Anticommunist campaigns occurred in the modern history of Europe more than once. A sort of “professional” anticommunists’ strata has been shaped up in European politics. Most commonly those are the representatives of former socialist countries where the capitalism reversion has bought forth severe socio-economic problems. It is rather difficult to propose the society any positive program under such circumstances. Much easier is to fudge about the past, convict the Soviet Union, be “brave” in struggle against great departed – Lenin, Stalin, Thelman, Dimitrov. For the most political regimes in Europe the communism is the “fuel”, without which they would fail to perform.   

Today European authorities are carrying on their hard-line war against “phantom” of communism. Not long ago the Brandenburg federal government (Germany) permitted to demolish the memorial of the foremost communist and antifascist Ernst Thelman in the south area of Berlin. Well, Hitler would have been well-contented with the present German officials’ activity.  

While in our country a series of explosions of Lenin’s monuments has recently occurred. The explosions have been so well-organized that it becomes clear: nobody even has tried to pretend the special operations be teen-agers’ molestations. Therefore the authorities are indicating quite explicitly how the society is to treat communism.   

But “civilized” Europe places its stake not only on the actions of vandalism but on the creation of full-scale anticommunist theory as well. We still have not forgotten one of the regular turns of anticommunist campaign instigated by memorandum “On the need of international condemnation of crimes of totalitarian communist regimes” that was submitted in the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Council in 2005. As the result of the joint efforts of the communist and workers parties of Europe and with the CPRF active participation the approval of anticommunist documents was scuttled at the time. But since then various European institutes keep on developing and accepting all types of texts that condemn communism (totalitarianism, Stalinism). And in March 2009 European Parliament again registered itself: at the sessions in Brussels and Strasburg hearings were held on the issue “European conscience and totalitarianism”. The majority of the parliament members that took the floor (mostly from the countries of Eastern Europe and the Baltic area) stuck firm to anticommunist position: they slandered directly the Soviet Union, distorted its role in the Second World War, called for revising of post-war European history. The point of view of the few sensible was not taken into consideration when the next anticommunist resolution was adopted.

The future generations those owe communists their rescue from fascist plague are now equating communists and Nazis. It could not be imagined more despicable technique. Fascism, monstrous production of capitalism, and communism that in the middle of 20^th century was the only force managed to save the world from fascist pest, now both are being tried to be put on the same league.    

But the condemnation of the past is not the main aim for the sake of which the members of the European parliament are taken so much trouble. The point is that the approval of such documents provides vast opportunities for chasing of today communists and together with them of all those who in effect is struggling for the rights of working people. Most people in Russia cannot even imagine that in many European countries, being considered as “democratic ones”, a person today can be criminalized for his communist views.

For two years the trial lasted against Hungarian communists due to the use of traditional emblems: the star, sickle and hammer on the banner. In Czechia judicial authorities have banned the Czech Communist Youth Union for the rejection to exclude from the statutes that the ideology of the Union is Marxism-Leninism. The criminal law in Poland, Rumania, Slovakia provides penalty for communism advocacy (alongside with fascism). So to say you are quite likely to find yourself behind the bars for taking the picture of Lenin or Marx to the demonstration. This is the vaunted bourgeois freedom: you are allowed to advocate only the views that cause no damage to the ruling class. 

Our party has always taken active part in the campaigns of solidarity with those who has become victims of anticommunist chases in Europe.

It is quite logically that anticommunist hysteria is exacerbating coupled with the crisis development. Just now the bourgeoisie is seriously afraid: the growth of unemployment, the inevitable cutting of wages force European working population to resist organizing protest actions; and as often as not communists lead the people’s protests as they do in Russia. Recently the streets of many European countries have witnessed mass clashes with police. And the crisis has just begun after all.

  It is worth noting that quite often the representatives of socialist and socio-democratic parties are participating in European anticommunist campaign. In this respect last year the CPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov sent a letter to the Socialist International Chairman Gorgeous Papandreou where he reminded that Hitler also started his massacres from communists but then socio-democrats fell victims as well. The Greece socialist failed to find proper words to answer the leader of the largest communist party in Europe. Judging by some statements of the Socialist International the today European socialists and socio-democrats are ready to withstand climate changes rather than to fight against exploitation toughening and bourgeoisie arbitrariness in view of the crisis.

The CPRF will continue monitoring anticommunist campaign and reacting hard and fast to any anticommunist manifestations. In the nearest future we are intending to conduct consultations with our comrades abroad for coordination of anticommunist hysteria counteractions.  In the view of the economic crisis we consider it to be one of the fronts of all-world labor struggle.