Announcement of the C.C of EDON f on the 70th anniversary
of the anti-fascist victory of the peoples
This year, 70 years have passed since the antifascist victory of the peoples. This is a victory for which millions of people gave their lives in the battle against Nazism and fascism. The rise of fascism in a number of countries was not accidental. It was created by the ruling class and was aimed at the redistribution of wealth, and the consolidation of capitalism. Baring this in mind one of the greatest crimes in human history was implemented. The executions, the concentration camps and the horrible tortures were some of the criminal activities committed against humanity.
The peoples of Europe, who resisted and were imprisoned and executed, gave a decisive contribution to the struggle to defeat fascism, while the largest contribution to antifascist victory was provided by the Soviet Union. In February 1943 the Red Army delivered the last stronghold of the Germans at Stalingrad, ending one of the most decisive battles of the Second World War, which lasted 140 days. Thus began the long Soviet march to Berlin. The USSR counts more than 20 million dead.
These facts could not leave Cyprus unaffected. On June 16, 1943 AKEL took a historic decision and invited members and executives to enlist in the British army and fight against Nazism and Fascism. The response from members of AKEL was sensational. About 800 members of AKEL including 11 members of the Central Committee of the Party left for the battlefront in the Middle East.
Today, there is an attempt to erase the great contribution of the Soviet people from memory and replacing the day of the antifascist victory to ‘Day of Europe’. There is an effort of counterfeiting history and the goal is the same as then: to cultivate apathy, level everything and through this attempt to consolidate their domination.
As EDON, we continue our struggles against the most rotten creation of the capitalist system. Against the system itself that generates crises, creates wars, wears the mask of fascism when necessary, in order to serve its interests. We continue the fight to enlighten the youth and society in general in order for humanity never to live again events as the Second World War.
In this context, 70 years later, on May 9th 2015, EDON will perform a debate in Nicosia, at the Holiday Inn at 08:45 am with the contribution of former President of Cyprus, Demetris Christofias and Giorgos Margaritis, Professor of Modern History at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. We will follow with a great antifascist march to the War Memorial Resistance (in PASYDY).
We honor the sacrifice of democratic anti-fascist freedom fighters against Nazism and Fascism. Inspired by the struggles of millions of dead people, we continue more decisively 70 years later. Long lives the great antifascist victory of the peoples!
The Central Council of EDON
07.05.2015