Solidarity call to Greece for 17th of November from Amsterdam,Brussels and Paris

In Berlin, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Madrid and Brussels, different actions will be carried out in solidarity to the Greek people.

 

Today is the first day of the usual 3-days celebration for the anti-Junta revolt in 1973, in Greece. Back then, students, joined later on by other people, occupied the Polytechnical University in Athens demanding democracy and denouncing the “fake elections” the Junta had organised. Two more (less famous) revolts had taken place before: in February the Law Faculty was occupied (occupation turned violent and many were injured and put in jail or sent to the army); in May, another revolt was held by the crew of a military ship, under the guidance of their leader (this one is often called the “Navy Mouvement”). The occupation of the Polytechnical University turned violent, lead to the University being invaded by the army forces, but also lead to a change of “government” within the Junta, was over seven months later (July 1974) further to the dramatic developments in Cyprus.

The celebrations of the 1973 revolt are taking place every year at the Polytechnical University for 3 days (so long as the occupation lasted before the army burst into the School killing, injuring and imprisoning many of the protesters) and ends up with a demonstration heading to the US Embassy in Athens (the US Consulate in Thessaloniki: the reason is quite obvious, the Junta in Greece was the result of US intervention). The demonstration often turns violent; in 1980 two people were killed by the police, another 15 year old boy was killed by the police in 1985. There’s a quite long tradition of police killing demonstrators in Greece…

This year, the demonstration has an even stronger message to vent. Apart from the evident democratic diversion, which was necessary for the new Government to take office, well, four members of this Government are members of the extreme right party, which is famous for its racist, anti-semitist, discriminative, anti-immigrant, xenophobic views.

One of these people was a diplomat during the Junta: Consul in Naples and then Representative of the country to the UN.

Another one, namely the Minister for Infrastructure & Transport, is this one. (And here’s a reaction from the French PS).

Tension is being deliberately provoked. Yesterday evening, a short-range bomb exploded in the political office of the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Marilisa Xenoyiannakopoulou (she is an ex MEP of the Socialist Party). It’s quite peculiar that such “bombs” explode or similar incidents happen almost every year on 14 or 15 November…

In the meantime, protests are organised on 17 November in several cities in Europe, such as Paris, Amsterdam, London, Berlin, Rome, Madrid and Brussels.

The press releases for the Amsterdam, Paris (only in FR) and Brussels actions are following.

From Amsterdam

Thirty seven (37) years after the fall of the dictatorship in Greece, the historical time clock seems to be turning back. Instead of the US-backed military dictatorship of 1967-1974, a new IMF-EU-back economic dictatorship is being established. By declaring the repayment of the debt and the rescuing of the banks as an ultimate target, a new ‘national-unity’ government has taken its place. The new Prime Minister is a well-known top banker that according to an EU-source is “… someone who can speak Greek but who is not on the side of the Greeks “. Extreme-right politicians known for their racist attitudes and practices have taken seats in the cabinet. Besides rescuing the Greek and Western-European banks, the aim of this government is to impoverish the people by raising taxes, lowering wages, abolishing the last remnants of employment protection and the welfare state.

Thirty eight (38) years ago, the uprising of the Greek students at the Polytechnic School of Athens using ‘Bread, Education, Freedom !’ as its main slogan was the beginning of the end for the military junta. For 3 days long (15-17/11/1973), thousands of students and workers occupied the Polytechnic School and demonstrated in Athens and other cities in an effort to topple the junta. The uprising ended in a bloodbath after the army invaded the Polytechnic School and murdered tens of protesters. However, this did not save the junta that fell in less than a year later.

Today, the people in Greece are struggling against the modern economic junta using ‘Bread, Education, Freedom ! The junta was not over in 1973 ‘ as their main slogan. At the occasion of the protests in Greece that will take place between the 15th and 17th November 2011, we organize a documentary and discussion evening at the Occupy Amsterdam – Beursplein, on Wednesday 16/11, 20:30. The historical documentary on the students’ uprising and its aftermath, Testimonies (Martyries) will be broadcasted. Afterwards, a discussion will take place that will try to link the events of the 1970′s with the current situation in Greece.

From Paris

Avec le peuple grec, luttons ensemble contre la dictature des marchés  !

