Communist Youth of Greece


The Communist Youth of Greece is the youth wing of the Communist Party of Greece.
It publishes the monthly newspaper Odigitis and hosts Odigitis festivals in most of the major towns and cities of Greece.
KNE is a member of the World Federation of Democratic Youth.

History

KNE was founded on 15 September 1968, with a decision of Politburo of the Central Committee of the KKE, during the Greek military junta of 1967-1974, as an organization of youth with revolutionary and communist features.
It was the historical continue of OKNE, of all the organizations of youth which had already taken part in people's struggle in Greece, such as EPON, DNE, D.N.Lampraki.
In 1989-1991, a deep crisis shocked KNE and KKE. In autumn 1989, disagreeing with the participation of KKE in the Tzannetakis and Zolotas national unity governments, a large group, including the major part of KNE under its secretary-general, from the KKE and formed the New Left Current. The KKE, then part of the Synaspismos coalition, attempted to dissolve KNE into the Synaspismos Youth League. Later in 1991, KKE left the coalition, purged all non-hardliners, and restored KNE with the efforts of some hundreds of members. In March 1993, the 6th Congress of the Organization took place.
In the late 2000s, KNE decided to constitute MAS which was finally founded by students' organizations in Athens, 6 November 2009.

The congresses of KNE

  1. Dimitris Tsiaras
  2. Dimitris Gontikas
  3. Spyros Chalvatzis
  4. Giorgos Grapsas
  5. Takis Theodorikakos
  6. Nikos Sofianos
  7. Themis Gionis
  8. Giannis Protoulis
  9. Thodoris Chionis
  10. Nikos Abatielos

    Odigitis festival

Odigitis festival is a series of annual festivals organized in most of the major towns and cities of Greece by the KNE.