Greek Trotskyists Slain by Stalinists

From The Militant, Vol. X No. 12, 23 March 1946, p. 3.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.

Despite serious losses among the leadership of the Greek section of the Fourth International, the Trotskyists are valiantly fighting to lead the Greek proletariat on the road to the socialist revolution.

Three of the most important leaders of the Greek Trotskyists were murdered during the Nazi occupation by Hitler’s Gestapo and Mussolini’s Ovra. Among them was Pantelis Pouliopoulos, 45 year old revolutionist, one of the founders of the Greek Communist Party and founder of the Trotskyist movement in Greece.

On top of the staggering blows delivered to the party by the fascists and Nazis, the Stalinist-Controlled EAM and ELAS murdered more than a hundred leaders and members of the Greek Trotskyist party when British troops moved against the Greek people in December 1945 and January 1946.

The Stalinist leaders of EAM and ELAS consider the Greek Trotskyists as their main enemies and slaughtered them with cold-blooded savagery.

From one of the papers published by the Greek Trotskyists we learned the names of more of the leading members of the Greek Trotskyists who were murdered by the Stalinists. The partial list of martyrs follows:

List of Martyrs

Demosthenes Voursoukes – A working class leader with an excellent 18-year record of activity in the revolutionary movement. He was exiled and imprisoned many times. In 1942 he escaped from dictator Metaxas’ dreaded “Acronaphlia” concentration camp, where he had been held for four years. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Greek Trotskyist party and helped edit the papers Bolshevikos and Labor Front. He was murdered by the Stalinists in the ELAS for his anti-war activity.
Stauros Venouchis – Lost his eye-sight in the first World War. In the years before the Metaxas dictatorship he was General Secretary of the General Confederation of the Disabled War Veterans. As a member of the revolutionary movement since 1922 he led many demonstrations against imperialist war and for benefits to the disabled war veterans. Murdered by the Stalinists.
Nikos Aravantinos – A working class revolutionist with an incomparable record. He began his revolutionary activity when he was in high school in 1930. After four years of imprisonment by the Metaxas regime, he escaped. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Greek Trotskyist party. He was murdered by the Stalinists in the ELAS.
Stergios Stergiou – A tobacco worker and proletarian artist. As a participant in the revolutionary movement, he was most popular of all militants among the proletariat of Salonika. Murdered by the Stalinists.
Georgios Doxas – A house painter and one of the most active leaders of the proletarian movement. Murdered by the Stalinists.
Panagiotes Tsigeli – A bakery worker, chairman of his local trade union in Athens for a year. He was arrested by the Metaxas dictatorship and held in jail for five years. Murdered by the Stalinists.
Spyros Pilitsis – A young peasant who came to the ranks of the Greek Trotskyists from EAM and ELAS. His former Stalinist comrades in ELAS murdered him.
Mitsos Meliades – A railroad worker. He began his activity in the revolutionary movement in 1928 and had an excellent record of militancy which won him distinction in the workers struggle. Murdered by the Stalinists.
Kosmas Charifonides – A member of the Central Committee of the Greek Trotskyist party. He was active, in the revolutionary movement for 20 years. Murdered by the Stalinists.
Thimios Adramidedes – A hospital worker. He was exiled to an island by the Metaxas dictatorship. Murdered by the Stalinists.
Dimitros Tatsis – A metal worker. He was active in the revolutionary movement in Salonika from 1929 on. Arrested many times by the capitalist police, he was finally tortured to death by the Stalinists.
John Gramenos – A hospital worker who joined the Greek Trotskyist party a short time before he was murdered by the Stalinists.
Spyros Stefanou – A bakery worker with 17 years of revolutionary activity. He was one of the leaders of his local trade union. Murdered by the Stalinists.
Theophilos Dimitriades – A tug-boat worker. He was active in the revolutionary movement of Piraeus. He became a working class revolutionist in 1927. Murdered by the Stalinists.

In spite of these staggering losses the Greek Trotskyists are moving forward. They publish two newspapers: the Workers Struggle, a regular weekly; and Labor Front, issued less frequently. In addition they publish a monthly magazine, Fourth International.

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Last updated on 21 June 2021