03/07/2023
Solidarity with the people and the youth of France
Mass protests against the escalation of repression and the attack on democratic rights in France were organized by KNE on Monday the 3rd of July in front of the Embassy of France in Athens and the French Consulate in Thessaloniki.
Statements
Cleo Christopoulou, member of the Bureau of the Central Council of KNE, held a speech, in which she noted:
"Today's protest of the Communist Youth of Greece outside the French embassy sends a message of solidarity to the people of France, the thousands of young people, students, pupils and workers, who have been on the streets for a week now, demonstrating against the new crime of state violence and police arbitrariness [...]
This is not an individual event. This new cold-blooded murder by police fire adds to a long list of victims of the state repression that is intensifying in France, Greece, the EU member states, the USA, all over the capitalist world. It is shocking that in France this is the 14th murder in 2023 by police bullets for traffic violations.
Behind the so-called 'European welfare state', which the Euro-road parties praise, there is incredible misery and oppression of the poor people, state violence and brutal exploitation. This is the true face of bourgeois democracy! This is the true face of the EU! [...]
In France too, the outburst of anger is triggered by the intensity of the great class inequalities that are in the DNA of the capitalist system. In the most deprived areas of the country around 18.6% are unemployed, when the average for the whole of France is 8%. More than half of the children in these areas live in poverty.
The young people of the suburbs are rising up because in the City of Light, they see no ray of light, no hope for their future: French citizens, born in the country, but most of them the children of immigrants from Algeria, Morocco, Senegal or other African countries, where France had a dark colonial past and now exploits its children as cheap labour, marginalises them, corral them in huge housing estates on the outskirts of the big cities. In Paris, memories of 2005 are awakening, when again from the working-class ghetto districts in the suburbs the wave of popular anger of the modern "Misérables " of France broke out.
With our mobilisation we join our voice with the people and youth of France who are rightly overflowing with rage. We express our solidarity with the tens of thousands who have taken to the streets in Paris and other cities, demonstrating for a life with modern rights, against state violence and police arbitrariness. We too demand that justice be done for Nael."
Completing the protest, the KNE denounced the refusal of the French Embassy to receive the protest petition, stressing however that the message against repression and solidarity with the struggling French people was given.
The Athens mobilisation was attended by Thodoris Kotsantis, secretary of the CC of the KNE and Lefteris Nikolaou Alavanos, MEP of the KKE.
Statement of the International Relations Committee of the CC of KNE on the killing of 17-year-old Nahel in France
On the occasion of the murder of 17-year-old Nael in France, the International Relations Committee of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece released on the 30rd of June the following statement:
The Communist Youth of Greece denounces the killing of 17-year-old Nahel, of Algerian origin, in Nanterre, Paris, on Tuesday 27th June 2023, by a police officer whoshot him at point-blank range alleging “refusal to comply” during a
traffic control.
This new cold-blooded killing by police fire is being added to a long list of victims of state violence and
repression, which are intensified, proving that state violence and police arbitrariness are key components of a state hostile towards the people. It is no coincidence that such incidents have been on the increase in France, Greece, the EU member-states, the USA and all around the world, whether liberal or social democratic forces are in power, going hand in hand with prohibitions and limitations to protests or strikes, the attack to the rights and dreams of the young generation and workers.
This is proved from the unacceptable statements of Macron’s government officials, attempting to slander the huge demonstrations and the genuine outrage of the people while increasing repression measures by putting 40,000 (!)
police officers on alert.
We express our solidarity with the people and youth of France that are rightfully overflowing with rage, to the tens of thousands of workers and young people flooding the streets of Paris and other cities, demanding that justice be served, denouncing police violence and arbitrariness. We strengthen our fight throughout Europe against the criminal policy of the EU and governments, against the system of exploitation, poverty and repression.
Athens, 30-6-2023