Against the ban of the Czech Communist Youth Union (KSM)
This is our first issue of WFDY NEWS since many years. It is intended to be a news bulletin that reflects the struggles, activities and news of WFDYas well as its member organizations around the world. It will be published in hard copy and electronically on our website and through the email. We hope that it constitutes one more step in the development of the action of our organization and gives a tribune for the progressive and democratic struggles around the world. However, it is a sad moment to publish our first issue under the recent decisions of the Czech government to ban KSM.
Some people think that they can ban the future! At least this is what the Czech government believes. The Czech government decided to ban the Czech Communist Youth (KSM), with the approval of the juridical authorities, on the pretext that the Czech
Communist Youth is spreading forbidden communist ideas.
We tell the Czech government that ideas cannot be banned; they just spread like the breeze among the people. Youth action will never be illegal as long as it is oriented for the development and protection of youth rights for a different world. Youth have the right to have their beliefs in social justice and in a world free of exploitation. They have the right and they also have the duty to fight for their beliefs on the ideological and the political level. No government shall ban the progressive youth because no government can prevent the future.
The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) expresses its solidarity with KSM and strongly condemns the actions of the Czech government against it. WFDY will launch an international campaign to protest this decision around the world, and to make the Czech government hear the voice of a great number of people refusing its decision and supporting KSM. Petitions, demonstrations at the Czech embassies and other forms of protest will be launched against this undemocratic decision.
This is a part of an ideological offensive conducted by imperialism against the youth and their dreams in a better world. Ideological offensives are the complimentary of the military offensives practiced by imperialism around the world. Silencing the people is one more step for hegemony, but the youth will fight back.
We will struggle for our rights and our freedom of action is a basic right. We shall never stop our struggles for a better world, and we shall never accept any decision criminalizing our legal peaceful actions. We will struggle. We call the youth around the world to protest this decision and support the right of KSM in acting as a communist youth organization struggling for the rights of the Czech youth.
WFDY Solidarity Action in Balkans
Between 3 and 6 April, the Commission of Europe and North America of WFDY held a solidarity action with Balkans region. Alongside with a NATO Summit going on in Bucharest and a visit of the President of United States to the region, this event had an important impact both for the international delegates from several countries and for the youth of Serbia, Croatia and Romania.
This action, held under the slogan “For Peace in Balkans, we struggle against NATO, bases and imperialism”, was successfully hosted by SKOJ (Serbia), Youth Association SOS (Croatia) and UTS (Romania), and gave a great contribution for the international solidarity with youth struggle in all ex-Yugoslavia republics.
The denouncement of NATO crimes, the discussion about ways to improve solidarity and the direct contact with the destruction of the youth's social rights in these countries, led the delegates to the conclusion that only peace and sovereignty are the way for friendship and social justice. The delegates also acknowledged that the promotion of militarization and ethic or religious conflicts was a weapon of imperialism to break down the resistance of the peoples, as well as the offence against democratic rights, clearly felt by the delegates as they acknowledged that the police was pursuing the comrades from Croatia during the preparatory process of the event, and in Croatia and Romania, where the border’s police demanded to check, during several hours, the contents of all books and posters brought by the delegates, in an unacceptable demonstration of the imperialist wish to break down all those who struggle against it.
The expansion of NATO and the imperialist wars can only be stopped with struggle in each country, in each town, in each school or place of work and are closely connected with the struggles for social rights, that is why so many delegates brought up this issue during the panels of discussion as what is going on in the ex-Yugoslavia countries clearly shows that imperialist order is not compatible with social justice and peace.
WFDY April 2008