Criticism of Eurocommunism has been voiced for the first time by a group. of East European oppositionists:
The criticism is contained in obed lelter to Wolf Biermann from members of the East German Commun ray which was recently publisbed in the West Berlin journal Der lange Marsch (Tbe March). Timed to mark the first anniversary of Bierman's expulsion to West Germany, the main purpose of the letler is 1o express continued scuidanty with toc pock ang singer agains the bureaucracy's contemptvous dismissal of socialist democracy.
But the authors go on to say that they "do not share pour ympathies for what is termes Eurocommunism", for it tie the aspiration for socialist democracy to the illusion that socialism can be achieved without the violent destruction the bourgeois apparatus, without establishing che revolutionary dictatorship howit is that Biermann can sing Communist Party while at the мате пас стантад ше срроме conclusions from its BETESMELT. on the late Popular Unity in The authors stress that their conception of socialist democ racy involves a commitment 1o the right of everyone to express their political conceptions whose declared am is not the overthrow of socialise', But freedom of thought and orber democratic rights can only lead to socialist democracy when it Lied determination to unmask the demagogic. CSIBERSAIPOUE freedom which are propagated houreenisie right-wing social-democratic agents through the channels of the bourgeois mass media when it in subordinated to the direct domination of the Mourners at the funeral of Sleve Biko, murdered In a South African jail last September working class, *Socialist democracy without the direct exercise of power by the impossible; just as this exercise #nower B impossible winou the organisation of the workers in councils established by themselves or their delegates. the construction of socialist leader democracy must for this reasor be the work of the workers Chile. themselves; that is why the oppositional conununists must pay the greatest attention to the workers.
OPPOSITION
As for themselves. authors, they see their initial 'circles' and initiating debates democracy. They will fight to and its given the present relationship of forces between bureaucracy and the oppo sition, But at the same time they DEALSSES and needs of the say tbe citizen or the will not let up in the struggie to allow Biermann to return to Fast Germany: "You remain a East Germany Germany in because the citizens of this Rudolf Bahro's book, The Allernative, workers and students in Jena who were expelled from East September for solidarising with Biermann. this open letter is yet further Drool or the cbcreence of a current in East Germany which task. is redixeuvering and defending CISSOLS revolutionary Macxism, Thos in the West who, like them reject both Moscow and must do evcrything possible lo ensure that they are not isolated in this
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SOCIALIST DEMOCRACY