Primeira Linha (First Line in

Galician language Galician ( , ), also known as Galego (), is a Iberian Romance languages, Western Ibero-Romance language. Around 2.4 million people have at least some degree of competence in the language, mainly in Galicia (Spain), Galicia, an Autonomo ...

) was a

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

organization which is part of the Galician Movement of National Liberation, which seeks, "to overcome the concrete national and social oppression imposed by capitalism on Galicia, in order to contribute to the worldwide construction of a communist society."

History

Foundation and first stage inside the Galician Nationalist Bloc

Primeira Linha was formed in Galicia, in 1996, with the objective of organizing the independentist and communist groups which were within the

Galician Nationalist Bloc The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( , BNG) is a political party from Galicia (Spain), Galicia, formed with the merger of a series of left-wing Galician nationalism, Galician nationalist parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic Popular front, front" ...

(BNG). Primeira Linha remained a part of the BNG, but was in constant conflict with the current controlling power, the

Galician People's Union The Galician People's Union () is a Galicia (Iberian Peninsula), Galician nationalist and communist political party, and is one of the registered political parties of Spain. The party publishes the magazine ''Terra e Tempo'', and the secretary gene ...

. During this time, Primeira Linha was working with other militant organizations, such as ANA-ANOC and

CAF CAF or caf may refer to: Armed forces *Canadian Armed Forces (Canadian Forces), the Canadian Air Force, Army, and Navy *Canadian Air Force, now the Royal Canadian Air Force *Republic of China Air Force, the air force of the Republic of China (Tai ...

, among others. In 1998, Primeira Linha held its first congress. Given the contradictions and conflicts resulting from the political work within the

, Primeira Linha members resolved to leave the Nationalist Bloc in 1999, after the majority decision was made at their second congress. In its quarterly publication, ''Abrente'', Primeira Linha explained that, "An unbreathable climate of harassment was obstructing our political work, it was forcing us to use vast energies and resources in mere defense."

Independentist Reorganization outside the Galician Nationalist Bloc

The second congress also set forth a policy of unity and collaboration with other independentist organizations outside the Galician Nationalist Block. They allied with the AMI and the FPG, with the goal of forming an organic whole. They called this conglomeration the National Unit Commission of the Independentist Left, a dynamic unit which broke apart in 2000 because of differing expectations from each organization. That same year, Primeira Linha participated in the creation of "Popular Regional Meetings", which formed the precedent for the ''Processo Espiral'', which led to the creation, in 2001, of NÓS-Unidade Popular. Primeira Linha has been doing political work in the heart of Nós-Unidade Popular since 2001, and has also participated in youth organizations, independent student organizations, and feminist, cultural and trade unions.

Model of Socialism

In 2002, Primeira Linha held its third congress, in which the members defined the organization's theoretical model of socialism, and worked out, "the essential composition and working direction of the movement for Galicia's national liberation", rejecting the traditional inter-class formula used by earlier nationalist organizations. Primeira Linha also affirmed that, "the morphology of classes in Galicia is more similar to that of advanced capitalist societies than of the so-called

Third World The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Southern Cone, NATO, Western European countries and oth ...

.Documents of the third Congress, 2002

Publications and Supporting Activities

Giving priority to their work within larger entities and other sectors of the Galician national left, Primeira Linha maintains several publications supporting its own initiatives. Since 1996, Primeira Linha has published its quarterly newspaper, ''Abrente'', which already exceedes fifty editions. In its editorial stamp, ''Abrente Editora'', numerous titles were published, as well some

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

classics previously unpublished in Galicia, and other works of Galician authors. Primeira Linha has also been organizing the annual Galician Independentist Conference for the last ten years.

Notes

External links

Oficial First Line's Site (in Galician Portuguese)Official Nós-UP site(in Galician Portuguese)Vídeo das XII Jornadas Independentistas Galegas, com Elena M. Canals (Cuba), Narciso Isa Conde (República Dominicana), Néstor Kohan (Argentina) e Iñaki Gil de San Vicente (País Basco)
{{Galician nationalism, state=collapsed 1998 establishments in Spain 2015 disestablishments in Spain Defunct communist parties in Spain Defunct socialist parties in Galicia (Spain) Former member parties of the Galician Nationalist Bloc Galician nationalist parties Left-wing nationalist parties National liberation movements Political parties disestablished in 2015 Political parties established in 1998 Secessionist organizations in Europe