Speech by the General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL A. Kyprianou at the mass anti-racist and anti-fascist demonstration on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

AKEL C.C. Press Office, Saturday 18th March 2017, Nicosia

On behalf of the C.C. of AKEL I extend a warm greeting to today’s event. In particular I warmly salute the President of the Turkish Cypriot Revolutionary Trade Unions Federation (DEV-İŞ) Hasan Felek. Through you, we salute our Turkish Cypriot compatriots. AKEL’s position is that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots must assert our future together in a common anti-imperialist and anti-fascist front – together, united and in solidarity, Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot and foreign workers struggling side-by-side to stamp out racism and nationalism.

“They want us to separate children at the nursery into “our own” and “theirs”. Is there a foreign child?” This is what the communist Mayor of the Greek city of Patras replied, who was taken to court by the “Golden Dawn” party because he refused to grant municipality infrastructures to this party. The Mayor of Patras did the right thing which is why the court vindicated him. Everyone should follow his example.

We should close all doors to racism, isolate nationalism and throw once and for all these notions to the dustbin of history. Above all, we shouldn’t think that all this isn’t happening here in Cyprus too. When the “Golden Dawn” in Cyprus, namely ELAM, organizes “blood donations only for Greeks” what does this mean? Does it mean that when a child from any country is in danger and needs blood, he/she must die because it isn’t of Greek origin? This is the inhuman and callous message conveyed by ELAM with “blood donations only for Greeks”, or “soup kitchens only for Greeks”.

Is there a foreign child? We must all reflect on this. Is there a child so foreign that if it needs blood we won’t offer it? If it needs food we wouldn’t feed it? If it needs to get warm we wouldn’t cloth it? I am sure that our people overwhelmingly respond in a practical way to these questions, demonstrating their solidarity through actions and turning their back on racism and nationalism.

Our people do so because they know from their own experiences what being a refugee and an immigrant means; because in 1974 we became refugees in our very own country. We became refugees and left our country becoming immigrants in search of a better life. Today, once again, thousands of Cypriot young people have emigrated to live and work abroad with dignity.

We cannot but be concerned about the rise of ultra-right organizations across Europe and their participation in decision-making centres. Five years ago, when AKEL talked about neo-fascism and the rise of racism and nationalism in Cyprus and in Europe, we were accused that we were doing so supposedly to “rally our forces.” Unfortunately, we have been completely vindicated.

The rhetoric of hate is now part of the official political discourse in Europe, America and elsewhere.

The concept of a Fortress Europe has now been legitimized under the pretext of the war against terrorism and the Islamic state.

Many circles and forces have now accepted the fact that in Ukraine and elsewhere the extreme right forces decide what is to be done in governments.

Many have now compromised with the fact that one Member of the European Parliament hails in a Nazi fashion and utters emetic Nazi beliefs in the heart of Europe.

Many have now compromised with the theory and practice of the new supreme leader of the world who wants to build walls, uproot immigrants and throw refugees out.

We have declared it many times: these perceptions, the ideology of neo-fascism represent the system’s reserve shock force. Where the system and the ruling class cannot or does not want to “dirty” its hands, they call on and mobilize the “useful idiots” of neo-fascism.

We by nature and knowingly stand against the inhuman and malicious content of racism.

We struggle against and isolate politically neo-fascism.

We cultivate respect for every person and culture.

We demonstrate that the sole responsible for the waves of refugees is imperialism itself. It is capital that is responsible for illegal immigration whereby the modern slave trade is attempting to curb working people’s gains and rights, both domestic and foreign.

We project the correct position that this can’t be addressed by xenophobic entrenchment, but through the strengthening of the organization of working people in struggles so that capital is forced to employ foreign workers on the basis of the same terms of employment and working conditions as domestic workers. Only then will capital have no interest in breeding the modern slave trade.

Neo-fascism is today present in our Parliament. It managed to do so because as Dimitrov pointed out, “…fascism approaches the masses with a refined anti-capitalist demagoguery, against the banks, the trusts, and tycoons of wealth and launches slogans which at a given moment are the most appealing for the politically immature mases. Betting on the deep frustration of the masses, it wins them over because it plays on their most urgent needs in a demagogic way.” In another reference Dimitrov went on to note the following: “Fascism acts in the interests of the imperialists…but before the masses it appears with the mask of the defender of a nation humiliated and invokes affected national feelings.”

Who can’t identify in Dimitrov’s references the darkest moments in the History of Greece during the junta, or Germany during the time of Hitler, Mussolini in Italy, Spain in the Franco period, Portugal under Salazar, Chile during Pinochet’s regime?

Who can’t identify in Dimitrov’s references the rhetoric of the Greek junta then and the “Golden Dawn” party today?

Who can’t recall in these references the public interventions of the neo-fascists here in Cyprus?

We will never reconcile with their concepts and approaches.

We will never say “maybe yes, but..”

We will never believe that if you appease the monster it will be tamed.

We will never open doors for them to pass.

We are opposite them.

We will always be against them.

And we will fight for the values ​​and humane ideals that defeated them in 1945 and will again defeat them today!