During today's meeting members of the GUE/NGL were informed about an extremely surprising and alarming event on the Czech political scene:
The Upper chamber of Czech National parliament - the Senate intends to establish a special commission to investigate the legality of the existence of the Communist party of Bohemia and Moravia.

We are talking here about a political party; whose representatives have been elected to chamber of deputies; the Senate of the national parliament and to the European Parliament in the democratic; general elections based on the voluntarily expressed will of citizens.

For a long period of time the whole Europe has been following the barely understandable chaos on the political scene of the Czech republic, which a couple months after the general elections makes it impossible to form a stable government. The current atmosphere with its tensions and problems is advantageous for individuals with an authoritarian state of mind seeking to gain stronger positions in the Czech society. Their aim is more than clear: to restrict as much as possible rights of people and their representatives who have different opinion than theirs.

To reach this aim they are using a popular tactic: today they are trying to get rid of communists; tomorrow they will continue with the social democrats and the day after it will be people of different religions. To these authoritarian politicians who lack tolerance and the ability to understand anyone else apart from themselves the term democracy means nothing but merely the set of rules to be misused to enforce their will.

The Communist party of Bohemia and Moravia through its practices and documents has proved itself to be a modern democratic party.

It is of course an authentic left party, for which the defence of human rights means mainly a fight against the misuse of power and property to harm working people.
It is a party for which the fight for peace is not an empty phrase, but a wholly concrete question relating to the situation in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq - question that concern all of us.
It is a party which can not envisage a future without the restrictions of militarism and the radical preservation of the environment as a prerequisite for lasting sustainable development. This kind of party always has its enemies - those who can profit from today's form of capitalism.

We ask all our colleagues in the European Parliament, national parliaments of all European countries and to the Czech public as well: Use your influence to warn the world about these authoritarian practices in politics.
Attempts to ban the Communist party of Bohemia and Moravia are only the first steps towards making the deepening of democracy in Europe impossible.

The future of Europe must be based on common understanding, solidarity and peace.

Recent attacks against Czech communist youth organisation and against Communist party of Bohemia and Moravia means an attack against the Left parties as such.
Therefore we ask all the GUE/NGL colleagues to express their support and solidarity with the Communist party of Bohemia and Moravia and to open discussions on this issue in the European Parliament.