Struggling for the future of Ukraine!

John Maxted speaking

by New Worker correspondent

A successful 'hybrid' meeting took place in central London and on Zoom on Sunday 12 November on the topic 'The struggle against Banderite fascism and the future of Ukraine', with speakers from Britain, Ireland, Ukraine, the Russian Federation and Poland. The event was organised by International Ukraine Anti Fascist Solidarity.
The speakers taking part were Bill O'Brien of the Truth and Neutrality Alliance (Ireland), Larissa Schessler from the Union of Ukrainian Political Emigrants and Political Prisoners, Dmitry Vasilets, Chair of Representative Office of the Ukrainian People and leader of the Ukrainian Derzhava Party, Boris Litvinov of the Donetsk District Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), Denis Zomer of the United Communist Party of Russia, Tatiana Desyatova – CPRF Moscow Region, John Maxted from No2Nato-No2war (Britain), Paul Atkin, a UK blogger and political commentator, and Konrad Rekas, a Polish journalist and political commentator.
Messages of support were received from Alexey Albu, the Borotba (Struggle) representative (the leading Ukrainian anti-fascist organisation), together with Tony Greenstein from the Socialist Labour Network, Gedrus Grabauskas, the leader of the Communist Party of Lithuania, Urij Khokhlov from the Russian Communist Workers Party, Chris Helali (PCUSA)  and Dave Clennon from Struggle-La Lucha (USA).
The speakers and discussion covered the background to the tragic conflict in Ukraine since 2014, the countless crimes and brutal repression meted out by the Banderite Hitler-admiring armed gangs, and how the imperialist countries will approach a future democratic Ukraine - with continued support for Banderite terrorism, subversion attempts and outrageous lies. The speakers also drew parallels and connections between Ukraine and Gaza, and the common roles of NATO and US-led Western colonialism-imperialism in both of these tragic conflicts.

USA targets Bolivia

by Theo Russell

Dr Dominguez warns about the US threat

As Bolivia prepares for presidential elections in October, the Trump administration has added Bolivia to its 'regime change' hit-list in its new drive to destroy every left or socialist government in Latin America.

A meeting last week at Unite’s London head office organised by the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign heard from Dan Carden, Labour’s Shadow International Development Secretary, that under Morales infant mortality had been halved and the numbers getting a primary education had doubled.

Carden said that the Labour Party is against “an international order based on resource extraction and military intervention by wealthy countries”, and said that “Jeremy Corbyn was right on Chile, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya”.

Dr Francisco Dominguez, Secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, said that millions of Bolivians have benefited from improved public health, nutrition, education provision and a large public housing programme under Evo Morales.

“No other government in Bolivia's history has done more to restore the dignity to the majority indigenous population, including the recovery of land illegally appropriated by large landowners. Thirty-one indigenous languages have now been registered and there is now a TV channel in Quechua with Spanish subtitles,” he said.

Dominguez recalled the violent US-backed campaign for autonomy for Bolivia’s lowlands in 2008, in which anti-indigenous hatred was whipped up and many died, but, he said: “The right was defeated politically and eventually the lowlands were won over to the Movement for Socialism, Morales’ party.”

Now the corporate-backed warmongers in Washington have Morales in their sights and are seeking to capitalise on a 2016 referendum, later superseded by Bolivia’s supreme court, stopping Morales from standing for a new term.

Right-wing Bolivian MPs have written to president Trump asking him to activate the Inter-American Democratic Charter against Bolivia and the right-wing Cuban-US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has accused Morales of “consolidating his evil grip”.

A resolution adopted by the US Congress Foreign Affairs Committee says that Bolivia is “aligning itself with illegitimate and illegal regimes, including that of Maduro in Venezuela”.

All this is a familiar scenario, played out across Latin America in recent years, but follows a series of US government statements and articles in leading Washington newspapers setting the goals of restoring the Monroe Doctrine and eradicating all socialist-oriented governments in the western hemisphere.

Here in Britain we must support solidarity with all left governments in Latin America including Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, and demand that the UK government stops supporting the blatant interference and regime change policies of the reactionary Trump administration.

London’s Day of the Sun

by New Worker
 correspondent

Andy Brooks speaking

Kim Il Sung was born on 15th April 1912 and his birthday has long been celebrated as the Day of the Sun by everyone who stands by the Democratic people’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Day of the Sun is the biggest public holiday of the year in Democratic Korea and last weekend solidarity activists gathered at a hall in central London to join the Korean masses in honouring the memory of the outstanding communist leader who lead the Korean people to victory to build the modern socialist republic we have today.

