Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Red March - Moscow 7th November 2017 - Speeches - Translated by Dmytriy Kovalevich



In the video from Moscow we can see first the column of the United Communist Party (OKP) with banners “All power to the Soviets”, “New October will come”

We can see there also the flags of Italian Partito Communista, as their large delegation came to Russia to celebrate the centennial. 

In the column with red banners and black banners with a red star, we can see also Rot Front members, Russian Left Front, New Communist Movement (The Red Dawn), The Association of the Soviet Youth, Labor Russia. 

We can see also Catalan flags, the banner that reads “There are only two classes”. 

There presents also the group of national-bolsheviks (Another Russia) with the banner “We can repeat it” with young Lenin’s portrait.

Chanting: “Upper, upper red banner - capital is our main enemy”.

The first speaker (4:10) congratulates with the centennial of the biggest event in the world history.

“We are here tomorrow - near the monument to the 1905 Revolution’s heroes. On this place in early 20-th century took place severe battles - in 1905 and 1917 and then - in 1993, when the revanchists temporarily won and destroyed the achievements of the October revolution. 

But we all know that the Revolution has the beginning but has no end. 

As states the Declaration of Human Rights, an uprising under dictatorship is justified.

But Revolution is not only uprising - it is the birth of the new stars. And we’ll celebrate tonight this event. We’ll fight for the restoration of the revolution achievements. And our current rally is dedicated to this aim. 

There are present our Italian comrades. Let’s greet our Italian comrades! Hurrah to Italians!

The entire progressive humanity is with us today. We celebrate tonight the anniversary of the birth of the new world. I invite to speak: Alexander Batov from the Rot Front”. 

A.Batov: “We reached this day of the centennial, though we expected to celebrate it the other way. Back in 1990s when our communists faced hard times, struggling against Yeltsin’s regime, they used to tell each other: “2017 will come and definitely we’ll celebrate it under socialism”. 

Indeed, they believed, fought, hoped for it. So, this day has come. 

But unfortunately our country appeared not in socialism but thrown back into dark mediaeval times. 

You know, in many cities they open capsules with messages from 1967 to 2017. I read these messages and I’m ashamed for our country and people. Those who built and developed socialism, who fought and died for it - they believed that we would live under communism; that we would not lose but enforce communism and win the world communism. 

When the USSR opened the age of space travels, many writers, scientists and thinkers dreamed that 21 century would be the age of the united communist humanity. And they had some grounds to believe it as they did everything possible to make a task easier for us. But we appeared in 19-th century. 

We have now back - governors, tsar, gendarmes, and priests. We have landowners and capitalists. And there are also we - serfs and villains.”

Then A.Batov criticizes the policy of redistribution of Russian oil/gas revenues and social cuts. 

He also criticizes the KPRF way of celebration the centennial - in rich restaurants for public money, betraying the very ideas of the revolution. 

He calls KPRF parliamentary faction ‘puppet and fake communists’, who ‘serve to the bourgeois regime.’ 

He calls not to hope for the help of parliamentary communists but to fight and restore socialism relying only on own forces.

“We are not humans for bourgeoisie - they see all of us as just their ‘nutritive reserve’. The only language they understand - is the language of force and struggle. Therefore, the only way for us is the way of class struggle, struggle for our rights. And we should start it all anew”. 

The next speaker is comrade Ivanov from Bulgaria (17:20). 
He says that he is happy to be present there at the historical moment. He passes greetings from Bulgarian people. “Bulgarian workers, Bulgarian people is waiting for you, comrades!”

He reads an address from the Bulgarian Movement against Capitalism and The United Anti-Imperialist Front.

Bulgarian comrades in their address greet all progressive people with the centennial of the October revolution. The retreat from socialism has led to degradation and collapse in all former socialist countries. But many realized now that the capitalist restoration was a great mistake. 

And many people again wait for the Aurora’s shot. The fight for freedom can’t be separated from the fight for liberation from capitalist oppression, from its imperialist and fascist aggression. Socialism in many countries, despite some mistakes, has proved its superiority over the criminal capitalist system. 

Revolution goes on, comrades! - says a Bulgarian comrade. 

The next speakers - representatives of the New Communist Movement (Ukrainian refugees from Borotba). 

“We remember how our grandfathers and grandmothers lived before the revolution; how they were illiterate peasants and workers who had to work from dawn till sunset for a plate of soup. 

