Report on the 14th International Communist Seminar in Brussels, May 2005

By JEFF BOSSUYT

For the fourteenth consecutive year, the International Communist Seminar (ICS) took place in Brussels, from May 2 to 4, 2005. This year’s theme was "International Experiences and Tasks of Communists in the Struggle Against Imperialism", with as sub-theme "The experience of the Communist International and its meaning for our current struggle".

64 communist and workers' parties and organizations from 44 countries were present in Brussels, either as participant or observer. An additional 56 parties and organizations sent a message to the Seminar or were unable to attend, mostly due to visa problems or financial constraints.

41 delegations took the floor, and the reports they presented were discussed. An additional 7 parties .that were absent in Brussels did send in a paper. All reports will be made available on www.wpb.be/icm.htm, the web page of the ICS.

In the months before the Seminar, a General Resolution was drafted, based on the Declaration of the 2003 and 2004 Seminars and including several amendments submitted beforehand. The resolution, entitled "Workers and. peoples of the world, let us mobilize against imperialism, in particular against US imperialism, its policies of aggression and its preparations for war on a world scale!" was then discussed and enriched at the Seminar itself, before being adopted by an almost unanimous vote. Resolutions on solidarity with Cuba and with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea were also submitted and signed by scores of delegations.

More than during previous Seminars, time was set aside to discuss potential joint research projects and common campaigns and action. A practical method was proposed to realize this, namely to group together parties that want to cooperate on a. specific project or campaign, with for each of them one specific party volunteering to do the coordination. Fields for joint research and issues for common campaigns and action were proposed, according to their feasibility and their potential to gather a broad interest. For research, these are: the general economic crisis of world capitalism; the increasing danger of war on a world scale; China's domestic situation and international role; the petty bourgeois ideologies in the Left movement (e.g. Negri & Hardt); and the European Union. For solidarity campaigns, Cuba was singled out, particularly the Free the Five campaign and a campaign to defend Cuba's human rights record against all lies and slander. Solidarity with the Iraqi people's resistance against occupation was also named as a major issue. The Social Forums were identified as important occasions for joint action of communists, while the Seminar also promoted the World Festival of Youth and Students in Venezuela and the activities and campaigns of the World Peace Council.

It was agreed upon that the 2006 International Communist Seminar will tackle two themes: the impact of the Communist International on the founding and the development of the communist parties in particular countries; and the exchange of concrete experiences of Party work in the working class and among the youth.

The Seminar was followed by an evening meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties in solidarity with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which was attended by 26 parties.

On the initiative of the Workers' Party of Belgium, on May 6, communist delegates from Russia, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Cuba, Colombia and Chile, joined by comrades of the Belgian section of the Communist Party of Greece, went to visit the Belgian Nazi concentration camp of Breendonk. There they took part in the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the victory over fascism, while also honoring the great Belgian communist leader, trade union leader and member of Parliament Julien Lahaut, who survived the infamous Mauthausen concentration camp but was assassinated in 1950.