In advance of our conference last weekend we received messages of greeting and solidarity from all over the world. Below is the text of those messages.
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Comrades,
The Swedish Marxist Students wish to extend our revolutionary fraternal greetings to your conference this weekend. With the onslaught against workers and youth, brought upon us by this rotting system, our struggle has never been more necessary – our ideas never more relevant.
Any young person today, whether in Sweden or Britain, will know very well the impasse this system has lead us into, and any serious person will be looking for an alternative. In the coming period, we will organize this layer and repeat the successes of the MSF many times over.
Your conference slogan “In Defence of Lenin” aptly sums up the tasks confronting the Marxists of today, namely to carry forward the banner of the October Revolution of 1917. On the basis of these ideas you will build a strong marxist tendency among Students, Workers and Youth. Forward to victory! Long live the MSF!
Revolutionary greetings,
Marxist Students of Sweden
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Dear Comrades,
We send you revolutionary greetings from the Austrian section of the International Marxist Tendency, “Der Funke”, to the MSF conference.
Austria is the country where the “lesser evil” won when Alexander Van der Bellen, a liberal-green candidate, beat Norbert Hofer of the far right FPÖ in the presidential elections. Most of the so called “Left”, even “revolutionaries” endorsed Van der Bellen beforehand. But the result did nothing to stem the wave of rascism and anti-immigrant rethoric, in fact the opposite has
been the case.
The Social Democratic-Conservative government just “restarted” its work with a descision to push through more cuts and attack free education and workers’ rights. All of that will be covered with openly rascist, anti-immigration policy. Meanwhile, Van der Bellen pushed openly for this “compromise”. Many activists are stunned and demoralized. The only way to counter this mood is to smash through the thicket of “lesser evilism” and bourgeois politics altogether and base our policy on clear Marxist theory. In this light, we congratulate you for the organisation of the MSF conference. Long live international solidarity!
Comradely greetings,
Der Funke
(Austria)
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Dear comrades and friends,
We send you our warmest revolutionary greetings from Greece and we wish you every success in your conference. We are confident that this meeting will be a big step forward in the struggle to spread the ideas of Marxism amongst the youth and the working class. This is the only way out from the madness of capitalism. The system cannot be reformed, it must be overthrown.
The betrayal of SYRIZA has shown this in Greece. The sooner the Marxists provide an alternative, the sooner socialism will prevail.
Forward in building the forces of Marxism in Britain and the world!
Comradely greetings,
Youth Against Capitalism
(Greece)
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Dear comrades of the Marxist Student Federation,
We send you from Italy our warmest greetings for your fourth National Conference. This conference takes place in a very special year: the 100th anniversary of the Russian revolution. We are already listening to every kind of falsification by the bourgeoisie, which expresses only the fear the ruling class has for a new revolution. Their fear is our hope.
Your work in spreading the ideas of genuine Marxism and organizing the youth is vital. It is the same work we are doing here in Italy. Following the example of the Marxist societies, we have developed Marxist study groups in 20 different cities, among university and high school students. We are working day by day to offer to a whole new generation the ideas of Marxism and to build – in Italy as in the whole world – the revolutionary organization we need to overthrow capitalism.
Capitalism today can offer us only barbarism. 100 years ago the Russian workers, led by the Bolshevik party of Lenin and Trotsky, have shown us the way. Today we are going to finish that job.
Comradely greetings,
The comrades of Sempre in Lotta and Sinistra Classe Rivoluzione
(Italy)
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Greetings comrades,
On the occasion of the fourth national conference of the Marxist Student Federation it gives us great pleasure to send you this message in the name of the Marxist Students Utrecht group in the Netherlands.
The tasks that lie ahead of us are very similar to those facing yourselves. At the moment, with elections pending on 15 March, the right-wing Freedom Party of Geert Wilders looks close to achieving first place. Responsibility for the rise of the right lies squarely with the pro-capitalist policies of the “centre” parties, and the failure of the so-called “left” parties to offer a serious alternative. In this vacuum conditions are ripe for us to gain an echo for genuine socialist ideas, and to build a strong, Marxist organisation among the most advanced layers of young workers and students.
