Workshop: Presentation of ILPS and the movement against US overseas military bases
Speaker: Aleksis Fitsilis, Anti-war Anti-imperialist Committee of Karditsa, Greece

There can be no struggle against imperialism without struggle against military bases

During the summer of 1992, just after the end of the Gulf war and before the partition of Yugoslavia, the Anti-war Anti-imperialist Committee of Karditsa was formed. Throughout these 14 years, a lot have happened that not only justify the formation of the committee, but also define the increasing duties that arise.
This is the period of the most aggressive imperialism that humanity has ever known. US imperialism promotes policies and strategies for global domination. Interventions and wars are their standard practice. Their bases (in over 100 countries around the world) constitute a military and political network on which their operations rely. In fact, they clearly aim at upgrading and further enhancing this network and their military presence throughout the planet.
And that is one more piece of evidence that they have no intention of resigning their goal, even though they have problems in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Although they face dead-ends and hardships, they do not seem to be willing to alter the strategy that Bush and his ‘tank’ have drawn. They directly threaten Iran, Syria, Korea, they bring out –existing or non-existing- contradictions in the Balkans and in Caucasus and they support Israel in the genocide of the Palestinians. In fact, Bush threatens to use nuclear weapons (and the targets are more than just Iran…).
We are in the midst of a long period of upheavals and re-defining of roles and goals of every imperialist from the West to the East. Thus, the inter-imperialist competition deepens and the threat of a generalized war hovers over the planet.
In that sense, no kind of reassurance is allowed, no illusions that the rights of the peoples will be granted by imperialists. The peoples cannot stand with any imperialist (or imperialist coalition), they cannot wait to be "rescued" by the "good" imperialists and the reason is simple: there is no such thing as "good" imperialists.
In order to stop wars all around the world, in order to prevent the slaughtering that the imperialists, led by the US, are about to attempt, the heroic Iraqi Resistance and the sacrifices of the Palestinians are not enough. Billions of people worldwide must be mobilized, people who imperialists think of as expendable flesh.
THE GOAL IS: to stop the war; prevent the slaughtering through the anti-war anti-imperialist movement that will isolate imperialists, through the development of the people’s liberating movement all over the world.
And since it is a class war, stopping it will not only prevent the terror of a great war, but the peoples will benefit in their struggle for freedom, independence, and social progress, in smashing imperialism all over the world. Since imperialism means war, every movement that limits it, inevitably brings closer a better future for the peoples.
According to the above, the coordinated struggle of the peoples against the US overseas military bases worldwide, will not only make the work of murderers more difficult, but will also enhance the formation of people’s movements against imperialism.
What the times demand is a global front of the peoples against their oppressors. The Iraqi Resistance leads the way. Once more it is proved that the will and struggle for freedom and national sovereignty is superior to all "intelligent weapons" and state of the art military equipment. It is a source of inspiration for the peoples worldwide. Let it inspire us now that the imperialistic plans foretell new trials and tribulations for our people and the people of the Balkans.
The complex of our country’s dependence on NATO, US and the EU has always defined the basic moves of the dominating class and its governments. The orders come from Washington, London, and Brussels and the local bourgeois obey. When they want land, air and sea, to attack Yugoslavia, they have it. When they want the military base in Souda for the war in Iraq, they can use it. When they need warships in the Gulf, troops in Kosovo, troops in Afghanistan, we send them. Recently our parliament sanctioned a protocol of "shared view" with NATO that basically makes our country a banana republic.
There is no doubt that it is a basic duty to re-construct and develop the anti-war, anti-imperialist movement in our country.
Against every pathetic, small-party logic in order to expand the anti-war, anti-imperialist movement that will struggle to make our grounds HOSTILE to imperialists.
Against the divide and rule logic of imperialists and chauvinism, we must propose the united front of the peoples of the region.
Against the politics of submission we have to contribute to the construction of the people’s movement whose struggle WILL PROTECT US FROM… PROTECTORS.
The criticality of the period demands to put forward again and again the issue of US military bases in the country, both by obstructing their action and delaying their military plans, and as an inextricably woven part of improving the every day life of the working people in the prospect of the country’s independence.
We think that the anti-war, anti-imperialist movement and especially the anti-bases movement are behind the developments and also behind the anti-imperialist and anti-US feelings and intentions of our people. Our problem lies in the direction of making massive, unifying and making political the anti-war, anti-imperialist movement. Because this does not concern a few dozens of people in every city and region, but thousands and thousands, it concerns the entire world.
