The court prolonged her conviction again. An official reason is the same as in many other Ukrainian political cases: a prosecutor’s witness is missing. It’s a traditional practice in Ukrainian political cases: to delay the court hearings for years (under the pretext of missing prosecutor’s witness) and hold political opponents … [read more]

The location of the third European No-Euro-Forum itself, Chianciano Terme in Tuscany, can be considered symbolic for the urgent need of an exit strategy to leave the corset of the currency union: during the 80ties it was a prosperous small town with it’s hot springs and hundreds of hotels where workers and pensioners spent their spa stays, financed from a growing economy and the social rights that were conquered. Today, 30 years after without investment, the infrastructure leaves a curious old-style-feeling (in modern terms „retro“) and it is largely empty. One and a half decades of economic recession, deconstruction of the welfare state and an increasing number of unemployed and precarious workers without access to social rights has left traces. The numerous congresses that gather … [read more]

On September 4th, right-wing radicals had the attacked “Inter” TV channel. The channel’s office was burned by nationalists, only the miracle helped to avoid human casualties. Threats of physical violence are coming against journalists and editors of “NewsOne” channel. In fact, all of the independent media are facing direct violence or the threat of violence from nationalist organizations. We are also very concerned about information that right-wing radicals are controlled and directed by high-rank Ukrainian state officials and leadership of law enforcement authorities. Attacks on the media synchronized with the pressure of the authorities on the opposition leaders. Alla Alexandrovska, a 68 year old former MP of the Communist Party is still imprisoned in the city of … [read more]

What is in retrospect your position on the free trade agreement between Ukraine and the EU? The agreement is actually detrimental to Ukraine’s national economic interest. There was a populist element in the propaganda of the forces which staged the military coup like for example facilitating visa etc. We should immediately cancel the trade agreement and rebuild the economic ties with Russia and the entire region in order to serve our national interest. The popular uprising in the east has been directed also against this unjust agreement. If the rebellion had won, if national interest had not been betrayed, civil war could have been averted. Ukraine could have developed its economic forces in a dynamic way as a bridge between Europe and Asia. What do you think about the current … [read more]

Article reproduced from: http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg-aw071816.htm In a stunning ruling, the trial chamber that convicted former Bosnian-Serb president Radovan Karadzic of war crimes and sentenced him to 40 years in prison, unanimously concluded that Slobodan Milosevic was not part of a “joint criminal enterprise” to victimize Muslims and Croats during the Bosnian war. The March 24th Karadzic judgment states that “the Chamber is not satisfied that there was sufficient evidence presented in this case to find that Slobodan Milosevic agreed with the common plan” to permanently remove Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from Bosnian Serb claimed territory.[1] The Karadzic trial chamber found that “the relationship between Milosevic and the Accused had … [read more]

Sergey Sternenko also accused Radzikhovskaya, a leading specialist with the university’s Faculty of History, of using foul language in a public place and demanded the university administration dismiss her. In response, the Rector officially said that university authorities condemned Radzikhovskaya’s alleged actions and were launching an internal investigation, reflecting a lack of respect for the Constitution of Ukraine and the teacher, Elena Alexandrovna Radzikhovskaya. The Council of Mothers of May 2 declared that Sergei Sternenko in his letter had made allegations and attacks defaming the honor and dignity of Elena Radzikhovskaya. Available video proves that the statements of Elena Alexandrovna did not contain anything that would justify Sternenko’s accusations. Elena … [read more]

Contrary to the theory of the EU as a neutral level playing field, the events after the Great Recession (2007/2009) have shown that the current European integration project is defined by the regressive nature of its treaties and by an unprecedented radicalization of its neoliberal character. Uneven and hierarchical power relations (core – periphery) have long been a feature of European integration, finally culminating in Germany’s dominance of the EU’s economic policy orientations after the Great Recession. The regulatory developments that accompanied the establishment of the Eurozone and the measures taken in response to the Euro crisis through the imposition of ever stricter and ever less legitimated rules and governance structures (EuroPlus-Pact, Firscal Compact, etc.) deepened … [read more]

