The Communist Youth of Greece (Greek: Κομμουνιστική Νεολαία Ελλάδας, romanized: Kommounistiki Neolea Elladas; Greek: ΚΝΕ, romanized: KNE) is the youth wing of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).
It publishes the monthly newspaper Odigitis (Greek: Οδηγητής, "guider") 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 continuation of OKNE (Organization of Communist Youth of Greece), of all the organizations of youth which had already taken part in people's struggle in Greece, such as EPON (United Panhellenic Organization of Youth), DNE (Democratic Youth of Greece), D.N.Lampraki (Democratic Youth "Lamprakis").
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 George Grapsas [el], split [el] from the KKE and formed the New Left Current (NAR). 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 (incl. 45% of the central committee and KKE secretary-general Grigoris Farakos [el]), 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 (Front of Students' Struggle) (Greek: Μέτωπο Αγώνα Σπουδαστών, ΜΑΣ Metopo Agona Spoudaston) which was finally founded by students' organizations in Athens, 6 November 2009.
Odigitis festival
Odigitis festival is a series of annual festivals organized in most of the major towns and cities of Greece by the KNE.
