On February 22-23, 2025 an internationalist anti-imperialist anti-war meeting took place in Athens. The meeting was organized by the Greek organization KKE (ml). Our organization also participated with a delegation on site.
The event began on the 22nd at noon with an anti-war demonstration through a working-class neighborhood in Athens, in which several hundred comrades of the KKE (ml) participated as well as the representatives of the various invited communist and revolutionary from other countries.
The demonstration ran in orderly rows, with numerous flags and banners, through the streets and continuously chanted anti-war and anti-armament slogans in Greek, such as “Russia and NATO – get out of Ukraine!” or the slogan ”From the River to the Sea – Palestine will be free“ which is still criminalized in many places in Germany.
This was followed by a panel discussion with twenty-minute contributions from the various delegations. In addition to the hosts of the KKE (ml), the Antiimperialist Action from Denmark, Unité Communiste from France, the Communist Union of Workers (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) from Colombia, the People’s Student Movement from Malta, the Maoist Communist Party from Italy and the TKP/ML from Turkey and Northern Kurdistan as well as our organization took part. A representative of the Palestinian community from Thessaloniki also made an urgent appeal to strengthen solidarity with the Palestinian liberation struggle in a speech. The contribution of our organization can be found here.
The contributions were very diverse in terms of content and covered a spectrum from practical reports on Palestine solidarity work to analytical contributions on the development of the world situation as well as attempts to outline a direction for building a revolutionary anti-war movement.
There was unity among the participants on various points, but especially on the fact that an unjust imperialist war is being waged in Ukraine, in which neither of the two main parties can be considered a progressive or even revolutionary force. It is also clear that the objective situation requires a closer ideological exchange as well as practical political cooperation between revolutionary forces worldwide – nevertheless the discussion about which concrete forms and occasions are suitable for this cooperation must certainly be continued.
This was followed on Sunday by a discussion among various invited Greek revolutionary and communist organizations. The main focus here was on the intensification of imperialist contradictions, particularly with regard to the war in Ukraine. However, the consequences for Greece were also discussed. Due to its geopolitical situation, the Greek bourgeoisie’s main focus is on its competition with Turkey for control over as much of the Mediterranean as possible, and many social democratic or progressive forces in the country side with the Greek bourgeoisie on this issue, which they consider to be “defensive” in relation to Turkey. Among the participating organizations, however, there was quite a strong unity that this is a wrong attitude and that the conflict over the control of the Mediterranean is being conducted from two different reactionary points of view.
Another key issue that has repeatedly played a central role in Greek civic politics was the position on Cyprus. The Mediterranean island is of central geopolitical importance and is now effectively used as a NATO outpost with several military bases from which to control significant parts of the Mediterranean and Western Asia. Here too, various organizations have clearly positioned themselves in favour of genuine independence for Cyprus, both from Turkey and from Greece and all imperialist powers.
All contributions are available in English on the KKE (ml)‘s website.
The meeting in Athens was an important initiative of the Greek comrades, which we very much welcome and in which we were happy to participate. At the same time, it is obvious that it alone will be far from enough to rebuild the fragmented revolutionary and workers‘ movement and bring it to a state where it can effectively resist the imperialists‘ war preparations.
The following statement was agreed on and signed by a part of the international organizations present in Athens.
Statement of the Anti-Imperialist Anti-War Meeting of Athens 22-23 February 2025
All the contradictions of the planet intensify, the anti-worker, anti-people’s policies escalate. The main imperialist powers compete for a new division of markets and spheres of influence, seeking to overcome the world crisis through the preparation of World War III. The peoples of the world experience the effects of the imperialist rivalry in the most brutal way.
The unjust war in Ukraine, between Russian imperialism on one side and the USA – West and their puppet reactionary Zelensky regime on the other already counts hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded, and is today the epicentre of these antagonisms. The heroic Palestinian people resist the genocidal operation of the murderous Zionists of Israel who serve the plans of the American imperialists. The developments from the Caucasus and the Balkans to Africa, from the Pacific Ocean and West America to the Arctic Circle take place in the same framework.
Hate, chauvinism, and nationalism are reinforced to strike at popular resistance and strengthen the antagonisms of the powerful. In all countries of the world, political systems are preparing and taking political, economic and military measures in the face of the possibility of a generalized war. Imperialism oppresses the peoples and capital intensifies more and more the exploitation of the working class reaching forms of enslavement in order to make profits and strengthen its class domination.
The working class, peoples and youth, all over the world, are resisting capitalist-imperialist barbarism with struggles and uprisings. They express, in the terms they have come to formulate today, their anger and their demands. These struggles seek and need the upgrading of their constitution and the formation of their revolutionary perspective.
However, the trajectory of developments makes this need more urgent. In the face of the intensification of the dangers of war, the threats even of nuclear war, it is necessary to take steps in the direction of the Anti-imperialist-Anti-war Front of Popular Struggle.
It is therefore obvious that there is a need to build the conditions for the coordination of the anti-imperialist and revolutionary forces from as many countries and regions in the world as possible.
In order to facilitate and act as a catalyst in the effort to build the anti-imperialist struggle in every country.
In order to internationally strengthen the direction of friendship and solidarity of peoples against the fascist and nationalist poison sown by capital and its spokespersons.
The organizations that sign this statement and participated in the Anti-imperialist Anti-War Meeting in Athens on 22-23/2/2025 seek a common path, to inform and be informed, to coordinate to the greatest possible level, and to struggle, not only by ourselves, but also with all the forces that want to contribute in this direction. A direction whose political mark will adopt the following axes:
– Common struggles of the peoples against unjust wars and imperialism
– Against capitalist exploitation and imperialist barbarism
– Out with US-NATO and Russia from Ukraine.
– Free Palestine
– Down with nationalism and the fascist poison. Solidarity and friendship of all peoples.
– Solidarity to refugees and immigrants
– Peoples do not need protectors! We rely on the inexhaustible people’s forces – we support the popular struggles all over the world
– We strive for joint action at international level against the war preparations and reactionary policies of imperialism
In this direction we aspire to take initiatives to strengthen the anti-imperialist and anti-war struggle in our countries and internationally. Furthermore, in order to promote dialogue and coordination on the serious issues of the period, we are going to create an international information and dialogue web page with the title International Anti-imperialist Bulletin.
Anti-Imperialist Action (Denmark)
Union of Communists (France)
Communist Union of Workers (MLM) (Colombia)
Communist Party of Greece (marxist-leninist)
Communist Construction (Germany)
Maoist Communist Party (Italy)