 

Le 17 novembre 1973, la jeunesse grecque s’est révoltée contre la dictature des colonels, ouvrant la voie à la chute du régime. Cette date symbolise désormais en Grèce l’aspiration du peuple à prendre son destin en main et la lutte contre l’arbitraire.

Cette lutte est aujourd’hui plus que jamais d’actualité, face aux diktats imposés par les marchés financiers par l’intermédiaire du FMI, de la BCE et de l’UE. Le nouveau gouvernement, incluant l’extrême droite, et avec à sa tête l’ancien vice-président de la BCE, n’est que la marionnette de cette «  troika  ».

Depuis 3 ans, les plans d’austérité et de privatisation, censés «  sauver  » la Grèce, se sont succédés et ont plongé le pays dans une catastrophe économique et sociale sans précédent. Le chômage atteint 18,1% de la population, plus de 40% chez les jeunes. Les salaires ont diminué en deux ans de plus de 40%, et les écoles, les hôpitaux ferment les uns après les autres.

Ces destructions sociales sont justifiées par le poids de la dette grecque, dont le peuple serait seul responsable. Par exemple  :

-Les grecs seraient paresseux… alors que les dernières statistiques européennes montrent que le temps de travail est plus élevé en Grèce qu’en Allemagne ou en France.

-Les fonctionnaires grecs seraient des fraudeurs… alors que leurs impôts sont prélevés à la source.

Ce discours aux relents racistes occulte le caractère illégitime de cette dette, qui profite principalement  :

-aux grandes banques qui se sont enrichies en spéculant massivement sur la dette grecque  ;

-aux grandes entreprises européennes d’armement ou de travaux publics, qui ont bénéficié de la «  bienveillance  » de politiciens corrompus  ;

-aux riches grecs, qui bénéficient d’exonérations d’impôts et pratiquent l’évasion fiscale.

…et certainement pas à l’ensemble de la population.

Présentés comme des «  sauvetages  », les plans européens imposés à la Grèce ne permettent pas de rompre avec le cercle vicieux de l’endettement  ; ce n’est pas au peuple grec qu’ils viennent en aide, mais à ces secteurs qui ont profité et profitent de l’arnaque de la dette.

Cette arnaque est mondiale, et la Grèce en est le laboratoire  : comme partout en Europe, la dette illégitime justifie les reculs sociaux et démocratiques. En France, le plan Fillon en est un nouvel exemple.

Pourtant, malgré la violence de la répression, la Grèce est aussi un laboratoire pour les résistances qui se développent dans le monde, depuis Madrid jusqu’à Wall Street. S’opposer aux politiques d’austérité en France ne va pas sans l’expression d’une solidarité avec le peuple grec.

Nous appelons donc à un rassemblement contre la dictature des marchés en ce jour symbolique du 17 novembre à 19h, au 43 Rue Saint-Denis devant la fontaine des innocents à Paris.

Premiers signataires: Aitec-IPAM,  Attac, CADTM, Fondation Copernic, Initiative des étudiants et travailleurs grecs à Paris, NPA.

From Brussels.

A Brussels based Greek Solidarity group will protest on 17 November from 17.00 to 18.30 in front of the Greek Embassy (Rue des Petits Carmes 6, 1000 Brussels) together with Indignados and grass-roots Belgian unionists.

The rally is in solidarity with the big demonstrations in Greece for the 39th anniversary of the Revolt against the dictatorship in 1973.

1973: Greece under Military Junta, a regime which abolished civil rights and dissolved any freedom. In November 1973 Greek students organised a demonstration, and soon afterwards thousands of workers and people of all ages joined them protesting inside and outside the “Athens Polytechnic University”. The public outcry of the violent repression of this movement led to the fall of the junta in 1974.

2011: Greek people overthrow a Prime Minister that implemented an austerity program that he has not got elected upon and imposed unjust measures, given away popular sovereignty and systematically violated the Constitution. Following the government’s resignation, Greek people now witness a coalition government being imposed on them, headed by an unelected person, ex ECB Vice President and member of elite lobby groups, joined by former cadres of the military dictatorship.

On 17 November Greek people will meet again at the Polytechnic University and the streets of Athens, as well as of other Greek cities, to pay tribute to the 1973 students’ revolt, but also to join their voices against the new anti-democratic government imposed by the EU and the IMF, and to demand for their opinion to be expressed through elections.