It is nowadays obvious that the European Union has, in reality, nothing to do with the heavy promises and colorful declarations that from time to time have been. If for the former generations it has been related with feelings of well-being, prosperity and security, as expressed by the moto “A powerful Greece of Euro, part of the European Elite” etc, for the young generations it is not the case anymore. The youth has known a European Union, which: - Imposes unending Memoranda, faces our country as a colony and auctions its wealth and its productive forces, like in the case of the public corporations (ex. The case of the Greek Airports), which, through Public Debt imposes the Privatizations’ Fund, which passes companies from the Greek public sector to… the German … [read more]

New ascendancy of FPÖ – social-cultural protest from below The sweeping success of Hofer, the Freedom Party’s candidate, is first of all expression of the protest by the subaltern classes. If the post-poll analysis can be trusted, about two-third of the workers cast their ballots for him. The pattern is known from earlier elections. In the historically industrial cities the lower segments of the former SP constituencies turn to FPÖ. For SPÖ has tied itself organically to the party of the big capital, ÖVP. Even more, it has taken the lead of the historic bloc of neo-liberalism. Parliamentary expression of this amalgamation is the explicit exclusion of the FPÖ from any governmental participation spelled out in the late 80s and adhered to ever since. Only by keeping this door … [read more]

Before the press conference in Zaporizhzhya City Vasily Volga was attacked. More than 30 radical neo-Nazis took part in beating the leader of the UL. Vasyl Volga was unguarded, and refused for their demand to leave the Zaporizhzhya. Vasyl Volga in the framework of his visit to the cities of Ukraine draws the attention of the citizens of Ukraine on the need to stop the war and confrontation in the society, to start a public dialogue between the parts of Ukraine torn by war. Vasyl Volga also believes that the nationalist propaganda of the Ukrainian authorities are trying to cover up the catastrophic rate of decline of the economy, well-being of citizens and the impoverishment of the state. Thus, the current government is for the military theme a convenient excuse not to carry out … [read more]

The crash came from the United States in 2007-2008 exposed the structural flaws of the single currency regime and its unsustainability: many eurozone countries are grappling with the biggest recession in its history, acute imbalances instead of convergence between the countries; extermination of companies and destruction of productive forces; collapse of investment; Growth of bank insolvencies and parallel paralysis of loans; increase in public and private debt; double-digit unemployment; decline in consumption, growth of social inequality. From the economic sphere, the crisis is thus passed to the political and institutional. The jump to the United States of Europe, recondite goal of the new neoliberal financial aristocracy, there will never, we go instead toward a new stage of the … [read more]

Find here the announcement and programme of the conference. First of all one will notice that the former Greek finance minister Varoufakis has disappeared from the agenda. The four figureheads remaining: Oskar Lafontaine (former German minister), Stefano Fassina (former Italian minister), Zoe Konstantopoulou (former Greek parliamentary president) and Jean-Luc Mélenchon (leader of the French Left Party). A reason for this further zigzag of Varoufakis’s might be his announcement of a plan C. Claiming that the return to national monetary sovereignty would result in a disaster, he actually recovers the failed plan A – as if nothing had happened: No lessen drawn from the humiliating capitulation inflicted on the Greek people by the troika, Varoufakis continues to float the … [read more]

On the 19th of October, 2015, Grubnik Vladimir Yurievich, a doctoral candidate of Medicine, a lecturer at Odessa National Medical University (Department of surgery) and a surgeon at Odessa Municipal clinical hospital was arrested in Odessa by force. He was an activist who participated in the events on Kulikovo Field [massacre committed by right-wing Ukrainian nationalists in Odessa where dozens of anti-Maidan activists we killed] and contributed medical aid to his comrades who suffered traumas during those events. He refused to accept the inhuman and illegal regime and after that he shared the fate of many who dared to speak up. Ukrainian authorities incriminate him participation in terrorist activities which he totally denies. During the very process of detention he was beaten and the … [read more]

