When I was imprisoned on Aegina there was a group of political prisoners who in 1967 had already done 23 years in prison. Most of the olitical prisoners in Greece at the moment had been freed for one or two years, then when the coup came they were re-interned. The fatal mistake which progressive forces in ree have always chronic underestimation of so-called and about the National changes, always of course within the framework of dependence upon imperialism. But Greece's problem was a very delicate one, and even the slightest change could have upset the balance. Thus the solution of the coup came about, Wand or i agris pea or eing through th ureaucratic rigmarole of political parties. Thi by means of the Junta imperialism's hands a for any aggressive measures in the Mic their East they can more comfortably extend their economic leadership? Are there revolutionary groupings on the left wing of the party, how do they operate? RFI INITIONAR
Drawing by Humbug people's army, probably at the instigation of the Soviet Union, as we can gather from the ensuing Yalta agreement. The result of this "loyal act" was the savage persecution of all the disarmed Resistance fighters. afterwards, and two years too late (at that time two years was a long period of time, the KKE remembered it had to resort to arms, and made the left-wing mistake of embroiling itself in civil war. We are still paying for these mistakes. KKE was made illegal, and after that (fell more or less into obscurity). In 1951 EDA was founded around which all the communists, who quickly became its backbone; it became in many ways a KKE operating within bourgeois legality. From within expressed through EDA and various illega organizations. The KKE leadership was in exile Enel easter bloc the result peculiarity was to create a legalistic alienation in EDA and cut off the KKE leadership from reality. In 1956 the KKE adopted the line of a peaceful transition to socialism and dissolved all its illegal organizations. All the communists still working inside EDA agreed with the line, that they could take power by peaceful means, with parliaments and mass struggles and socialism would be the natural consequence. The coup proved how utopian this line was. The day after the coup thousands of Greek proletarian cadres were seized, executed, tortured or imprisoned without the slightest resistance. political training during the period of peaceful transition ended in this. You would think that after the coup the KKE would have abandoned their disastrous line of peaceful transition. No such thing. It insists more than ever on the correctness the 20th Congress line.
KKE have learnt absolutely leaders nothing the coup, fragmentation, nor from the loss of prestige of the left-wing leaders, nor from the lack of faith which their own cadres have in them. The left officially represented in But all this didn't teach nownere leaders anything. They make explanations of the reasons for the coup, for example that responsibility for the coup rests on American imperialism, the Centre Union bourgeoisie. As it American imperialism or the reactionary sections Centre Union were something other than what they and their interest actually are KE the anti-Koliyannis faction gathered around itself all those who disagreed with the official party line and created some hope for a rebirth of the left. However, in all the business that followed, became increasingly anti-Koliyannis faction was simply a more ideal xpression of the line of peaceful transition: for them the trouble with Koliyannis was that h wasn't interpreting the 20th Congress line well enough. Koliyannis in turn claims that his own interpretation was correct, and that the one who's really to blame is Partsalidis for not understandnig property, ere. cuc..- its forms has its ears The KKE in both stricty closed to left-wing absolutely amenable right-wing However, among the cadres and especially DW THERE IS A amongst the youth there are movements operate tragmented machinery. Bene HICH EVERYTHING favourable for left-wing views. But the fact that there is not agreement on what should be done, the lack of a revolutionary formation, and the D OUT OF THIS hesitation, all these things are leftward tendencies to side for the moment with the existing left organizations.
LL SPRING A BD: Do you TAIn the Soviet possibly be justified in recognizing the regime? ANGUARD, WHICH What repercussions has this recognition had? The Soviet Union's attitude towards fascism in strengthened the regime's hand in its work of exterminating the Greek communists. The basic argument of courts martial against communists for refusing 'wo years recognition of - the regime is this: Moscow has recognized us than they are? relations with the Junta, they supplied the spot when there was a popular reaction against limitations on the electricity supply, which had been imposed in Autumn 1967. supplied electricity which he had borrowed framework of from Hungary. Bulgaria declared that the Junta onward. the was an internal matter concerning only the Greece was Greeks. The Soviet Union has stated that its I KKE athletes Games if the Junta was going to exploit the this Games politically. The Junta did exploit the Games politically, but the Soviet athlete stayed COnnectOr there conservative Moscow regime of today and the heroic Bolsheviks of 1917. Day by day they are reaching the sad conclusion that one cannot expect very much from Soviet policy today.
BD: You were arrested by the dictatorship. Car you tell us why, and what they did to you ir prison?
