May Day in Poland: „True Left” fight Communism

[Radix1944]

On May 1, 2013, we (the editorial collective of “Władza Rad” (“Power of the soviets”) website) to participate in may day demonstration organized in Warsaw by OPZZ (All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions) and SLD (Alliance of Democratic Left). We took part in the demonstration organized by social-democratic bourgeoisie party, because we wanted to spread communist ideology among workers supporting the SLD party and the OPZZ union federation.

Last year workers participating in the may day rally were glad to see us and our banners (with sickle and hammer and portraits of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky). Many of them told us, that communists should participate in may day rallies and the they were sympathetic to Marxism. Some of them even told us about their admiration for comrade Felix Dzerzhinsky – great Polish revolutionary hero. This year we met many pro-communist people as well. But we couldn’t take part in the march. Why? Because leaders of SLD and OPZZ, which present themselves as the “true Left defending the working class”, proved to be as anticommunist as the right-wing reactionaries. During the Jan Guz’s (leader of OPZZ) speech, which was full of left-wing slogans, we were told by the security to take down our banners or leave the rally. “Why?” – we asked. “Because!” – answered the security guard. – “The organizers don’t those banners on their demonstration”. They threatened to call the police, if we didn’t comply. We took the banners down and since we couldn’t march under our own flags, we decided to leave the rally. When we did so, the anticommunist bureaucrats sent the police after us after all. The police stopped us a mile away from the rally and checked our documents.


Leszek Miller (leader of SLD) – a former member of the Polish United Workers Party (PZPR) of which the SLD is a successor – apparently still tries to redeem himself in the eyes of Polish capitalists, even two decades after the fall of Polish deformed workers’ state. Faux-communists of yesterday fight against real communists of today.

“The barons of the Polish Left” are against us. But we met rank-and-file SLD members, who agreed with us and were true leftists. (Our regards to “Globus” from Gdynia branch of the SLD). We hope that there are more honest working people in SLD, OPZZ or FMS (Federation of Young Social-Democrats, youth organization of the SLD), with whom we can cooperate politically.

Right-wing and “left-wing” anticommunists can’t make the hammer and sickle go away! It will NEVER cease to haunt them! We will continue our struggle! We will continue our communist agitation among the working class, including the rank-and-file members of “the bourgeoisie workers party”! We will fight for workers’ power until victory!


The editorial collective of “Władza Rad”/”Power of the soviets”, www 1917 net pl

[tuwix]

And certainly portraits of Lenin and Trotsky doesn't help to popularize radical left-wing ideas in Polish masses...

Fortunately anarchism in Poland doesn't have such associations and it is more and more attractive in Polish youth.

[Radix1944]

"Anarchism" is attractive for youth because of slogans "Fuck the state", "Fuck the goverment" etc. And what youth is into Anarchism? Working youth? I don't think so. Many young "Anarchists" are kinder punks and youth from middle class. They even dont' know who Bakunin and Kropotkin were. But I know that in Poland are true Anarchist too eg. OZZ "Inicjatywa Pracownicza and others. I don't fight against Anarchists if they are involed in true working movement. We should cooperate 'cause together we are stronger.

[tuwix]

We both know that working class in term of youth is very vague. The greatest unemployment in Poland is by young people. The Polish hipsters aren't anarchists. They have party for them. (Ruch Palikota). But punks really are anarchists. And they know about Bakunin and Kropotkin well. And when I think about anarchists, I think about Związek Syndykalistów Polskich (Union of Polish Syndicalists) and Antifa. Synidaclists are very helpful in stoping evictions.

[Paul Pott]

IMO the best thing to do would have been to stay anyway, cops and left wing of capital be damned. But you were in that position, not me. I've managed to not get arrested so far.

[Traveller]

The same shit as in Hungary.The so called "left" (the hungarian "socialist" party,MSZP) helped to reinforce the prohibition of redstar,as "sign of dictatorship."

