During the coming days is taking place another NATO summit, this time in Lisbon - Portugal.In this framework, where the Portuguese government is hosting a summit of an assassin organization to which affiliation is even against its Constitution, the attacks to freedoms and democratic guarantees have been growing rapidly.

WFDY highlights the cases of intense police activity, the suspension of the Schengen Area and prevention of entrance of various people in the country, the fact that the Portuguese government has spent millions of euro in military equipment for “defensive manoeuvres that may be necessary” and the growing atmosphere of fear spread throughout the media in a clear attempt to demobilize from the demonstration of Saturday.

WFDY denounces furthermore that today, in this atmosphere of “total control”, police officers have invaded the headquarters of a trade union to destroy propaganda regarding the workers’ general strike of next Wednesday, in an act that is only comparable to those done by the police of the Portuguese fascist regime - that same one that was one of the founding members of NATO.

WFDY reaffirms its support to the campaign “Yes to Peace, No to NATO!” as the umbrella platform where all relevant expressions of the different movements (including our members in the country, JCP, and the Portuguese NPC for the 17th WFYS) come together to struggle against this summit and for the dismantle of NATO. We encourage all Portuguese people and other internationalists to join the demonstration of Saturday afternoon in the centre of Lisbon that is being held under the same slogan of the campaign by that same campaign.

WFDY is sure that a world of peace is necessarily a world free of NATO or any other tool of aggression, therefore demanding its immediate disband and the full respect for the United Nations as platform where the countries should assemble and democratically take the necessary decisions for world peace and respect for the International Law.

In the framework of the coming Summit of NATO to be held in Lisbon, Portugal, in November, 2010, the World Federation of Democratic Youth extends its support to the peace-loving forces in Portugal.We particularly salute the actions of our member organization, the Portuguese Communist Youth (JCP), of the Portuguese National Preparatory Committee for the 17th WFYS, and all organizations that, side by side with these abovementioned two, are part of the campaign “Yes to Peace, no to NATO!”

As the last 60 years have proved, NATO is since its foundation, one of the most killing instruments of imperialism and has always played a role of oppressing the struggling people, whether by support to fascist coup d’etats, colonialist domination and military intervention or direct attack.
Among many other examples, mankind
can’t ever forget how on 1999 NATO was the instrument for the bombing of Serbia, bringing war back to Europe to conclude the dismantle of Yugoslavia, a country that lived in peace and prosperity for decades and whose only “mistake” was not to accept the imperialist imposition to abandon its policy of sovereignty.

In the preparations for this summit of November already several voices of imperialist powers have raised their voice to announce the deepening of NATO global aggressive character, as to widen the justifications for NATO interventions and confirm it as the “policeman” of imperialism that can intervene at anytime and anywhere.

This fact, goes side by side with the growing military investment and commitment of the European Union and USA to NATO, as their tool to protect and deepen the imperialist domination over all countries of the world, present in Afghanistan with an increasing military contingent and having as main future target Iran.

We stand side by side with the Portuguese youth and people, whose country remains attached to this hideous structure following a commitment made by the Portuguese fascist state 61 years ago. The dissolution of NATO is, therefore, a demand of the current times, part of the achievements of the Portuguese people with the overthrow of the fascist regime and a clear of guideline of the national constitution of the country even nowadays.

In the road for the 17th World Festival of Youth and Students, in South Africa in 2010, the struggle of the youth against NATO and for peace is a major aspect of the preparations of the Festival and it will also be one of the most significant topics in discussion.

WFDY fully supports and endorses the Portuguese campaign “Yes to Peace, no to NATO!”which unites dozens of movements and organizations. We call upon all peace loving organizations to unite our voices and meet in November 2010 in Lisbon under the appeal of the above mentioned campaign.