute a struggle that will race with the time!

Down with imperialism, fascism and any kind of reactionism!
Long live Marxism-Leninism-Maoism!
Long live proletarian internationalism!

Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist
Central Committee Political Bureau
April 2007


* This is a part of the poem written by the communist poet Nazim Hikmet.