Call for action against the ban of communism in Poland

Communist Parties' joint statement against anti-communism in Poland.
 
ICP, 19 June 2019
 
In May, just 10 days before the elections to the European Parliament, Polish authorities made remarkable amendments to the penal code, including the ban of communist activity (article 256). Despite the widespread opinion of lawyers that changes of the code violate the constitution and human rights, the Constitutional Court is currently controlled by the judges nominated by the government.
 
Communist and Workers' Parties oppose the anti-communist initiatives of the Polish Government by revealing the anit-communist motive behind these changes:
 
"Amended article 256 bans communism and equates it with Nazism and fascism. Previously it penalised the promotion of the „fascist or other totalitarian systems of the state". 10 years ago there was already an attempt to ban the communist symbols with the same article, it was met with internal and international protests and in 2011 it was cancelled by the Constitutional Court. However, in recent years the law was used very widely as shows the history of the trial of the CPP and „Brzask". The new version of the law bans the ideology, symbols or any other contents (prints, recordings), as well as presentation and possession of any symbol of this content. The new code also increases the penalty from 2 to 3 years of imprisonment."
 
It is certain that this last attempt makes part of the harsh anti-communist campaign in Poland.
 
"Anti-communist persecution in Poland intensifies as the state authorities attempt to criminalize the communist activity by changes of the penal code. This is an element of the anti-communist campaign aimed at banning the Communist Party of Poland. The legal changes are also a part of the persecution such as a trial of the members of the CPP and the „Brzask" editorial board, lasting for about 3,5 years, despite the fact that the court on January declared them as innocent. At the same time the Polish authorities raise other obstacles to the communist activity as well as falsifying the history and destroying anything connected with communism and the Peoples' Poland."
 
Communist Parties oppose the anti-communist campaign and penalization of communist ideas in Poland. They demand all the prosecutions against the communists to be stopped immediately

The text is undersigned by the parties listed below.

SolidNet Parties

  1. Communist Party of Bangladesh
  2. Communist Party of Brazil
  3. New Communist Party of Britain
  4. Socialist Workers' Party of Croatia
  5. AKEL
  6. Communist Party of Bohemia & Moravia
  7. Communist Party in Denmark
  8. Communist Party of Greece
  9. Hungarian Workers’ Party
  10. Tudeh Party of Iran
  11. Communist Party of Kurdistan-Iraq
  12. Communist Party (Italy)
  13. Jordanian Communist Party
  14. Lebanese Communist Party
  15. Communist Party of Luxembourg
  16. Communist Party of Malta
  17. Palestinian Communist Party
  18. Philippine Communist Party [PKP 1930]
  19. Portuguese Communist Party
  20. Romanian Socialist Party
  21. Communist Party of the Russian Federation
  22. Communist Party of the Workers of Spain
  23. Communist Party of the People of Spain
  24. Syrian Communist Party
  25. Syrian Communist Party (Unified)
  26. Communist Party of Turkey
  27. Communist Party of Ukraine 

Other Parties 

  1. Galizan People’s Union (UPG)
  2. Party of Communists USA