Friends of the Korean revolution returned to the Marchmont Centre in Bloomsbury to celebrate the birth of great leader Kim Il Sung, the man who founded the communist movement that liberated the country from Japanese colonialism, defeated the might of US-led imperialism in the Korean War and led the drive to build the modern, socialist republic that exists today in the north of the divided peninsula.

Kim Il Sung advanced and developed Marxist philosophy throughout his long and active life – a theme taken up by a number of speakers at the meeting called by the Korean Friendship Association (KFA). The KFA Chair, Dermot Hudson, spoke about the Korean people’s heroic struggle against Japanese colonialism and US imperialism, and NCP leader Andy Brooks recalled meeting Kim Il Sung in 1990 and talked about the Korean communist leader’s immense contribution to the world communist movement throughout his long life.

A message from the DPRK embassy in London pointed out that memories of famous people often fade away with the passage of time – but this is not the case with President Kim Il Sung: “In the first half of the 20th century, when Korea was a colony of Japan, he waged a long, bloody struggle to win back its national sovereignty. After the country’s liberation on 15^th August 1945, he founded the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and developed it into a genuine people’s country and independent power.

“He was a world-renowned statesman who rendered both material and moral support to third-world countries in building new society and made a great contribution to the struggles for independence including the non-aligned movement.

`”He passed away on 8^th July 1994 but his history still continues. The Juche idea authored by him and his theories are still applied by the DPRK in its building and activities; his books are read by all the citizens. His life-long motto was affection for the people and the spirit of independence.”

Posted by london communists at 12:55

Remembering Kim Jong Il

Ambassador Choe Il speaking

By New Worker correspondent 

Korean friendship activists met to hear speakers, that included the Democratic Korean (DPRK) ambassador, talk about the outstanding achievements of Korean leader Kim Jong Il at a meeting in central London last weekend Called by the Korean Friendship Association, the meeting was opened by Dermot Hudson who said that we are not here to mourn the life of the Kim Jong Il, who died at his post in December  2011, but to celebrate it as part of the struggle for socialism.

 DPRK London ambassador Choe Il spoke movingly about the immortal achievements that Kim performed for the defence and advance of the socialist cause . He said that Comrade Kim Jong Un had defended socialism in the most trying conditions against the winds of history through exemplary ideological and theorectical work . The ideas of Kim Jong Il constituted a militant banner of independence and socialism .

Salute to Korean communists

by New Worker
correspondent

Song Gi Kim, Michael Chant and Dermot Hudson

COMRADES and friends met to celebrate the 72nd Anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea at a Friends of Korea meeting at the John Buckle Centre in south London on Monday.

Song Gi Kim from the Democratic Korean embassy in London, Michael Chant from the RCPB(ML) and Dermot Hudson from the Korean Friendship Association all spoke about the historic role of the Korean communist movement in the liberation struggle against Japanese colonial rule, and the subsequent battles to defeat American imperialism and build the modern socialist republic of today.

The Co-ordinating Committee of the Friends of Korea brings together all the major movements active in Korean friendship and solidarity work in Britain today. It is chaired by Andy Brooks and the secretary is Michael Chant. The committee organises meetings throughout the year, which are publicised by the supporting movements and on the Friends of Korea website.

Democratic Korea now a super-power!

DPRK diplomat Kim Song Gi speaking

By New Worker correspondent

 London’s Chadswell Centre in central London once again became the venue for Korean solidarity activists last weekend, for a report-back meeting of a visit to Democratic Korea by a Korean Friendship Association (KFA) delegation and to hear DPRK diplomats talk about the defiant stand of their people’s government in the face of the increasing violent threats of US imperialism and its lackeys.

Dermot Hudson, Alex Meads and José Blasquez went to Democratic Korea to take part in the 5th International Festival at Mt Paektu, the traditional symbol of Korean independence last month. All three spoke about their impressions of the land of Juche, which has been forced to develop its own nuclear deterrent to defend the DPRK against the American imperialists who occupy the southern part of the Korean peninsula.

Other speakers included Theo Russell from the Central Committee of the New Communist Party and KFA activist James Taylor. Kim Song Gi, from the DPRK’s London embassy, gave a talk entitled The DPRK is a super-power, that outlined Democratic Korea’s efforts in developing its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

Dermot Hudson unveiled his latest book In Defence of Juche Korea, which was part of an exhibition of publications from the KFA and the DPRK that included works by Democratic Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and those of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

Once again this was a golden opportunity to discuss the Korean crisis with DPRK diplomats and comrades who have just returned from the beleaguered socialist republic, both during the meeting and over light refreshments supplied by the DPRK embassy.