1. After the 2013 Cyprus events, when the unanimous “no to the Memorandum” of the Cypriot parliament was turned to a “yes” into a week’s time under ECB’s threat of halting economic support, the violent reversal of the popular "no" at the referendum of July 5th into a "yes" by A. Tsipras comes as a confirmation that staying at the E/Z-EU directly counters democracy. The third memorandum signed by Syriza also demonstrates that even modest attempts to challenge austerity policy cannot stand in the E/Z-EU context. 2. The events on Cyprus and Greece are thus added to the long list of violations of the will of the peoples by Eurozone / EU and various governments. Characteristic instances in this respect are the bypassing of the rejection of the “euroconstitution” that the … [read more]

The basis of Popular Unity lies in the resistance of the Greek people, unprecedented in its persistence and numerical strength, particularly in the first two years of imposition of the memoranda. This struggle expressed generalized resistance to the strategic plan for imposing permanent austerity, the stripping of workers of every right, seizure of property, the dissolution of democracy, and the imposition of a regime of limited sovereignty. A mere month after the Greek people’s “oxi” in the referendum, the passage of the third memorandum has brought dramatic changes to the political landscape. The leadership group in the government that emerged from the elections of January 25 violated the very social contract that linked it to the popular majority, sowing disillusion and … [read more]

Ukraine launched a widespread campaign against dissidents. Leftists and communists are persecuted by the authorities and neo-Nazi militants. Thousands of people have already suffered from such repression. The regime is heating up the atmosphere of hatred and fear in the country, promoting denunciations and physical violence. Union Borotba calls on all concerned people to help spread information about the crimes of the Kiev regime, support the political prisoners, and demand that their governments end all support for the military action in Donbass and stop turning a blind eye to political repression in Ukraine. Please take a look at the attached .pdf file for detailed … [read more]

Since May of 2014, the Ukrainian authorities, as well as radical right-wing organizations, have repeatedly undertaken all manner of actions against the Vesti holding and its head Igor Igor Guzhva (the holding includes the newspaper, internet site and radio station of the same name, the magazine Reporter and the television channel UBR). On May 22, 2014, the activities of the editorial team of the Vesti newspaper (the largest daily newspaper in the country) were entirely locked down by personnel of the tax police on the pretext of a search being carried out. It should be noted that this happened two days before the presidential elections in Ukraine, despite the moratorium declared by the authorities on checks on the mass media. It was at this point that it became known that there was an … [read more]

We fully support the demand for the orderly disintegration of the eurozone. Also the reference to positions held in Germany against the bailouts with a tendency to social chauvinist undercurrents (which in difference to Fassina we believe do not prevail) is a correct democratic argument. "If you do not want us we are ready to go." The Euro establishment including dominant Berlin, however, will not accept this as they have no alternative to the eurozone. Eventually we do not want to preserve the EU (like Fassina does) as we believe that breaking with the Euro regimes going for a left Keynesian programme (which we see as the next step) will require the break with the EU altogether. We should not forget that the Maastricht treaty as the very foundation of the Euro regime is an outright … [read more]

See the respective report in the Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-Greece-sign-status-of-forces-agreement-409492 And Mondoweiss: http://mondoweiss.net/2015/07/greeces-syriza-military This hardly can be read as accidental: Although one could claim that Kammenos belongs to the small rightist coalition partner of Syriza, namely Anel, it is difficult to believe that such an important foreign policy decision could have been taken without the acknowledgement of the prime minister and the dominant coalition partner Syriza. This is all the more important as Syriza had vowed in its party programme to severe the relations with Israel. Also this promise together with Tsipras’s visits to Moscow seems to be part of the bluff which ended in the totally lost gamble. … [read more]

The tragic capitulation and decline of the Greek government, which is directly linked to the radical left, needs to generate alarms in all popular, democratic and left forces in Europe. A government that was elected to overturn austerity, agreed on the same or worse austerity measures, after 5 months of “negotiations”. A government that promised to return to the Greeks their dignity and lost popular sovereignty, accepted the ultimate humiliation, such as the dismissal of the Minister of Finance on the Eurogroup on 27/06/2015 and the international humiliation of the Prime Minister at the summit of the Eurozone countries ( 13/07/2015). The most humiliating part for the Greek people was the return of a much more severe and punitive version of the Juncker proposals, which had been … [read more]