Long Live the Solidarity of the People

The Party of the European Left (EL) initiated the year of European elections with a political-cultural event in the "Volksbühne" in Berlin on January 12th. According to its motto "For a Europe without the power of banks - Peace to the Shacks!" politicians from Germany, France, Spain, and Greece reaffirmed their will to fight together for a peaceful, social, and democratic Europe. "We have to wake up the Europe of Enlightenment, the Europe of universal human rights and of revolutions. This is the only way out of the crisis. We want to introduce a new period of social and ecological achievements in Europe." said Pierre Laurent, President of the EL. "All together, at every rally in every town in all our countries, we will call: ‚Stop the austerity mandate, long live the solidarity of the people!‘ All over Europe, the ballot card for the lists of the European Left will be a weapon against the neoliberal Europe and for a union of free, sovereign, and allied peoples and nations, aiming at human progress." The challenges are huge, Pierre Laurent stated and was convinced: "We are up to them! The time of the left has come! Come along, comrades!"

Maite Mola, Vice-President of the EL, spoke up especially against wars, imminent wars and arms exports. The European Left called for a dissolution of NATO and the immediate closure of all foreign bases on EU territory, the implementation of new economy and trade relations between the different world regions to secure common development as well as to defend solidarity, justice, and equality. Furthermore, it was necessary to abolish the Schengen and Frontex agreements, being misanthropic tools. This was not only a matter of saying ‚No‘ to war: "We have to fight for peace becoming a reality every day and everywhere. Peace may no longer be abused as a means of moral and emotional blackmail justifying wars." Without truly just and respectful peace there are no human rights, without human rights there is no democracy.

In his message, which was read out in the crowded "Volksbühne", Alexis Tsipras called his candidacy for the President of the European Commission a "mandate for hope and change" in Europe. "In 2014, let's make the Memoranda history. Let's open a new path toward solidarity and change across Europe. Let's unite our voices with all peoples of Europe and send through our common campaign for the European elections and my candidacy for the EU Commission Presidency a powerful European message of democracy. Hope will prevail over fear. Solidarity will prevail over disaster."

The party chairs of DIE LINKE Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger, chair of the faction of DIE LINKE in Bundestag, Gregor Gysi, and his vice-chairs, Sahra Wagenknecht and Dietmar Bartsch, as well as Oskar Lafontaine expressed the will of the party DIE LINKE to do everything for a successful campaign of the European Left and a strong left group in the European Parliament. "We are Europeans and we are internationalists - neck and crop." party chair Bernd Riexinger pointed out. There was no conflict between the peoples but between top and bottom, he said. Katja Kipping denounced the "lethal bunker policy" which was - with an eye to the Great Coalition in Germany - neither christian nor social democratic. According to Gregor Gysi the European ideal is a left ideal: "We have to save it." Driving people to poverty was anti-European, underlined Oskar Lafontaine. The German wage dumping was the reason for the European crisis. DIE LINKE wants an end of the wage dumping in Germany, it asks for direct lending to the member states by the European Central Bank, a Europe-wide capital levy as well as a debt cut.

Singer Katja Ebstein, actress and diseuse Gisela May, poet Volker Braun, the Chilean singer Pablo Ardouin, Florian Erkner and band ‚The Bookstore Café‘, as well as Welislawa and Michael Letz contributed to the successful and militant cultural programme.