STATEMENT OF WORLD FEDERATION OF DEMOCRATIC YOUTH (WFDY)

Against repression and offense to democratic rights
Solidarity with KSM – Communist Youth Union of Czech Republic

The Coordinating Council of World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) met from 11th – 12th of February in Budapest, Hungary with presence of youth organizations from Brazil, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Eritrea, Greece, Hungary, India, Morocco, Nepal, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Sudan, Turkey and Venezuela. Among several issues that were discussed it pays special reference the situation that our member organization in Czech Republic - Communist Youth Union (KSM) has been facing.

It came to our knowledge that last December the Czech Republic Interior Ministry commanded KSM to renounce to its political proposals, its communist identity and its Marxist-Leninist principles. The Czech Republic government established a time limit so that KSM would change its politic program otherwise this youth organization would be declared illegal. The given closing date (31st December 2005) was later on post-pone to March 2006.

The Ministry of Interior has sent to KSM a warning and precept, in which it:

1. Impugns the status of the KSM as a civic association under pretext that the goals of KSM´s activity interfere with an area restricted to activities of political parties that is, according to the interpretation of the Home Office of the Czech Republic, excluded from the intervention of civic associations. Nevertheless the KSM does not differ in this area from the field of action of other youth political organizations in the Czech Republic like Young Conservatives, Young Social Democrats, Young Christian Democrats, etc. Thus it is obvious that this attack against the KSM is politically motivated. It is an obvious attempt to restrain our freedom of association.

2. Tries to coerce the KSM into renouncing its political program, communist identity, goals, and theoretical basis in Marx, Engels and Lenin, which is Marxism as a whole.

This attack against the KSM is just the climax of a long-run anticommunist campaign that has increased in intensity this year. Among its manifestations was for example a petition titled “Let’s abolish the communists,” an endeavor to pass a law that would criminalize communist ideas, movement and the word “communist” as such. This bill simultaneously put communism and its ideas on one level with fascism and its crimes. (This text has been already passed in the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and now it shall be discussed in the House of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.) Also a so-called humanitarian organization People in Need – Czech Republic has been involved in this anticommunist campaign. This organization has begun to organize a strongly anticommunist campaign within the public education system in elementary schools and secondary schools.

It is necessary to emphasize that the attack against the KSM is an attack against the whole communist movement in the Czech Republic, and therefore also against the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KCSM), which the state power has not so far dared to attack directly; it does so indirectly by attacking the Communist Union of Youth due to the closeness between the KCSM, which is today one of the strongest parliamentary political parties in the Czech Republic and one of the strongest communist parties in Europe.

On identical level of offense it is the motion presented last 24th of January to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) entitled “Need for international condemnation of crimes of totalitarian communist regimes” upon a report of its political committee. The content of this report constitutes a flagrant violation of every sense of democratic liberties and order and shows a practice of political revenge of capitalism, aiming to prevent the most progressive forces to act freely and to propagate their ideas and ideals. This anti-democratic crusade is a clear violation of the most elementary rights and freedom of the citizens. To perpetuate this crusade everything is admissible for the capitalist ideological offense from comparisons of the progressive and peace-loving organizations of workers, youth and students with the terrorist actions or the heinous crimes carried out by the Nazi-fascism as it already has happened in Czech Republic and other countries.

This anti-democratic operation aims to strike the progressive movements and the most elementary rights and freedom of the citizens by the implementation of the so-called “anti-terrorist legislation”, by the United States government and the European Union.

The Coordinating Council of WFDY expresses its strong disgust, protests and deeply concerns towards these measures and affirms that the action and the fight of the anti-imperialist, progressive and democratic youth movement, all over the world, won’t let any expression of the youth movement to be oppressed or silenced. We demand the respect for freedom and democracy, the ceasing of these political provocations and express its profound solidarity with the victims of this undemocratic and autocratic assault being convinced that the imperialist and capitalist forces will never stop the fight of the youth and the people for freedom.

All over the world the anti-imperialist, progressive, democratic, peace-loving youth movement expresses solidarity with KSM, and stands against the attacks performed to prohibit it. We call upon all our member and friendly organizations at national, regional and international level as well as all the anti-imperialist youth movement to boost the struggle against these anti-democratic measures and develop a range of actions to raise the conscience of the young people and stop these attacks immediately.

On this framework we will launch an international campaign against the anti-democratic measures with the goals to uncover the situation that exist now in European Union, to conscious the youth movement against this phenomena and to express our solidarity to any youth organization that suffers with this anti-democratic policies. This campaign is going to be effective in many countries in the world towards multiple actions to be developed like a portfolio of concrete situations faced by the youth movement on this regard, monitoring the strikes against the youth organizations, petitions, signatures raising, protests, international and regional activities, solidarity visits and other activities creating a massive movement that stands for democracy, freedom and youth rights against the attacks to civil and democratic rights of the people.

The Coordinating Council of WFDY
Budapest, 11th and 12th of February 2006

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