Dr. Ashok Dhawale Delivers 2025 Marx Oration at Highgate Cemetery, London
London, March 16, 2025: Dr. Ashok Dhawale, National President of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), delivered the 2025 Marx Oration at Highgate Cemetery, marking the death anniversary of Karl Marx. The event, hosted by the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) and the Marx Memorial Library (MML), gathered distinguished guests, including Professor Mary Davis, Secretary of the MML, Ismara Vargas Walter, Cuba’s Ambassador to the UK, and Robert Griffiths, CPB General Secretary. Representatives from China, Vietnam, Laos, Venezuela, and Sri Lanka, along with leaders from various Communist and Workers’ parties, were also in attendance.
In his speech, Dr. Dhawale highlighted Karl Marx’s enduring legacy and the relevance of his revolutionary ideas in today’s world. Quoting Marx and Engels, he emphasized the ongoing struggles against capitalist exploitation and imperialist oppression, citing growing global inequalities, economic crises, and the resurgence of far-right movements. He also underscored the significance of socialist movements and resistance across the world, including in Latin America, South Asia, and among the working class in developed nations.
Addressing contemporary issues, Dr. Dhawale pointed to staggering global economic disparities, with the wealthiest 1% amassing more than the bottom 95%. He criticized neoliberal policies for fueling unemployment, poverty, and corporate greed while praising nations like Cuba, China, and Vietnam for their socialist advancements.
He also reflected on India’s historic farmers’ movement, which led to the repeal of controversial farm laws, and warned against the implementation of new pro-corporate labor codes. A nationwide general strike by workers and farmers in May 2025, he said, would resist these policies.
Concluding his address, Dr. Dhawale reiterated the call for socialism as the only alternative, urging people worldwide to unite in struggle. Quoting the Communist Manifesto, he declared, “The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.”
The 2025 Marx Oration reaffirmed the commitment of socialist forces worldwide to fighting for a just and equitable world.
