The CWI in Netherlands
| name | Offensief |
| address | Offensief, PO Box 11561, 1001 GN Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| telephone | + 31 (0)6 2646 2521 |
| info@offensief.nl | |
| web site | www.offensief.nl |
Offensief ("Offensive") is a socialist group with a magazine under the same name. In the past we organised the Dutch branch of Youth against Racism in Europe, and succeeded in mobilizing thousands of young people at demonstrations in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Activities of Offensief helped workers from the municipal public transport company in Amsterdam to get decent contracts. Also a campaign of Offensief prevented the expulsion of a refugee a few years ago.
More recently we started working inside the Dutch Socialist Party (SP), previously a small party, but now having significant roots amongst working class communities with local council and parliamentary representation. Offensief aims to build support for the ideas of revolutionary socialism inside the Dutch SP. The party adapts to the misconception of the fall of "communism" in Eastern Europe by rejecting the gains of the 1917 October revolution and stating it was a communist society and also a dictatorship from the beginning. Next to this, the Dutch SP has developed some illusions in the parliamentary democracy by neglecting the struggle in the unions by rank and file members as well as on the streets, and more and more focussing on the increase in members and the votes during elections, without trying to built the fightfull cadres that we need to overcome capitalism.
Offensief, with our analysis of what happened in Eastern Europe, our experience internationally through the Committee for a Workers' International and our work inside the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) in the past, understands that socialism cannot be brought about simply by work in Parliament. Only a mass struggle by the working class will achieve this end. As a result of our work within the Dutch SP of giving a political alternative to the rightward drift of the party leadership a number of party members, including two Dutch SP councillors have become supporters of Offensief.
Offensief does not just work as part of the Dutch SP. We have our own magazine, and our own organisational structure, including branches in Amsterdam, Breda and Rotterdam/the Hague and our own national conferences. We are active everywhere struggle develops. We are active in the trade unions and are selling our magazine in order to spread our ideas. Also we have been involved in a campaign around the "Free Mumia committee" (initiated by Offensief, but obviously involving many more with whom we work together), organising solidarity with Mumia, the black American activist, who is falsely accused of murder, but actually a political prisoner.
It is on the basis of our ideas that we are able to do all this, despite our relative small size and the lack of struggle in the Netherlands still. We prepare for a socialist future and therefore understand the need to struggle for workers and youth!