People often tell us: "apart from war, imperialism, bases and the Americans there are more problems. The people are starving, unemployment is a plague, the assault against democratic rights is severe, democratic and political liberties are limited, the peasants are starving…". We totally agree. Rights that have been valid for decades are under an anti-people reactionary assault. This policy bombards the working people with poverty, affects social security rights, de-constructs the free of charge state education and throws peasants out of their fields.
We have to raise the question: Is imperialism responsible for the trials and tribulations of the working people? Do financial problems, work relations, unemployment, democratic rights have something to do with dependence and the imperialist patrons of the country? All imperialist countries, all capitalist countries cruelly exploit peoples and workers in the name of "competitiveness". The elimination of the peasants is a choice made by the EU, in full accordance with the dominating class. Respectively, the draft and forming mercenary troops are two issues that affect the youth and are directly related to adapting to the murderous plans of the US. And of course, since Bush wants to keep up the attack, he demands the elimination of every democratic right, every anti-imperialist voice. All of us are "terrorists" because we are against the war, against Bush and the warlords of the Pentagon. We are all candidates for Guantanamo and Abu Graib or the roaming floating prisons of the USA. There are terror-laws, mechanisms, surveillance, and courts.
To strike imperialism and stop the war of the US and every imperialist is in full accordance with the struggle of the working people for their rights. The fight against the country’s dependence, against participating in imperialist wars, for ousting military bases, limiting military equipment also has a financial side and an impact on democratic and political liberties.
In our area there are no military bases and the headquarters of NATO that used to be nearby, was transferred elsewhere. During the past few years the Anti-war, Anti-imperialist Committee of Karditsa has organized a series of anti-war activities, has participated in solidarity delegations to Yugoslavia (during the bombarding) and to Palestine. It has organized discussions and debates of support to the peoples under attack. It publishes the Anti-war Bulletin, a tool for properly informing the people of the area. It participated in movements in co-operation with other organizations (something that we constantly pursue) in Thessaloniki, by blocking the harbour in 1999, and by a series of demonstrations, in the spring of 2003, in the headquarters of NATO in Tyrnavos.
All this action, demonstrations, solidarity, debates is not momentary. We should not remember Baghdad and Ramala when they are bombarded.
We need:
Constant struggle, correctly oriented that day by day will embrace larger parts of the population reminding people of the anti-war, anti-imperialist duty.
To expose every day the plans of imperialists at the expense of humanity and the real dimensions of the inter-imperialist contradictions.
To expose the real perpetrators of the dramatic developments promoted in the Balkans, blocking the way to a new rise of nationalism and enhancing solidarity and the friendship of peoples.
To expose the "realism" of governments and the dominant class that are drawn by "winners" expecting something in return, and having in store more suffering for our people.
All the above must promote the military bases issue and must show how it reinforces the status and plans of imperialists. Ousting them will mean hopeful perspectives for peace.
THERE CAN BE NO STRUGGLE AGAINST IMPERIALISM WITHOUT STRUGGLE AGAINST MILITARY BASES
2.5 years ago a representative of the Iraqi Resistance in his speech in Karditsa said: The Iraqi Resistance needs neither money nor guns from the solidarity movement. It only needs one thing: support, revelation of the truth and legalization against the US propaganda. This must be an important element of our action, both for the Iraqi Resistance and for movements all around the world. To inform the people, to project outwards that the peoples of the world fight and are sacrificed for smashing imperialism, feeds the struggle in our country.
Last but not least, coordination, common action and co-operation of forces through democratic procedures, local movements, committees within the country are needed. Promoting international initiatives as the one that ILPS started with the International Campaign Against US Overseas Military Bases is also needed. It is a necessary prerequisite for the benefit and the reinforcement of the people’s struggle.
Imperialism can lead humanity to the grave. It is up to the peoples to prevent this prospect.
This evil force will not stop; will not hesitate to commit greater crimes, unless the people’s struggle prevents it.
The message from the Iraqi resistance is: IMPERIALISM IS NOT INVINCIBLE. IT IS NOT ALMIGHTY. THE PEOPLES MUST AND CAN RESIST THE IMPERIALIST PLAGUE.
We can move in this direction, we can unite the anti-war, anti-imperialist stream of our country to the great ocean of the global anti-war movement, where the wannabe emperors and every imperialist are bound to drown.