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Workers' Party of Belgium
www.wpb.be
8 February 2007

On the fascist fraction in the European Parliament
“Conservatives and Social-democrats are hypocritical”

Since 15th January 2007 extreme right parties form a fascist fraction in the European Parliament. We asked Thanasis Pafilis, member of the European Parliament (MEP), member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and Secretary General of the World Peace Council , for his opinion.

Tony Busselen

Solidair. What is the significance of the arrival of a fascist fraction in the European Parliament?

Pafilis. The revival and appearance of fascist parties and groups in European countries stem from a more general anti-popular policy of the European Union (EU) and the National Governments. Fascism has always been a true-born child of capitalism. This is not something new. The brutal capitalistic policy in combination with anti-communism paves the way for fascist views to grow and spread among the poorest layers of the working class. The alleged "worry" of the conservative and social democratic parties for the rise of fascism is hypocritical. After 1990-1991 they attempted to forge history by identifying fascism with communism.

In a series of countries (the Baltic countries, Germany, Poland) fascist criminals have already been rehabilitated in public. In Latvia, for example, where the NATO summit took place [29 November 2006], the Waffen-SS "legionaries" are called fighters for freedom. Those who struggled against fascism are persecuted. The heroes and liberators of the Red Army are called "an occupation army". In Hungary, the former General who fought on the side of the fascist army was appointed by the Government to lead the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the counter-revolutionary actions.

Solidair. In October 2006, for the anniversary of the Hungarian counter-revolution, the European Parliament voted a motion condemning the idea of communism. What is the relation between this fascist fraction and the anti-communist assault in the EP?

Pafilis. The European Parliament itself adopted a resolution (approved and voted by PPE, PSE, ALDE and the Greens) which states that the occupation of Central and Eastern Europe went on after the destruction of fascism. Those political parties call on peoples to condemn communist ideology and to give in to imperialism. At the same time, under the pretext of the fascist "menace" they push peoples to give in to capitalist barbarity.

I remind you that communist ideology has given birth to the greatest social revolutions, and is going to give birth to even greater ones, because it fights for a society liberated from human exploitation.

1. http://www.wpc-in.org
2. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/ 008-11928-293-10-42-901-20061020IPR11874-20-10-2006-2006-false/default_en.htm E xcerpt : “MEPs underline that the democratic community must unequivocally reject the repressive and undemocratic Communist ideology (...)”. See also http://www.no2anticommunism.org/docs/anticom_record_2006.pdf
3. People's Party of Europe (Christian Democrats), Party of Social-Democrats of Europe, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats of Europe.