Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Communist Youth of Greece

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Founded
  
September 15, 1968


Ideology
  
Communism Marxism–Leninism

Mother party
  
Communist Party of Greece

International affiliation
  
World Federation of Democratic Youth

The Communist Youth of Greece (Greek: Κομμουνιστική Νεολαία Ελλαδας; KNE) is the youth wing of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).

Contents

It publishes the monthly newspaper Odigitis (Greek: Οδηγητής, "guider") and hosts Odigitis festivals in most of the major towns and cities of Greece.

KNE is a member of the World Federation of Democratic Youth.

Organisation

KNE is following the organisational structure described as democratic centralism.

History

KNE was founded on September 15, 1968, with a decision of Politburo of the Central Committee of the KKE, during the Greek military junta of 1967-1974, as an organization of youth with revolutionary and communist features.

It was the historical continue of OKNE (Organization of Communist Youth of Greece), of all the organizations of youth which had already taken part in people's struggle in Greece, such as EPON (United Panhellenic Organization of Youth), DNE (Democratic Youth of Greece), D.N.Lampraki (Democratic Youth "Lamprakis").

In 1989-1991, a deep crisis shocked KNE and KKE. In autumn 1989, disagreeing with the participation of KKE in the Tzannetakis and Zolotas national unity governments, a large group, including the major part of KNE under its secretary-general George Grapsas, split from the KKE and formed the New Left Current (NAR). The KKE, then part of the Synaspismos coalition, attempted to dissolve KNE into the Synaspismos Youth League. Later in 1991, KKE left the coalition, purged all non-hardliners (incl. 45% of the central committee and KKE secretary-general Grigoris Farakos), and restored KNE with the efforts of some hundreds of members. In March 1993, the 6th Congress of the Organization took place.

In the late 2000s, KNE decided to constitute MAS (Front of Students' Struggle) (Greek: Μέτωπο Αγώνα Σπουδαστών, ΜΑΣ) which was finally founded by students' organizations in Athens, 6 November 2009.

The congresses of KNE

  • 1st Congress (19–22 February 1976)
  • 2nd Congress (4–7 April 1979)
  • 3rd Congress (14–18 December 1983)
  • 4th Congress (1–5 June 1988)
  • 5th Congress (25–27 January 1990)
  • 6th Congress (19–21 March 1993) "The hope is in our struggle, with KKE we open the road to the future"
  • 7th Congress (1–4 May 1997) "Youth's counter-attack to imperialism, with KKE for Socialism"
  • 8th Congress (21–23 December 2001) "Youth dynamic in struggle with working class and the people,for the Front, for the Socialism"
  • 9th Congress (12–14 May 2006) - Resolution
  • 10th Congress (7–9 May 2010) - "Communism is the youth of the world, KNE our organization"
  • 11th Congress (18–21 December 2014) - "Pioneer youth of KKE - combatively en route for the socialist tomorrow - without crises, wars, exploitation"

    • Odigitis festival

    Odigitis festival is a series of annual festivals organized in most of the major towns and cities of Greece by the KNE.

    References

    Communist Youth of Greece Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA