The Party of the European Left is holding its 7th Congress in Vienna from 9 to 11 December. 26 member parties and 21 observer parties from many European countries as well as numerous parties and speakers from the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America and Asia are taking part in the three-day congress. Under the slogan "Peace, Bread and Roses", delegates discussed building a peace movement against the Russia-Ukraine-NATO war, the right to life of the oppressed and the working class against neoliberal monopoly, and organising resistance networks against authoritarian regimes and rising racism.

Guests include delegations from Palestine, Western Sahara, Senegal, Chile, Cuba and a Kurdish delegation from the Austrian Federation for Kurdish Democratic Culture (FEYKOM) and the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK). The foreign policy spokesperson of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Feleknas Uca, also takes part in the congress.

In a speech, FEYKOM's foreign affairs spokespersons Mustafa Dillice and Lorin Şahan stressed the importance of the Kurdish freedom movement's experience of democratic confederalism in the Middle East, with a special focus on Rojava, and the need to protect it and show solidarity with it.

HDP MP Feleknas Uca said that the HDP is the leading party of the anti-war struggle in Turkey and continues its democratic resistance against the AKP/MHP government. She called for solidarity with the HDP and explained that her party is under a ban procedure and the decision is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the KNK, Sinan Önal called for sensitivity towards a possible invasion of north-eastern Syria and stressed the importance of the democratic experience. He stated that the Kurdish question can only be solved peacefully by releasing Abdullah Öcalan and negotiating with him, as was the case between 2013 and 2015. Öcalan is completely isolated in Turkish custody and there has been no sign of life from him since March 2021.

Many speeches at the congress condemned the use of chemical weapons by the Turkish state against the PKK guerrillas, and also addressed the removal of the PKK from the list of terrorist organisations and the revolution in Iran led by women with the slogan "Jin, Jiyan, Azadî" (Woman, Life, Freedom).

Maurizio Acerbo from the Communist Party for the Re-foundation of Italy pulled out a PKK flag at the end of his speech and said that the European left parties should work for the removal of the PKK from the "terrorist list" and for the immediate liberation of Abdullah Öcalan, which was applauded for a long time by those present.

The Communist Party of Austria, the Left Party of Finland and the Communist Parties of Italy and France protested against the blackmail of Turkey in connection with the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO and called for intensified work by the Left on this issue.

The congress continues today, with new committees and chairpersons being elected at the end.