We derive a tremendous amount of inspiration from our British comrades in this struggle; whose level of organisation and political activity have always set an example as we build and improve our own revolutionary work.
We started from scratch just one year ago, but now we have weekly branch meetings, and monthly public meetings and paper sales. So thank you for all the support and help. We wish you a successful conference!
Comradely greetings,
Marxist Students Utrecht
(Netherlands)
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Dear Comrades,
The US Section of the International Marxist Tendency sends its revolutionary greetings to the conference of the Marxist Student Federation, taking place amidst unprecedented events and political change around the world – not least in the US.
Just a few years ago it was hard to imagine that millions of workers and youth considered themselves socialists, or that we’d see a movement of four million people in 600 cities across the country protesting the inauguration of the most unpopular presidential administration in modern history.
Today more people are looking for revolutionary ideas than at any other time in living memory, in the US, as in Britain and around the world. We are thrilled about the progress of the Marxist Student Federation and we know this conference will be an important step in strengthening the voice of revolutionary Marxism – the voice which carries the only program that can transform society.
Comradely greetings,
Socialist Appeal
(USA)
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Dear comrades,
Revolutionary greetings from the Progressive Youth Alliance in Pakistan for your national conference. This is the centenary year of the Russian Revolution. So it is the right time not only to defend the ideas of Lenin but also to present youth with true ideas of Marxism. This conference will be a big step forward in building the forces of genuine Marxism amongst the youth in Britain. We send our best wishes for a successful conference!
We are here also struggling for the rights of students. In Pakistan student unions have been banned for three decades and we are struggling to get this ban lifted. We are also raising our voice for free education for everyone.
Your work and solidarity from Britain sends a strong message to us that everywhere students are facing similar problems thanks to capitalism, which is a curse for the downtrodden masses everywhere on this planet.
Long live the struggle of Marxist students in Britain!
Long live the unity of students and workers!
Long live internationalism!
Comradely,
Zain ul Abideen
On behalf of National Executive Committee of PYA
(Pakistan)
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Greetings from the Young Marxists, the Belgian youth section of the International Marxist Tendency. We defend revolutionary Marxist ideas amongst students and workers in universities. Although students must organize there where they are, it is clear that our struggle and that of the working class is the same.
First of all, there are a lot of similarities between our countries. Because of the impact of the crisis, more and more people are waking up politically, seeing that the capitalist system is good for nothing. We have both a developing left-wing in the workers’ and youth movement and an established right-wing which aims at dividing the working class along racist and xenophobic lines. Liberals, and even more scandalously social-democrats, also adopt these slogans to gain votes. We need to struggle against these politics and explain that the crises and wars aren’t the fault of the refugees, the unemployed, the weak or the homeless. The problems are really created by the politicians, the bourgeoisie and the owners of the banks who represents the capitalist system.
We also need to pay attention to the developing left-wing movement which is a good thing and can bring workers and students together. A rising movement also leads to the question of what will happen when they have enough votes and strength to be in power? Reformism or revolution will be posed concretely.
Jeremy Corbyn has reinvigorated the Labour party. He’s now at the head of a political party that had previously betrayed their voters with the Third Way politics of Tony Blair. A theory that was quickly adapted by the Belgian social-democratic party. Although left-wing and with good intentions, we can’t say that Corbyn is perfect, this is especially highlighted by his attempts to gain the confidence of the Parliamentary Labour Party. He just needs to kick them out!
The left-wing developments are theoretically unprepared to find solutions for the difficulties our class faces, we need to connect Marxist ideas with these left-wing movements. Only by doing so can we convince people of our revolutionary theories, and organize them. There are no decent solutions within the capitalist system, the solution can only be found when you break with the system and establish a socialist society!
Comradely greetings,
Belgian Young Marxists
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Dear comrades of the Marxist Student Federation,
Please receive our warmest greetings for your congress. We wish you the greatest success in spreading the ideas and methods of Marxism and building a revolutionnary force amongst the youth of Britain.
Long live the world revolution!
