May 9, 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the defeat of fascism in Europe. It was a crucial victory for the world’s peoples and for peace. One cannot overlook the historic and Herculean effort needed to overcome both the Nazi and Italian fascists. 15 million military personnel were killed and 38 million civilians lost their lives. We can never forget the huge sacrifices made by the Soviet Union where over 26 million died.

Consider the horrors of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews perished,  and the murder of numerous others such as Roma, LGBTIQ+ people, prisoners of war and partisans. If we have learned one lesson it is that no government or system must ever be allowed to commit such atrocities again.

Celebrating this historic anniversary is even more important today as fascism is, once again, raising its ugly head. From standing ovations in Canada’s Parliament in celebration of a Ukrainian Nazi, to liberal celebratory remarks on how it’s “ok to be a Zionist”, the widespread adoption of the so-called International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) “definition” of antisemitism which deems any criticism of Zionism and Israeli apartheid to be hate crimes, to numerous white-supremacist and violent groups now active in Canada, fascist rhetoric and actions are on the rise. Canadian main-stream political parties such as the Conservative Party of Canada and the People’s’ Party of Canada have direct links to far-right and fascist organizations and pose a serious conduit for hate-speech to become “acceptable discourse”.

Internationally, fascist and other far-right governments have surged to power in Israel, Hungary, Italy, India, Argentina, El Salvador, and ominously, the USA. The genocide now happening in Palestine, the ongoing NATO proxy war in Ukraine, the horrendous drive to ramp up war budgets are leading to widespread death and destruction which, if not counteracted, can lead to another world war. This reality requires a concerted effort by the peace movement to mobilize to make peace and the struggle against fascism the pressing issues of our time.

The World Peace Council and Canadian Peace Congress were founded in 1949 in response to the devastation of WWII and the defeat of fascism. Our efforts have always focused on building a vigorous peace movement which correctly emphasizes the importance of an anti-imperialist perspective. Today, this approach is even more critical because imperialism is completely linked with the rise of fascism world wide. We need look no further than US support for the Zionist war of extermination in Palestine.

On this crucial 80th anniversary of the “Victory over Fascism” the Congress calls on all peace loving peoples to redouble their efforts to win a meaningful peace based on an independent foreign policy, disarmament, solidarity and peaceful resolution to regional and global conflicts. In the Canadian context we emphasize the importance of mobilization to end our government’s support for the fascist Zionist regime in Tel-Aviv. We must continue our efforts to get Canada out of NATO, NORAD, and the Five Eyes spy Network. We must encourage youth not to kill or die for NATO.

All out to celebrate May, 9 “Victory over Fascism”
Death to Fascism!
Victory to the Peoples!

Canadian Peace Congress, Executive Committee
May 9th, 2025