Lenin is in Gelsenkirchen: “Today we set a clear signal against anticommunism!”

Dear friends and comrades,

The MLPD had expected 300 persons to be on hand for the raising of the Lenin statue in front of party headquarters in Gelsenkirchen on the 20^th of June – 1,100 came!

Worldwide, newspapers, online portals and television stations reported about it.

In her welcome speech, Gabi Fechtner, Party Chairwoman of the MLPD, declared: “I was often asked during the past weeks whether the erection of the statue was intended as a provocation. No, but perhaps it is the breaking of a certain taboo – the taboo that in this society one should not even talk about the achievements of socialism and about its representatives. For the sake of bringing down anticommunism’s reservations and bans on thinking, this day also is part of the movement 'Don’t give anticommunism a chance!'” The program was festive, militant in spirit, cultured, and hundreds sang the The Internationale as the monument was unveiled.

Stefan Engel, head of the theoretical organ of the MLPD, the series Revolutionärer Weg, stated: “When we avow Marxism-Leninism today, we know, of course, that the texts, books, essays and writings of Marx and Lenin already are over 100 years old, no longer comparable with the present-day societal conditions.” He added that “dogmatism of any kind is foreign to Marxism-Leninism” and “we must always use our own heads,” as the MLPD has been doing for 38 years.

In a colorful program with classic and modern working-class and freedom songs, messages of greetings from Gelsenkirchen, Germany, and from all over the world were presented.

We sincerely thank the international friends who wrote to us – many were unable to be there personally because of the corona restrictions. We were very glad to receive these messages, and even if, regrettably, we could not read them all out, we are going to publish them all. Of course, we were happy that, in spite of this, we could welcome guests from Belgium, Colombia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Haiti, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Kurdistan, and other participants from many countries.

The day was a major defeat for all anticommunist efforts to prevent the statue. A loudly advertised fascist march had pathetic 16 participants.

“In the coming time the debate about Lenin and anticommunism will continue, of course. Today an important step has been taken to ensure that this will be a mass discussion,” said Gabi Fechtner.

After the event, people from the neighborhood and from farther away are constantly coming by to view the monument and have themselves photographed with it, and we have many interesting discussions with them. New contacts are made; many have heard only now, through the media coverage, more about the MLPD and its espousal of the cause of the working class and the revolutionary alternative of genuine socialism.

The translation of the livestream including the speeches of Party Chairwoman Gabi Fechtner and the former Party Chairman and current head of the theoretical organ Revolutionärer Weg, Stefan Engel, along with the complete cultural program, now have been made available here:

English: https://www.rf-news.de/2020/kw26/livestream-auf-englisch

In addition, a short five-minute subtitled film provides a good overview of the event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLSEQANCG3Q&cc_load_policy=1

As a general note, English-language publications, most recently the revised Corona Emergency Program, frequently are available at https://www.mlpd.de/english.

In the following we make the speeches of Party Chairwoman Gabi Fechtner and Stefan Engel, former Party Chairman and current head of the theoretical organ Revolutionärer Weg, also available as files.

Warm revolutionary greetings,

Monika Gärtner-Engel

Internationalism Secretary of the MLPD