Comradely,
Executive Committee of ‘Revolution’
(France)
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Dear comrades,
Revolutionary greetings to your conference. Your impressive work in the last years is an inspiration for the Swiss revolutionary students. You are building the foundation now upon which the mass revolutionary forces will be built in the future. As the organic crisis of capitalism drags on it becomes clearer and clearer that a revolutionary change of society is the only way
out. Your part in building revolutionary forces amongst British students is an important development. We wish you a very successful conference.
Forward to the world socialist revolution!
Comradely greetings,
Der Funke
(Switzerland)
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¡Camaradas!
Hemos recibido con mucho entusiasmo la noticia de la realización del congreso de la federación nacional marxista de estudiantes en Londres. Los hijos de la clase trabajadora británica, organizándose bajo las ideas del marxismo y ondeando la bandera del socialismo, dentro de uno de los principales países imperialistas del planeta, constituyen una importante referencia y apoyo al resto de las juventudes del mundo, y principalmente a la juventud de Venezuela, que actualmente está viviendo el fracaso estrepitoso del programa reformista.
Los miembros de la Corriente Marxista Internacional sección Venezuela, queremos decirles que hemos aprendido mucho de la experiencia de la sección inglesa, con la exitosa construcción de las sociedades de jóvenes marxistas, y hemos comprendido la necesidad ineludible de ganar a grandes capas de la juventud para poder construir la organización revolucionaria del proletariado.
En nuestro caso, la construcción de la sección venezolana ha estado también bajo los hombros de cuadros jóvenes llenos de entusiasmo y energía, que a pesar de los embates del imperialismo, la burguesía y el reformismo en nuestro país, mantienen firmes esperanzas en la transformación de la sociedad hacia el socialismo.
¡Que viva la revolución mundial!
¡Que viva la Corriente Marxista Internacional!
¡Que viva las juventudes marxistas!
La CMI sección Venezuela
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To the comrades at the fourth national conference of the Marxist Student Federation,
We bring you our revolutionary greetings from Denmark. There is no better time than in a time of political earthquakes, like that of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, to take up the ideas of Lenin and make use of them to change to world.
As the old world crumbles more young people are open to ideas of Lenin, the ideas of Marxism, as a tool to finally bury a system which everyday produces oppression, racism and which is destroying our planet – the capitalist system.
There no is better time to be young and revolutionary. We have every confidence that your conference will be a new great step forward for the forces of Marxism.
Comradely,
Marxist Students, Denmark
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Hi comrades,
From the Spanish section of the International Marxist Tendency we want to highlight the central role that the youth plays in the transformation of the world. That’s why we encourage you to read and debate the revolutionary ideas of Marxism, because questioning ourselves and the established order is crucial.
To do this without dogmatism and with continual feedback is precisely the aim of our debates. The Spanish círculos marxistas universitarios (university Marxist debate groups) are now growing in number. Even if there’s still a long way ahead, each year we are better organised and more visible. Your example is a point of reference for us, so we encourage you to keep it up!
Warm and red greetings. Keep up the hard work!
¡Salud y República!
The Spanish comrades of the IMT
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On the opening day of your MSF conference, the Canadian Section of the IMT sends revolutionary greetings.
As it was in May 1968 so is it today; youth and students are often the first to move onto the streets. They have the least illusions in capitalism and reach revolutionary conclusions first. That is why it is important to emphasize youth and student work. But, you are not just a student organization! Every student that is trained as a revolutionary through the MSF will be able to win over dozens of workers after they graduate. This is how to build the forces of Marxism and establish a true proletarian organization. In the words of Lenin, “Give me just one generation of youth, and I’ll transform the whole world.”
Next weekend at the Montreal Winter Marxist School, we will be launching the “Socialist Fightback Students” of Canada, to link up all of our campus clubs and establish ourselves as the biggest and most organized Marxist organization for students across the country. Over the years we have followed the work of the MSF to draw lessons for our own building. May your conference serve to boost the political level and enthusiasm of the MSF so you can continue to serve as an inspiration for sections around the world!
In Solidarity,
The Canadian Section of the IMT