I was arrested for three reasons. Firstly, I came All their from the generation which had grown up.
politically speaking Secondly, 1 was a leftist. Thirdly, I belonged to the Resistance. considered rather characteristic The constitute the greatest danger to the regime, which has not hesitated to take all measures nor from its own possible against us. Most of us are more or less unknown, our political views are "original", and apart from our friends and our mothers, no-one is moved by the fact that someone Greece i the KKE named Halkidis was killed like a dog Thessaloniki or someone named Monolakos had metaphysical his ribs bust in at Dionysos or if Loyssios went newspapers and Eastern radio-stations protest and the general is safeguarded. Thus the Junta is free to do what it likes to the younger generation. No-one is going to protest. Thus they fixed up a special military bodyguard is stationed Marine Battalion 90) Dionysos, and which is the chief centre for tortures. the spent nights of torment there. The affidavits reaching foreign countries have no precedent even in Hitler's Hell-camps. At this moment there are more than twenty torture-centres in Greece. When Papadopoulos insisted that the Greeks hand't Helleno-Christian ideals he meant that not all Greeks had yet passed through the torture centres to Helleno Christianity. opinions, but UNCS thousands of similar ones.
strong left BD: Can you tell us something about th within the Patriotic Front and what role Papandreou climate Isn I playing at the moment?
The Patriotic Front was founded a week after forcing the Youth Movement, Mikis Theodorakis.
founders were clearly oriented towards violent Union can leadership and to develop the Front into a force forward to the seizure of power. They correctly understood that the problem of the left wa one of unity above all, and had made progre to declare their do you think you're bigger given that they took it for granted that a coup And as if it was not enough to open trade Junta with a generator to get them out of a for the legislation of the KKE. In the autumn of 1967 Tito also limited to what would withdraw from the European generalized, After this, the Greek people wonder what is between the mean, him as a chosen ideological after These things, which are from this sector, almost gathered natural of the younger generation their interests or not. concern European camp at Papadopoulos Hundreds of students and young workers have NATO country has a similar plan waiting to be trained In regime.
understand what exactly existence My case was a relatively mild one amongst question. Greece is the first test in a European country.
the coup on the initiative of left militants. One struggles which are connected with the struggles of the founders was the leader of the Lambrakis of the Greek Resistance, including technical The and financial support.
resistance to dissociate themselves from the old Europe must be faced as a provocative enemy capable of overthrowing the Junta and going appears. The Black Dwarf 26th October - 15th November 1969 Page 9 country had joined the Front from its inception and were working in harmony with other forces with the same target. The exiled leadership of the KKE made contact with the Front six months later: this can be explained, though, was impossible in Greece, and right up to the eve of the coup their main activity was to collect the signatures of various personalities the founders of the Front were arrested and the line changed, turning back into the same old condemned forms, and its role was was "anti-dictatorship", counterfeiting the line of its founders and distorting the meaning of the Junta, whom it reduced simply to a gang which had seized power. Its line, such as it is, remains vague and and it says doesn't say everything and nothing. For the Greek people these are matters of small hope. The role of Papandreou at the moment is to carry favour with the Americans and to justify their using successor to the Junta. His activity is directed towards trying to convince the various powers that the Junta is harmful to their interests and to NATO. He uses the threat of armed struggle not as an argument for the masses to claim power, but as a likely danger if the colonels remain in power. This danger would be fatal for the interests of imperialism. He's a kind of prophet. But this mustn't under any circumstances lead us to under-estimate the SCCLO! SCOTESCELS. The organization "Democratic Defence" sprang and many intellectuals round it. quickly themselves towards violent resistance. Without the co-operation of the forces supporting Papandreou, all long-term resistance is futile The represents the middle, petty-bourgeoisie and peasant farmer classes, regardless of whether he actually represents at BD: What is the best way for revolutionary socialists in Britain to help the Greek struggle? The first thing, I think, would be a change in holds for all European revolutionaries. Greece is a "home affair". And as such the first thing is all European revolutionaries.
Whether we like it or not, Europe has its ow superstructures, which decisivel regulate the internal affairs of each country. In Greece the coup took place by means of the NA10 plan, Prometheus. In France there is a similar plan called operation Z. Evidently every enforced the moment no other solution can be found to confront the problems of the working lass. The moment the workers' struggle cause the masses to become politicized and there difficulty in controlling the workers, then a coup is the sole and final answer left to the This is a real danger, not only in Italy but in the rest of Europe wherever we find an escalation of the class struggle and the very of the class society is called in Whatever form it takes, even a parliamentary one, the possibility of fascism will then turn into a certainty.
International class solidarity must confront xtreme reaction: that solidarity will turn inte a series of struggles on two levels. First, ir At the second level, any junta action in action against the workers of the country concerned, and must be destroyed as soon as it In the way, the Junta's supporters abroad must be confronted in as much as the meanings of their actions is simply
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