The Carpathin-Basin and Baltic countrys (including Poland) are the most counterrevolutionary places on Earth.

[tuwix]

I woudn't go so far in conlusions.
In Poland, we had radical movement against entering the EU. It was called Samoobrona (Self-Defence). They've got into the parliament and made some anitisistem actions. Unforunately, they become corrupted and leader of movement died in very vague circumstances.

Besides anarchist movement is growing. It is uderstandable because communists here are not far away from Stalin and definitely are supporting Lenin's idea. After such history, it is difficult to support leninists...

Besides I find very hard to recognize more counterrevolutionary place than the USA with this bunch fight-wing idiots (Republicans) believing that decreasing taxes will fix everything and a half a population supporting such stupidity...

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

In Poland, we had radical movement against entering the EU. It was called Samoobrona (Self-Defence). They've got into the parliament and made some anitisistem actions. Unforunately, they become corrupted and leader of movement died in very vague circumstances.

The SRP were certainly radical - radically right-wing. From everything I have read about them, they appear to have been a Black-Hundred movement with some nominal "socialist" agrarian policies.

Besides anarchist movement is growing. It is uderstandable because communists here are not far away from Stalin and definitely are supporting Lenin's idea. After such history, it is difficult to support leninists...

It is difficult to those that have not broken with nationalism and liberalism, certainly. I don't think any communist group would gain much by courting such people in any case.

[tuwix]

The SRP were certainly radical - radically right-wing. From everything I have read about them, they appear to have been a Black-Hundred movement with some nominal "socialist" agrarian policies.

I don't know where have you read it from, but they were definetely left-wing. They were based on agrarian labour union which organized roads blockings. They were seated on the left side of the parliament.

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

And their coalition with the Radio Maria party was an accident, I suppose?

[GallowsBird]

Sorry, but all these Polish nationalists that portray Socialist Poland as a conquered state and the most oppressed place in the world (which it was from... and I say that as someone with family who left it... and became vaguely liberal Trotskyists) need to get over themselves really.

Poland had a legitimate Polish government, the average quality of life was better, Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky etc did not wish to conquer glorious Poland for Mother Russia and the general anti-Communism in Poland was designed by the right to discredit and split the left.

Anarchists and Leninists and all Leftists regardless of differences need to ally in places like Poland and the Baltic states and not get caught up in reactionary nonsense.

[tuwix]

And their coalition with the Radio Maria party was an accident, I suppose?

Not accident. Political situation in Poland is very difficult to explain. We had even a prime minister who has been in oposition to his own government.

And know this right-wing "Radio Maria" party says the most social slogans of whole Polish parliament. Certainly they lie, but Samobrona's demands were far more agresive. Minimal income for all was their slogan.

Besides coalitions between right-wing and left-wing parties in world sometimes happens.

Sorry, but all these Polish nationalists that portray Socialist Poland as a conquered state

Poland have never been socialist since primitive communism. And I lived in times state-capitalism and I find better classical capitalism than Lenin's and Stalin's "achievements". Nonetheless, I believe that Marx in the most his visions was true. However, his visions have never been implemented for longer time.

[Radix1944]

I agree with comrade tuwix that Samoobrona was left-wing party. After Lepper died my party (Polish Labour Party) cooperated with them in elections. Unfortunately they are to much rusophile eg. for Mateusz Piskorski (he was member of Samoobrona, later of Polish Labour Party, now he is in Samoobrona again) most important is defend of russian hools than defend of workers.

But I disagree that Peoples Poland was worse than capitalism. Previous system has disadvantages but social security was better, society was more egalitarian, even previous goverment take cared of people. I met once old lady which collects scrap to survive. She said to me: "I wasn't Party member but I had good work. If I needed something I went to National Council and I recived what I wanted."

[The Idler]

You can be a communist and oppose Lenin and Trotsky.

[Yet_Another_Boring_Marxist]

You can be a communist and oppose Lenin and Trotsky.

This is true

But you can't be a communist if you oppose them from the right.