The Coordinating Committee of Communist Parties in Britain (CCCPiB), a grouping of 11 communist parties from Bangladesh, Britain, Chile, Cyprus, Greece, Guyana, India, Iran, Iraq, Palestine and Sudan, organised an event on Saturday 28 October 2017 at the Cypriot Community Centre in Wood Green to celebrate the centenary of the Great October Revolution.
Main speaker was Navid Shomali, international secretary of the Tudeh Party of Iran. He opened his speech giving a picture of the world today, “one of conflicts and antagonisms in every area.”
“I am speaking about the conflict of ideas between those of capitalism and imperialism on the one hand and those of peace and socialism on the other. These were key features of world politics at the time of the October Revolution of 1917 and throughout the 20th Century and remain in sharp focus today.”
Mr Shomali continued, “The 100th Anniversary of the October Socialist Revolution should be celebrated as a milestone in human history opening up the possibility of peace, progress and emancipation the world over. The October 1917 Revolution gave impetus to the building of Communist Parties in all lands and a new revolutionary internationalism was born. We, the parties organising this celebration, honour this tradition today.
“The success of the Bolsheviks was no accident – they demonstrated, through resolute commitment to class struggle and the principles of scientific socialism, that victory over the most powerful forces of reaction can be achieved. Since 1917, despite the setbacks of recent decades, the beacon of the Revolution continues to provide a guiding light for Communist Parties. Today we celebrate the October Revolution as a triumph for the working class movement and also as an opportunity to re-affirm our commitment as Communists to the fight for liberation, socialism and world peace.
“Our world is a very different place from that of 1917. Its dangers and complexities threaten the whole of humanity, Mr Shomali added. “However, many of the tasks we face today as Communists are the same as those which faced the comrades and masses in 1917. Above all – the need to maintain and build revolutionary parties capable of analysing, understanding and giving leadership on the national and international issues facing working people. The victory of 1917, its achievements, triumphs – especially for peace and against Fascism – its mistakes and setbacks and continuing contemporary political significance, all contain vital lessons for Communists and their allies the world over.”
Concluding Mr Shomali said, “Above all we acknowledge that without resolute effort, dedication and sacrifice, the struggle would not have continued. Tonight we salute the memory of all those comrades who gave their lives, in the course of the revolution in Russia in 1917 and all revolutions, in the war against the Nazi Fascism and all wars, in the struggle for peace and socialism and workers rights in Greece, in resisting the Coup d’etat in Cyprus and the invasion by Turkey and occupation of northern part of the country, in front of the firing squads of dictatorial regimes of the past 100 years in Iran, in the dungeons of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, in the killing fields overseen by Numeiri in Sudan, and in the battles against Islamic fundamentalists and reactionary forces in Bangladesh, as well as all other heroes of the struggle for socialism. We remember them! Long Live the October Socialist Revolution! Long live the international unity of Communists!”
The evening continued with guests enjoying Middle Eastern cuisine and live international music.
