At the Meeting against the European Constitution, Paris May 5th 2005
By Klaus Riis
Editor Kommunistisk Politik
APK Workers' Communist Party of Denmark
Your referendum about the European Constitution on May 29th is followed with great excitement and great expectations here in Denmark.
In two referendums the Danes have voted No to new treaties of the European Union: In 1992 to the Maastricht Treaty and in 2000 we rejected the Euro and key elements of the Economic and Monetary Union.
The majority of the workers here, the ordinary people, the youth we all hope for a resounding No from the French people. A No from the French people will mean, that the Constitution Treaty elaborated in favour of the big European monopolies and is anti-worker, anti-women and anti-youth, will fall.
The prospect of a French NON has brought the politicians and bureaucrats of the European Union to the brink of panic. They now are sending scores of VIP's to interfere in the French referendum and persuade the French people to accept this Constitution.
Among them is the chairman of the European socialists, the former Danish prime minister Poul Nyrup-Rasmussen. We can assure you, that Nyrup-Rasmussen does not represent the Danish workers and the Danish people. He represents Europe of the monopolies not a Europe of the workers and ordinary people.
In 2000 he tried in vain to make us vote yes to the Euro and failed.
We can also assure you, that the Danish people have never regretted voting No in 1992 and in 2000.
In Denmark we are also in the process of a referendum, which will take place on September 27 th unless a No from the French or the Dutch make it superfluous, because a No to the Constitution from just one member country will mean, that it is rejected, according to the rules of the European Union itself.
The Danish NO-campaign focus on some main points of the Constitution:
The Constitution Treaty is built on the theory and politics of neoliberalism, set out to secure the profits of the monopolies at the expense of the workers and working people and their rights. It cements the attacks on the achievements of the struggles of the workers during decades. Pensions, unemployment benefits, standard of public service, health, education the European Union is conducting a general attack on the core of the living conditions and social standards of the majority of the people.
When one hundred thousand workers on March 19 th demonstrated in Bruxelles against the Bolkestein-directive they voiced the concerns of all the European workers.
The Constitution is not a constitution to secure the welfare of the workers and the citizens it is a call for attack on the workers.
The Constitution Treaty is a treaty of militarism and war. It promotes the military union and an imperialist European army. It directly demands the perpetual armament of each member country.
The Constitution does not signify the emergence of a moral superpower, that can counterbalance the global aggressiveness of US imperialism, that is fighting a socalled war on terror to achieve US world hegemony. It signal the emergence of an imperialist competitor, a new militarist superpower, the modern day continuation of Old Colonialist Europe.
The Constitution is a significant step towards the creation of the United States of Europe'. It means less and not more democracy. It means more centralisation, more bureaucracy less national self determination.
The firm Danish opposition to the European Union which is now going to adopt a Constitution that presides over the national constitutions has its roots in the Danish resistance against the Nazi occupation of Denmark 1940-1945. Today, on May 5 th , we commemorate the 60 th Anniversary of the liberation of Denmark from the yoke of Nazi Germany.
The experiences and traditions of the Danish resistance movement against the Nazi plans of a New Europe dominated by Great Germany was at the core of the strong opposition to Danish membership of the European Union in 1972 and has been so ever since, to this day.
The movement against the European Union has been organised as a broad popular movement that also have its representatives in the European Parliament. It has not been a movement, dominated by right-wing political forces, but is a movement, rooted in the left, in the working class.
Today right wing forces, that strongly supports the present reactionary government of Anders Fogh Rasmussen, that has introduced the most harsh restrictions and laws on immigrants in Europe and is trailing behind George Bush in his wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, try to exploit the opposition to the European Union for its own purposes, trying to induce petty nationalist and racist elements to discredit the NO-campaign. They will also fail, because the opposition to the Europe of the monopolies is based on the true interests of the Danish workers and the legitimate national interests, that coincides with the interests of all workers and all the peoples in Europe and outside.
The Danish NO-campaign faces a united front of the reactionary government and the socialists in socalled opposition, that controls the media and millions of Euros for their campaign. But it has defeated this two times before, and we are convinced, that a THIRD DANISH NO will be the result.
Dear friends and comrades -
A French NO on May 29 th will be a great victory not only of the French people, but for all the workers and peoples of Europe .
We know that you face strong opponents, and we know that referendums and elections are a difficult battle field.
The French people has before shown Europe the way forward: This time you will do it by voting a historic NO TO THE CONSTITUTION!
On the Meeting in Paris and excerpts of this intervention in French
Meeting du 5 mai - Un succès du camp populaire pour le NON
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