We remind of it because currently we re moving closer with each day to that situation. But we also remember how 100 years ago our ancestors said “Enough!” and revenged to landlords, capitalists, priests and their tsar. We remember how difficult for them it was to build new life. 

We are proud of them. We are the successors of the Lenin’s affair and proud of it. 

These were communists who destroyed the Russian Empire and made it a republic, eliminating the Romanov’s dynasty. We are proud of it. These were communists who destroyed churches to build schools and hospitals instead. And we are proud of it! These were communists who provided the oppressed peoples of the Empire the possibility to develop their cultures. 

And we are proud of it. We’ll repeat the October! And finally, we should chant: “Peace! Donbass! Working Class!”

The next speaker (25:20) is from Labor Russia. 

He reminds how the date was celebrated in past years. He says then that a working man will always celebrate the October revolution. 

The next speaker - from the Left Block, a guy from Siberia. 
He refutes the myths of Russian media that the October revolution allegedly destroyed Russian culture. He says that before the revolution the entire culture was available only for 3% of aristocracy and bourgeoisie. And after the revolution - all got an opportunity to get to know it. This reached the level of culture to higher level. 

Then he refutes another myth that allegedly only market approach and private owners can reach efficiency in economy. He says that the achievements of the USSR, including space programs, are the evidence that economy can function efficiently without private entrepreneurs. And this enabled the October revolution.

But we shouldn’t focus only in past, but look at the future becoming the voice of the poorest, who have no money and possibilities to defend their rights. We should raise their consciousness and speak their language. 

The new October revolution and the world revolution as its prolongation - awaits us in the future. Even now we can see the elements of the future socialism: we have websources, like wikipedia, based on crowdsourcing, renovative energy programs that aimed to make energy cheap and available and this possibly will target the market economy. 

Knowledge and energy are the base for future socialist economy. And we are witnessing it. Scandinavian countries are talking about introducing universal basic income which may enforce the people’s equality. We should orient to the modern technologies, looking at the future. 

Then he points out the necessity to develop the struggle in regions, ending with chanting: “Be it Moscow or Siberia - only the struggle provides rights”

The next speaker (37:18) is from the United Communist Party. 
He points out that the celebration is twofold because we should celebrate, but from the other hand we lost many revolution’s achievements, with the exception of only 8-hours working day at least formally. 

Therefore, it should be the celebration but also the struggle at once. We, who were adult in 1980s-1991, feel our guilt. We were not clever enough to realize who was the General Secretary (Gorbachev). When we finally realized it, it was too late - the 1991 counter-revolutionary coup happened. 

But this coup united all real communists who resisted eventually Yeltsin’s regime. 

(He enumerates then the rallies and protests actions of communists in 1990s.)

I greet everyone with the first in history victorious revolution of the proletariat! 

We should learn the lessons of October. And its main lesson: the ability of masses to believe in their own strength. It was the initiative of masses. Following the example of workers, the peasants revolted beginning to burn down landlords’ mansions - they managed to believe in their strength too! 

In Koronstadt in February 1917 crowds of sailors executed the officers who used to humiliate them before. Grassroot Soviets began to emerge all over the country, becoming a parallel, alternative power. Masses believed in their strength. They perceived that were able to build a society which was not yet seen in history. This would be a society of justice and decency - it is possible to build it - you just need to suppress all representatives of bourgeoisie.

And the next lesson of October: in any case, in any situation - don’t fear to make the first blow. 

In October 1917 there were some 300 000 in Petrograd who supported Soviets - Petrograd garrison, Baltic sailors, workers’ Red Guards, While the Provisional government of A.Kerensky was defended by 3000 - cadets and Cossacks. And Lenin insisted at the moment: let’s start now because the sentiments of soldiers may change. 

His opponents claimed: we can’t be the first to blow. Lenin said: why not? We can, otherwise we may lose everything tomorrow. Lenin knew Russian history: in 1825 the revolutionaries -Decembrists rose up - they had forces but didn’t dare to attack the first and eventually were shot from cannons.

Proletarian revolutionaries in 1917 were the first to attack - they stormed the Winter palace - and rightly. Many opposed Lenin inside the party, claiming that they should focus on elections rather. Lenin said: “No, we will not wait for elections”. 

And this is a lesson for us. When the time has come - don’t fear but beat with the full strength! The time will change anyway and the new October  is ahead  Hurrah !






For the Democracy and Class Struggle Marxist Leninist Maoist theoretical view of the October Revolution visit :

https://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/the-real-meaning-of-october-revolution.html



https://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/in-final-analysis-october-revolution.html

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