Yesterday tens of thousands of Greeks were again in the streets in protest at the IMF/EU imposed package of attacks on the working class.
Around 40,000 people demonstrated in Athens as part of another general strike, with thousands more in cities around Greece.
The strike was timed to coincide with the debate in parliament over changes to pensions. These would force people to work over 40 years of their lives, increasing the retirement age for women to 65 and for both men and women to an as yet undetermined level from 2020. At the same time, the amount of money received by pensioners will be reduced. Also, currently there is a list of dangerous and difficult jobs from which workers have certain rights to retire early – this list is to be abolished.
Members of the All Militant Workers’ Front (PAME) occupied the Ministry of Labour in protest, hanging a banner from the window read “Reject the Measures.” The building was engulfed by a river of strikers during the day.
Although the strike was strong and the mood is still militant, a lot of damage was done by the deaths of two bank workers in a fire during strikes two weeks ago. As we reported at the time, despite the fact these workers were locked in their work to act as a human shield against demonstrators anger by their scumbag boss, the government has exploited the incident massively to paint strikers as violent terrorists. Another issue the government has shouted about is the impact of the strikes on the Greek tourist industry, while at the same time they take away from Greek workers the “luxury” of holiday time or the ability to afford one.
Police repression was heavy yesterday. Hundreds of people were detained in order to stop them from joining the marches. A group of pensioners trying to join were violently beaten by riot cops. There are reports that members of the Greek anti-capitalist party SYRIZA were arrested en masse. A group of students were arrested as they left the Polytechnic School. Police once again invaded the Athens neighbourhood of Exarcheia, home to many socialists and anarchists, and occupied the streets in order to stop residents from being able to demonstrate.
The river of red shows Communist demonstrators last Saturday, something the Greek media thought wasn't newsworthy
The media has also imposed a virtual blackout on much of what’s going on. Last Saturday the Greek Communist Party (KKE) held a huge march through Athens that received zero coverage. And again yesterday, much of what happened was not reported.
But despite the repression, the government propaganda and media silence, it’s clear that the Greeks are still not going to just sit back and accept their rights being taken away. As one banner on the march put it: “These measures take us back 150 years.” The Greek working class is fighting not just for themselves but for us too, as we prepare on Monday to face the first of many rounds of cuts by the ConDem government, and we need to work out ways of linking our joint struggles across borders.
I’m pretty sure the KKE are – and I’m using your trotskyite definition of the term here – “stalinist”
Given that trotskyite groups are characterised by childish levels of sectarianism(the manifestation of trotskyism being a highly dogmatic ideology and trotskyite groups being largely composed of middle class individualists) I find it highly suprising to find an article on here being potraying the aforementioned “stalinist” party in a generally positive light.
Wouldn’t it be more consistently trotskyite to slag of the KKE for this, that or the other?
SSY aren’t really in the business of slagging off other left-wing political parties, at home or abroad, just for the sake of it.
yes, I have my criticisms of the KKE – like when they came out against the uprising in 2008 and sent their students in to break up occupations etc – but in this case, what the hell would we be critical off, ya mad tankie.
anyway, the SSP aren’t a trotskyite party, so get it up ye
Are you SERIOUSLY slagging us for not being sectarian enough? Get a grip.