by KPML(r), Sweden
To fraternal parties, solidarity and anti-imperialist movements
INFORMATION CONCERNING THE EU SUMMIT MEETING IN GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN, JUNE
14-16TH 2001
Dear Comrades,
In mid-June the EU will have its regular summit meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden, in practise ending the Swedish half-year chairmanship. The following is a general information from KPML(r), the Communist Party
Marxist-Leninists, in Sweden.
1. As we are sure You are already well aware of, the opposition towards the entire EU membership and the EMU, is not only very strong in Sweden, but it is growing. Every opinion poll since 1995, when Sweden became a member state of the EU, indicates that if the Swedish people was given a second chance to have a referendum on the membership issue, a clear majority would vote NO. Concerning the EMU issue, every poll shows that the “NO-side” is twice as large as the “YES-side”. This has been the case more or less constantly ever since Sweden joined the EU in 1995.
It is also important to notice, that the issue in Sweden is very class based. The working class and ordinary people are against the EU; the bourgeoisie, the political and economic establishment in favour. Politically, only two parties in the Swedish parliament – The Left Party and the Green Party (“Miljöpartiet”) – are against the membership. Outside the parliament our party – The Communist Party, KPML(r) – together with what is left of the “NO-front” from the referendum period 1994, also say NO to membership.
The fact that the opinion is so strongly negative to the EU membership (as well as the EMU), creates a big political problem not only for the bourgeois forces and the economic establishment, but especially for the governing Social-Democratic party. It is its own members, and its own electorate, that form the largest part of the negative opinion.
So we have a political situation in Sweden (and in this respect there are similarities to the Danish situation), where the broad masses of workers and wage owners are critical and openly negative to the entire EU concept, whilst the large majority of the establishment is in favour. (But differently to the Danish situation f.i., there is no large bourgeois, reactionary, xenophobic etc party to the right that opposes the EU in Sweden.)
Our preparations for manifestations during the Swedish EU chairmanship, therefore is based on the following:
– We will take this opportunity to gather and manifest the Swedish people´s opposition towards the EU concept as such. Our main task is to organize the Swedish opinion, and let it expresses its position under the banner “Sweden out of EU” and “NO to EMU”. One should notice that in a recent opinion poll more than one third declared that they wanted Sweden to leave the EU immediately, and a clear majority declared, that Sweden should not have entered the EU in the first place. The demand “Sweden out of EU” is in accordance with a broad popular opinion.
– We are fully aware of – and that has also been publicly expressed by prime minister Göran Persson and others – that the government (i.e. the Social Democrats) together with the entire establishment will make a big effort during the six months of chairmanship to “swing the opinion” towards a more EU-positive position. This makes it even more essential that the Swedish opinion is clearly manifested in Gothenburg.
– We therefore believe that manifestations in Sweden/Gothenburg should be initiated by the Swedish opposition towards the EU, and that it is vital that the Swedish people´s opinion is given the main role. (We understand that there will be other political positions expressed as well, just as it in Nice various agendas were represented -every aspect from trade unions demanding EU social reforms to federalists etc etc.
But the Swedish organisations against the EU will act in accordance with the platform accepted at preparatory meetings here in Gothenburg – see below.)
2. Gothenburg June 13-16 2001.
The main manifestation from our side will be a demonstration on Friday 15th. This is arranged by the “Network Gothenburg 2001”. Jan Strömqvist, chairperson of the local branch of KPML(r) in Gothenburg, is member of the executive committee of the network. The agreed upon platform is:
“Network Gothenburg 2001 consists of democratic, non-racial organisations and individuals opposed to the Swedish membership of the EU and EMU. The aim is to show and demonstrate the popular opinion against the undemocratic and top-bureaucraticly ruled EU by planning, coordinate and carry through manifestations and other activities during the EU heads of states summit meeting in Gothenburg, June 13-16 2001.
Participating organisations:
The Popular Movement No to EU (Folkrörelsen Nej till EU)
The Left Party (Vänsterpartiet)
Young Left (Youth organisation of the Left Party)
The Green Party (Miljöpartiet)
Social Democratic EU Critics
The Communist Party KPML(r)
Revolutionary Communist Youth (Youth organisation of KPML(r))
Socialist Party
Unity Initiative
Friends of the Earth, Gothenburg (environmental organisation)
Proletären FF (sports club) a.o.”
3. US-imperialism in Gothenburg
Since a couple of months it has also been announced that US president George W Bush will come to Gothenburg during the EU summit meeting. There is no official information on his exact arrival (and most likely there will not be in advance), but we have indications that he will appear June, Thursday 14th, the first day of the summit. Most likely only during the day, leaving in the evening. Our party has therefore initiated the creation of a committee especially for this. There are f.i. several organisations from various refugee and exile groups that want to protest against US imperialism, regardless of what their position is towards the E U. At the moment 25 organisations (including our party and the Left Party) are preparing for manifestations on the 14th, directed towards US imperialism.
4. Other arrangements
Beside the broad manifestation against the E U on June 15th (starting at 6 p.m.) there will be a number of other activities both this day and the surrounding days. From seminars, concerts, cultural arrangements to other demonstrations. On Saturday June 16th there will be another demonstration, the so called “Europe march”, arranged by various Swedish political and other organisations (i.e. Trotskyists, syndico-anarchists etc). Their main banner is “For a different Europe”. They have explicitly forbidden the banner “Sweden out of EU”, but we are pretty sure that eventually there will be an agreement also on this.
Their platform is different, and one that the “Network Gothenburg 2001” does not agree with and does not want to be associated with.
Even though we do not expect a gathering of the size of Nice recently – Gothenburg is a bit farther away for some of the groups that “performed” there – we consider it important that all progressive, EU-critical forces cooperate to make the Friday manifestations as large and broad as possible.
The Popular Movement No to EU (Folkrörelsen Nej till EU) has already contacted its “sister organisations” in Denmark (Folkebevegelsen) and Norway (Nej till EU) and they will participate with us on Friday.
5. Welcome to Communist representatives!
The Communist Party KPML(r) will, beside the broad manifestations outlined above, also be pleased to welcome representatives from various Communist parties in Europe that might come to Gothenburg during the summit meeting. Our party head quarter – the Marx-Engels House – will be open during these days for foreign Comrades. In the evening of June 15th there will be an informal reception there. We are therefore grateful if You can inform us in advance, whether Your party will have representatives in Gothenburg.
The first step is, naturally, Your response to this information. If You require further information, please don´t hesitate to ask for it. Our E-mail address: teddy.frank@kpmlr.o.se
I hope to hear from You soon!
With Communist greetings!
Teddy-John Frank
KPML(r) intern.secr.
KPML(r) International Department
P.O.Box 31 187 40032 Göteborg
Fax: (46) – 31 24 44 64
E-mail: teddy.frank@kpmlr.o.se
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International Secretary: Polit Bureau member Teddy-John Frank
International Department Central Committee members: Erik Anderson &
Mario Sousa
Member of the CC International Department: Patrik Paulov
