51st Festival of KNE-Odigitis:Speech by Thodoris Kotsandis at the main political rally

Friends,
Comrades,

The Festival of KNE and Odigitis has entered its new half-century, always young and pioneering, even more beautiful and even bigger.

A breath of culture and optimism, a ray of light against the darkness of imperialist war, against the slavery of the 13-hour working day, against the rottenness of the system.

The Festival confirms its appeal, its youthful freshness, its potential for new leaps forward, not only as an landmark event but also for KNE. Because the Festival and KNE are one.

Its course shows what KNE can achieve, based on the revolutionary political proposal of the KKE, on the contribution, inspiration and initiative of its members, and on the creative forces of art and culture.

The Central Council of KNE greets all the members and friends of the Party and of KNE who worked collectively and voluntarily to build the red city of the 51st Festival; the thousands of young men and women who embraced its events; the workers and youth of Western Athens who welcomed us once again into their neighbourhood.

The slogan of the Festival is a call to every young man and woman to enter the struggle to overthrow the old, rotten and decayed system of the exploitation of man by man, capitalism.

With the strength of organised struggle, let us forge the path to the new, to the society of real freedom and social prosperity, socialism.

Only in this way can the cause of the oppressed prevail—those who with their sweat “built a city together but still live in rented houses.”

We know that “for the sun to turn, it takes a lot of work.”

Yet we have confidence in the inexhaustible strength of the working people to change the world.

Our faith is grounded in the great possibilities of our time, in the scientific and technological achievements created by the working class, which allow us to live much better lives, to work fewer hours, to have creative free time, genuine education, culture, sports, and active participation in social and political life.

Our faith is based on the knowledge that no opponent is invincible! For the decisive factor that can render useless even the most modern means of oppression, manipulation, and repression is the human being — and he “has one flaw: he knows how to think”, how to question the powerful ones and to overturn negative correlations.

Our faith is strengthened by the heroic struggle of the Palestinian people, who do not surrender, who do not bow down to the occupying state; who have become a symbol of resistance and struggle for the peoples of the world!

At our Festival, the heart of Palestine beats for freedom!

We are particularly joyful to welcome the delegations of Communist Youths and Anti-imperialist Organisations from all over the world, the delegation of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, and our comrades from Palestine and Israel who struggle side by side against the Israeli occupation.

For four days, the entire Tritsis Park was painted in the colours of Palestine!

Thousands of voices united as one, condemning Greek involvement in the war plans of the USA–NATO–EU, and the shameful cooperation of the Greek state with the murderous state of Israel.

From today’s magnificent rally we demand: Stop the genocide! Recognize here and now an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

We would like to sincerely thank all those who responded to KNE’s call to collect school supplies for the children of Palestine in the framework of the Festival. We will do everything possible to ensure they reach their destination, the martyred West Bank. At the same time, we keep alive the hope that some of them will also reach Gaza, to a free Palestine, free from occupation, famine, and genocide.

Comrades,
Friends,

Many young people today are searching for a way out, as they see their lives sinking in the impasses of the system.

Even more are suffocating within the “normality” of flexible work, worrying whether they will make it to the end of the month. They see their dreams shrinking to fit within the “endurance” of the economy. They see their lives being sacrificed in the sweatshops of the employers, in dangerous means of transport, in schools turned into exam arenas, in universities turned into supermarkets, in the “Minotaur” of war preparations.

For us, it is not enough merely to ascertain the quests and moods of young people, their anger and questioning of the dominant policy and the bourgeois political system.

We take the lead so that these moods may find militant expression through organisation in the trade unions, the student associations, the school students’ communities, everywhere; so that questioning may be turned into will and consciousness that the people can become protagonists of developments by walking the path of conflict with the power of capital until its overthrow.

Compromise does not befit the youth, nor does individualism, the prison of drugs, gambling, addictions, the rotten values of this system.

Nor does it befit them to wait for some “saviour” who will supposedly democratize capitalism, turn the criminal and corrupt bourgeois state into a “state of law,” and transform NATO’s war machine into a dove of peace.

What befits young people is a defiant stance towards life.

We extend our hand to all those who are rising, to all those who feel that “something must be done” but still hesitate, to all those who are searching for hope but have not yet found the way.

KNE can meet with and inspire broader youthful forces who wish to live differently.

With the optimism of a generation that can change the world.

With the persistence of those who do not forget the crime at Tempe — nor any crime committed in the name of profit — and who will go all the way.

With the thirst for a life worthy of human beings, free from ignorance, fear, and wage slavery.

With the strength of organisation, collectivity, and solidarity.

With the truth and the justice of our ideals.

With endurance in the face of the difficulties and dilemmas of life and struggle.

With courage to always move forward, against the tide; to share friendship, love, struggle — all that is beautiful which real life offers us, and not the virtual reality of social media, of fake friends and fabricated emotions.

We fight to make KNE an even stronger and more massive revolutionary youth organisation of the KKE. At the forefront of the struggle, of education, of culture; an organisation of battle for the overthrow of capitalism.

In the midst of the dramatic events we are experiencing and those that lie ahead, we have the duty to take faster steps in strengthening KNE, in organising a great counter-attack of revolutionary ideas.

We must be at the forefront of creating an educational and cultural movement among the youth. A movement that will cultivate interest in the arts, in culture, in the sciences, in knowledge. Against the darkness of idealism, irrationalism, anticommunism, fascism, decayed culture, against the mouldy ideas presented to us as new and “modern.”

Such a movement, connected with the workers’ movement, drawing strength and inspiration from the struggles and concerns of the youth, can indeed set the hearts and minds of young people aflame.

We can and we will succeed!

Together with the KKE, which marches steadily and decisively towards its 22nd Congress…
Together with the peoples of the world who are resisting…
Together with the thousands of young men and women who will strike and flood the strike rallies on Wednesday, October 1st…

…we overthrow the old, we open the way to the new.
Socialism — for justice to prevail!

Long live the 51st KNE–Odigitis Festival!