The Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE) organized on 21st April the 41st Peace Marathon (42,3 km from Marathoin to Athens) with many hundreds of Peace fighters till the Ministry of National Defense of Athens, where many thousands friends of EEDYE rallied for a protest demonstration. The date coincided exactly with the first banned Peace March in 1963 carried out by Grigoris Lambrakis, Vice-president of EEDYE and MP who was assassinated one month later.
The Peace Marathon and Rally of EEDYE coincided also with the exact founding day of the WPC, 75 years ago.
Main speaker at the Rally was Thanassis Pafilis, General Secretary of the WPC and MP of KKE
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From the speech of Thanassis Pafilis, General Secretary of the WPC and MP of KKE at the closing Rally of the 41st Peace Marathon organized by the Greek Committee for International Détente and Peace (EEDYE) on 21st April 2024
“61 years after the first banned Peace March, on April 21, 1963, the hot spots of war in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in dozens of places around the globe make the need to intensify the anti-imperialist struggle even more urgent.
Especially this year, which marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the NATO war machine on April 4, 1949, which throughout its history has been responsible for interventions and coups, for the slaughter of dozens of cases of peoples, it is necessary to strengthen the fight for disengagement from NATO even more. Let the efforts of the government and the bourgeois parties to beautify its character, presenting it as an alleged factor of "peace, security, stability" and the ever-deepening involvement of Greece as a benefit for our people, fall on deaf ears.
The US-NATO bases and infrastructures that are located on the territory of our country and are expanding have played a dirty role against the peoples in dozens of military operations until today and are still playing, targeting the Greek people.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the World Peace Council (WPC). EEDYE, from the first moment of its founding until today, contributes to the strengthening of its anti-imperialist character, to the further expansion and strengthening of its action.
For 75 years the WPC fought against the imperialist wars on the side of the peoples. For the overthrow of capitalist barbarism, for another society of peace, of the solidarity of the peoples.
The WPC stood always form in the struggle for a World of Peace and Social Justice, always on the side of Poor and the Oppressed.