VS

Danish authorities on February 20th arrested 4 members of the danish Left Socialists Party (Venstresocialisterne, VS), among them several of the partys leaders, and presented arrestorders against 3 more members. All 7 seven are accused of violation of §114a in the danish criminal code prohibiting support for foreign terrorist organizations. This section has a maximum penalty range of 10 years prison.

VS was presented in parliament with 4-6 members during 1967-87, and has since been an integral part of the danish left-green alliance (Enhedslisten), that is presently represented in the danish parliament with
6 members.

Since its creation in 1967 VS has been working in support of national liberation movements in the 3. World, having supported the FLN during the Vietnam War, ANC and SWAPO in southern africa in their fight against the apartheid regime in South Africa, PFLP in Palestine in its struggle against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, FMLN in El Salvador, URNG in Guatemala, FSLN in Nicaragua, and many other national liberation movements in Latin America that have fought against military dictatorships.

6 months ago the party formed a company, Fighters & Lovers, whoose purpose was to sell T-shirts on the internet in support of the national liberation movements PFLP in Palestine and FARC in Colombia. Both organizations are on the EU list of terrororganizations, but this list has no legal status in Denmark, and VS regards both organizations as national liberation movements, not as terrororganizations. Some people nonetheless regard these organizations as terrororganizations, just as the liberation movement in Denmark during the 2. WW was characterized by the occupying german forces and its danish collaborators as terrorists.

The VS company Fighters & Lovers started selling T-shirts on January 10th 2006, and the authorities reacted 5 weeks later by arresting 7 members of the party, closing the company WEB site - in violation of the danish constitution prohibiting censorship - confiscating 3.000 Euro, and computer equipment the authorities claim was used by the company.

The VS members were released the same day, but the authorities have upheld the charges of violation of §114a. "We regard the charges and the closing of our WEB site as a blatant violation of the danish constitution and its guarantees for free speech, aganist censorship", states Michael Schoelardt, member of the national leadership of VS and director of Fighters & Lovers.
He continues: "The danish prime minister has referred to the "unrecovocable status of free speech" in his defense of drawings in the danish newspaper "Jyllandsposten". Drawings that have provoked a considerable part of the world population. But free speech aparently doesn't apply in Denmark, when it comes to support for the palestinian liberation struggle or the struggle in Colombia for freedom and democracy, against the government death squads and repression. VS has supported national liberation struggles around the world for nearly 40 years, and will continue to do so, even though democracy in Denmark is under fierce attack from right wing parties these years", he concludes.

The danish authorities during the last 5-10 years have been in a proces of limiting the spaces for democracy in Denmark. Especially for refugees and emmigrant. The present danish government has been especially active in promoting xenophobia, and campaigns against primarily muslim emmigrants.
These measures have been critizised by other countries in Europe, the Human Rights Commission of the European Council, and several UN institutions. VS urges the international community and especially the international human rights organizations to monitor the developments in Denmark closely, and especially the ongoing restrictions on Democracy.

`Krigen mod terror` truer os alle
Forsvar ytringsfriheden, menneskerettighederne og den internationale solidaritet
fra Foreningen OPRØR
Københavns Byret besluttede 12. august 2005, at foreningen Oprørs opfordring til international indsamling til PFLP og FARC skulle fjernes fra deres hjemmeside. VS genoptrykker her forbudte opfordring: `Krigen mod terror` truer os alle.

Venstresocialistisk marxisme
Venstresocialisterne er en organisation, der bygger på marxist teori og metode - den dialektiske og historiske materialisme - som det bedste eksisterende redskab til forståelse af den samfundsmæssige virkelighed. En sådan forståelse er en nødvendig forudsætning for at kunne ændre samfundet og samfundsudviklingen. VS anerkender, at klassekampen er den afgørende drivkraft i historien - i samfundets udvikling fra én produktionsmåde til en anden.

Venstresocialistisk revolution
VS' grundlæggende opgave er at arbejde for virkeliggørelsen af den socialistiske revolution i Danmark og internationalt. Den socialistiske revolution muliggøres, dels gennem eksistensen af en bred massebevægelse, som er organiseret omkring et fælles kampmål, dels gennem eksistensen af et revolutionært parti, der kan udgøre den politiske ledelse i kampen om den politiske magt i samfundet.

VS' aktiviteter
VS's primære formål vil være at deltage i debatten på venstrefløjen på et udogmatisk marxistisk og revolutionært grundlag. Den parlamentariske og dele af den udenomsparlamentariske aktivitet på venstrefløjen foregår hovedsageligt omkring Enhedslisten. VS er idag en lille organisation i forhold til Enhedslisten og idag er de fleste af VS's medlemmer også aktive i Enhedslisten.