Brief Presentation of New Left Current - NAR

 

New Left Current for the Communist Liberation (NAR – Greece)

Brief Presentation

Introduction

The New Left Current for the Communist Liberation (from now on: NAR) is an organization of the anticapitalist, revolutionary and communist left in Greece.

In the youth, members join another political organization, the “Communist Liberation Youth” (from now on: NKA).

NAR was formed in January 1990 by a part of former members of the Communist Party of Greece (including 8 members of its Central Committee) and the Communist Youth of Greece (including the majority of its Central Council). The motive of this secession was the decision of the Communist Party to form a government coalition with the neoliberal, bourgeois party of New Democracy. However, the actual cause of such a decision and the creation of a new communist organization was far deeper, in the political and ideological level, based on the real need for a new revolutionary - communist Left in Greece. For such a venture, a rupture with the traditional communist movement was necessary on the ideological, political, and structural level since this movement had followed a path of total disintegration and defeat.

Ideology

Nowadays, 3 decades after our creation, we gather new generations of militants. Our actions are decided in relation to the need of our organization to move forward and make new steps in the struggle against capitalism, to lead the way for the establishment of communism. NAR underlines the real need for a re-establishment of the communist liberating strategy, based on revolutionary Marxism, taking into consideration the heroic but also the tragic moments, the victories and the defeats of the revolutionary movement.

We have been trying to approach the main theoretical and political issues of our days, to draw a contemporary revolutionary strategy and tactics based on militant Marxism, Leninist analyses, experience of proletarian revolutions and movements up until today. From NAR’s first declaration until now, we keep strongly supporting that the only way for humanity to be liberated from the capitalist fetters of human exploitation is the revolution for a new world, a socialist – communist world.

The aim is to develop a communist program based on our current needs and a party that will promote it. The "Initiative for a new communist program and party" has been set up in 2018 with organized meetings and theoretical discussions on topics such as: "The historical course of the communist movement and its perspective", "Capitalist integrations and the European Union. A modern communist answer ", "Totalitarian capitalism".

We want this dialogue to have an international direction, approaching revolutionary perspectives regardless of their historical origins and existing Internationals, for a new strategic program and steps of reconstructing the communist perspective.

Action

NAR, from its very existence, holds a clear and strong political position against imperialism and war, and is an active member of the anti-imperialist movement, while at the same time it stands internationally in solidarity to the oppressed peoples all over the world. It also takes action in the environmental, anti-fascist, anti-racist, feminist movements.

NAR organises the vanguard militants of the labour and youth movement. NAR has an avant-garde political action primarily in trade unions and student movement.

NAR participates in the “Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow” – ANTARSYA (“Rebellion” in Greek), the front of the anticapitalist, revolutionary, communist Left and radical ecology. This front was created in 2009, after the revolt of December 2008 in Greece, during the period of the capitalist crisis. Organizations of the Greek Anticapitalist Left and thousands of independent militants participate in ANTARSYA. ANTARSYA is based on local committees of militants on city or neighbourhood-level with a national central coordination committee.

ANTARSYA participated to all the Parliament and European Parliament elections with the best results ever for an anti-capitalist left group in Greece. At regional elections ANTARSYA won 13 seats in regional councils (including Attica, Central Macedonia which are the most populated regions in Greece). At municipal elections ANTARSYA supported 30 municipal anticapitalist groups and won 27 seats in local councils all over Greece.

NAR has managed to have good access to places of work. Our main purpose is the promotion of the unity of the radical left currents in every working place as well as the creation of permanent left groups that will intervene inside the unions. There are primary level (trade union of the factory or the enterprise), secondary level (branch federations and trade union centers of a city or province) and on the top level two nationwide confederations (one for the public and one for the private sector of economy).

Today NAR has elected representatives in dozens of primary trade unions all over Greece (teachers, construction workers and technicians, municipality workers, telecommunication systems personnel, metal, bank clerks, book workers, doctors and medical staff in public hospitals, workers in hospitality and tourism industry). We seek to help set up left groups in places of work, to find active ways of common struggle with foreign workers, who come up to 1.000.000 in Greece.

Recently, we took the initiative to establish a permanent nationwide co-ordination among these left groups. At the same time we try to establish a permanent center for the co-ordination of the primary unions that will organize the struggles of the workers separate from the bureaucratic trade union movement. This co-ordination of unions was formed during the great working struggles against the EU-IMF memoranda, and all the barbaric measures imposed by the government, in its efforts to resolve the capitalist crisis in a way that favors capital. This co-ordination has managed during a series of great strikes to gather a major part of the working people that sought to resist, in rupture with the bureaucratic unions, which – consenting to the governmental policy – sought to de-escalate the struggles/strikes.

At the Panhellenic Public Sector Confederation's last congress the anticapitalist left unities won 8.9%. At Athens Trade Union Federation of private sector, the anticapitalist left unities won 4.2%.

Members of the Communist Liberation Youth participate in EAAK (Unified Independent Left Movement) in the Greek universities. EAAK - the left wing of the Greek students’ movement – was born out of the movement during 1990-1991 as a result of the unification of all radical left groups into a permanent pan-Hellenic co-ordination.

Members of NKA and other radical left groups as well as a large number of independent students have joined EAAK. During these 3 decades, EAAK has been an eyesore on the political landscape of Greek Universities. We had an important contribution to the blockage of many reactionary measures. Its role was most prominent in the Greek student movement of 2006-2007, when over 400 university departments in Greece were shut down by students, demonstrating against the government, thus cancelling a great restructuring of higher education (including constitutional reforms to allow the establishment of private universities and tuition fees). Younger members of NKA are active on the high school movement through the front “Radical Student”.

Structure of NAR and NKA

The basic structure of NAR are the “base organizations”, inside the working places. We also form organizations on the local and the regional level. NAR holds conferences regularly when the Political Committee is elected.

NAR organizes thematic conferences, as well as regional ones. It finances its political activities exclusively based on monthly contributions of its members and friends. We do not take nor would accept financing from entrepreneurs, the state or various EU programs.

NKA has organizations in all the big Greek towns. It has “base organizations” in the universities, schools and among the working and the unemployed youth. It holds its own conferences and congresses, in which it elects its Central Council. NKA is structurally independent from NAR but they both constitute one single current of political thought and action. Those members of the NKA who wish to, have the right to be members of NAR as well. The NKA members participate equally in the NAR congresses.

Learn More About us

NAR publishes the weekly newspaper “PRIN” (“Before” in Greek). More @ https://prin.gr

NKA publishes the political magazine “Anaireseis” (“Refutations” in Greek). “Anaireseis” is a political and cultural project which contains the annual festival (in many Greek cities and towns) and the annual camping, the magazine and political – ideological clubs at the biggest Greek towns. More @ https://anaireseis.gr

Official Websites:

NAR: https://narnet.gr

NKA: https://nka.gr

ANTARSYA: https://antarsya.gr

Official Pages on Facebook:

NAR: @narkomapel

NKA: @neolaiaKA

Official Pages on Twitter:

NAR: @narnews

NKA: @neolaiaKA

Official Pages on Instagram:

NKA: @neolaia_ka

Official Pages on YouTube:

NAR-NKA: @narvideos

Official E-Mails:

International Affairs – NAR: internar2021@gmail.com

NKA: connect.nka@gmail.com