Communist Youth Union in the Czech Republic struggles in defence of fundamental democratic rights an

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Vytvořeno 3. 4. 2007

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Interview with Radim Gonda, vice-chairman of the KSM, Czech Republic, for JR8, Brasil:
1º. Could you, please, explain us briefly the proccess of banning carried out by the Czech government against KSM?

The struggle for legal existence of the KSM started few days after the last Congress of the KSM in December 2005 when we received a letter from the Ministry of Interior that threatened us with banning our organization if we do not change our program and activity. Originally the Ministry of Interior accused the KSM that its program and activity interfered with the exclusive space of activities of political parties that is, according to the interpretation of the Ministry of Interior, the space excluded from the intervention of civic associations. But according to law this exclusive area of activities of political parties is defined just as participation in the elections. The KSM does not participate in the elections. This argument is therefore completely baseless. Another line of accusations targeted the Program of the KSM, its communist identity, socialist goals, and theoretical basis in Marx, Engels and Lenin that is Marxism as a whole. The Ministry of Interior even claimed that the fact that the KSM published the texts of classics of Marxism on its web page violated the law of the Czech Republic. What is significant, the Ministry of Interior gradually changed its arguments for dissolution of the KSM. The main argument that finally officially formed the basis of charge for the dissolution of the KSM was a claim that the KSM reflected in its Program necessity of replacement of the private ownership of means of production with collective ownership of means of production.

This fact shows the instrumental political reason and argument weakness of the process that has led to the Ministry of Interior’s decision on the official dissolution of the KSM and simultaneously it shows what is really in the roots of the attack against the KSM. It is not defence of democracy and civil rights that are in reality violated by the Ministry of Interior. The real reason of the attack against the KSM is defence of capitalism by the capitalist state realized through violation of democratic rights.

The KSM responded to the attack against its legal status with resolute resistance both within the Czech Republic and on international level. The organization started an information campaign, gathered thousands of signatures under its petition in the Czech Republic, mobilized support within the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, and received support from a number of civic organizations and personalities. The KSM also organized a demonstration in front of the Constitutional court.

At present, the KSM has filed an action against the Ministry of Interior’s decision and endeavours to defeat the Ministry in the court.

2º. What king of repression are you suffering? (example: prosecution against militants, closing of the website or mail accounts, banning of public event,...)

After the decision of the Ministry of Interior on the dissolution of the KSM was announced for example our web page and e-mail accounts were blocked, officially because of enormous amount of people connecting to it, other explanation talked about hacking the page. In any case, we have managed to restore it and today the page www.ksm.cz is working again.
We are now working in the actual situation of semi-ilegality. Therefore we have made necessary measures to adjust our internal work to this situation and to possibility of total ilegality. I will not specify them.
The repressive structures of the state resort also to provocations and to using instrumental lies and untrue claims to discredit the KSM and to create public support for the decision on dissolution of our youth organization. Such an open lie was disinformation spread by the official spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior who informed mass media that a member of the KSM had been arrested by police because of his violent attack against the police during an antifascist demonstration. This untrue claim was refused and denounced by the KSM and also by the arrested person himself who declared that he had not been and was not a member of the KSM. We also face an increased endeavour of the secret service to infiltrate our organization and we have made measures against it.
The fundamental rights and freedoms in the Czech Republic are under attack. This attack is focused in the first line against the communists, but in the second line against anybody who struggles against imperialism and capitalism. To be specific I will give you an example, the KSM has launched last year as the first NGO in our country a very successful campaign against a plan to place a U.S. military base in the Czech Republic. Later we were joined by other organizations. We have gathered so far more than 85 000 signatures under our petition against the U.S. military base. Besides our communist campaign we are active also within a broader initiative NO TO MILITARY BASES. The authorities have so far prohibited 2 of anti-base protest demonstrations organized by this initiative. In spite of this fact the initiative with an active participation of the KSM carried out these 2 prohibited demos anyway. I want to show you the tendency of limiting the fundamental civic and democratic rights in our country which has started with anticommunist witch hunt.
Regarding our struggle against the ban, we want to defeat the Ministry of Interior at the court. If we fail at the Supreme Court then we appeal to the Constitutional Court. We will continue our activity under any conditions. In the case that the courts confirm the decision of the Ministry our further activity would be considered as violation of the decision of the court and then our activists may be put into trial and jailed. The future is unclear but we count with any possibility.

3º. How are you struggling against the banning, in the legal field as well as in the daily fight?

At present, the KSM has filed an action against the Ministry of Interior’s decision and as I have said we endeavour to defeat the Ministry in the court.
Our response to anticommunist banning of the KSM is developing our daily activities. We are in the forehead of the struggle against the U.S. military base in the Czech Republic which is one of the most important issues in the political life in our country at present time. We defend interests of the majority of the working people and the youth, for example we struggle against attempts to introduce fees for university studies. We are also a backbone of the left-wing within the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, our responsibilities are big. And we develop our activities among the people, we establish contacts with other NGOs, we create new local organizations of the KSM.
The KSM also hosted at the end of October 2006 the 5th Meeting of European Communist Youth Organizations under slogan “Struggle of European Youth against Attacks on Social and Democratic Rights - Militant Offensive against Anticommunism! For Decent Life and Socialist Future for the Youth!”. This meeting was attended by so far largest number of participating organizations including as a guest also a president of World Federation of Democratic Youth. The participants discussed ways of coordination of common struggle of European young communists against anti-communism, planned concrete activities and declared full support to the KSM.

4º. Have the international solidarity actions reached your expectations?

Yes, and even much more. The international solidarity campaign has been unbelievably strong!
The KSM’s partners abroad mobilized the public opinion in their countries, published information in their media, organized a number of petitions including very effective internet petitions, organized a large number of demonstrations in front of embassies of the Czech Republic in their countries and bombed the Czech embassies, government and Ministry of Interior with protest letters.
It was also important to win a number of well known personalities who used the weight of their authority to back the cause of the KSM like Nobel prize laureate Dario Fo, singer Bono from U2, Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos, and others.
The international solidarity campaign has been a great success. And it continues! The KSM puts stress on the need to develop further the international solidarity campaign to put pressure on the Czech Republic and to inform the foreign public about anticommunist antidemocratic acts in our country.

5º. How can people in Brazil support the KSM and the defence of basic democratic rights in the Czech Republic?

They may send their protests to the embassy or missions of the Czech Republic in Brazil:

Embaixada da República Tcheca
Via L 3/Sul, Qd. 805, Lote 21, Brasília
Caixa postal 170
CEP 70414-900
tel: 005561/32427785, 32427905
fax: 005561/32427833
e-mail: Tato e-mailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty. Pro její zobrazení musíte mít povolen Javascript.

web: www.mzv.cz/brasilia

They may find contacts also on the following link: http://www.mzv.cz/wwwo/mzv/default.asp?ido=7904&idj=2&amb=1&ikony=False&trid=2&prsl=False&pocc1=

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