Dear Comrades,

On behalf of the Portuguese Communist Party, we convey our fraternal greetings and wishes of success for the 29th National Convention of the CPUSA and for the difficult struggle which the US Communists wage, at the very heart of the most powerful imperialist center in the world.

Every day brings new evidence that the global crisis of capitalism is becoming more acute and more profound. While big finance and big business – whose unbridled quest for profits helped to feed the crisis – have received all kinds of State support, working people all over the world are being called upon to shoulder the costs of the crisis and of the bailouts, handouts and subsidies for the increasingly parasitic and destructive ruling classes. It is not just the steep growth of unemployment. It is the demand for cutbacks in wages and pensions, for longer working hours and less security at work. It is the destruction of all public social services. In the European Union, the ruling classes are using the crisis as a pretext for a major class onslaught which seeks to roll back the concessions that capitalism was forced to make in a different world context, as well as to destroy all aspects of the national sovereignty of member States. This offensive is spearheaded by the European Union institutions, thus confirming their role at the service of big business and of the imperialist powers in Europe.

Capitalism is seeking to confront its systemic crisis by enhancing exploitation and oppression to levels without precedent in recent decades. The capitalist crisis is also feeding increasingly acute contradictions among the various imperialist powers, as has been made clear by recent events in Europe. There is a real danger that the ruling classes will resort to force, in an effort to impose their own solutions to an increasingly unmanageable crisis. Every day brings new examples of greater authoritarianism, more repression, more militarism. The imperialist wars of aggression continue, in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The threats against Iran, the DPRK, Syria, and other countries continue. The increasing military presence of US imperialism in Latin America, Africa and other continents is a major threat against progressive and independent governments in those continents. The US Prompt Global Strike system is a threat to peace in the world. NATO’s eastward expansion continues, with new military bases, more weapons deployments and the attempt to expand its sphere of activity to all corners of the world. NATO’s new strategic doctrine – which will be adopted at this year’s Summit, to be held in Portugal in November, is an example of how imperialism seeks to strengthen the instruments for more world-wide interventions and wars to further its interests. The struggle for democracy and for peace must be at the forefront of progressive forces’ struggles at all times – but particularly so when the objective conditions increase the danger of outright reaction and war.

The class offensive is also intense in Portugal. Since 2005, the Socialist Party governments have carried out a major anti-social onslaught. Working people responded with some of the largest mass actions of the past 30 years, with many large-scale demonstrations and strikes, including a general strike. But we are currently witnessing a new stage in the offensive, with new plans for further cutbacks, more privatizations, more anti-social measures and attacks. Only the mass action and struggle of working people will be able to detain this anti-social offensive and create the conditions for a progressive alternative. A nation-wide demonstration has already been called for May 29 by the Portuguese Trade Union Central, CGTP. The Portuguese Communists are doing their utmost to help build the movement of resistance and struggle to defend working people and impose a major transformation, in Portugal and throughout the world.

The reality of the world today makes the cooperation among all Communist, revolutionary and progressive forces an urgent necessity. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthen our bilateral relations and the multilateral cooperation of Communist and Workers’ parties which has made important advances in recent years. We renew our wishes of success for your National Convention and your struggle.

The Central Committee of the
Portuguese Communist Party

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