#solidaritywithgreece

[herzblutmovement]

In solidarity I pray for my people in Greece, may god save you and keep the greeders away! #solidaritywithgreece @herzblutmovement (hier: Athens, Greece)

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

July 16: The popular referendum held July 5 in Greece raised hopes for long-awaited changes, and not only in that country. Greece has captured the world's attention as a place where a break with decades of disastrous policies of neoliberalism can begin, where a resounding defeat can be inflicted on the anti-people EU empire. The people of Greece declared a strong and unequivocal ‘OXI’ to the strict requirements of the IMF, the ECB and the European Commission, said ‘NO’ to austerity measures and savage privatization. And we cannot but admire the courage and the will shown by the Greek people in confronting the predatory policies of the Troika.

But the draft agreement with the creditors, which the government of Alexis Tsipras plans to sign, completely ignores the results of the referendum. This move not only betrays the people's trust in the government, but also threatens Greece with a deteriorating economic and social situation. This step would put an end to all the hopes the referendum results brought to the progressive people of the world. And it’s even more frightening that such a step comes from a government which calls itself left. Thus the "left" government deliberately passes the initiative into the hands of the right-wing and acts against the interests of its people, leaving the country at the mercy of the new colonizers. We express our warmest support to those left and communist forces in Greece who are not afraid to say that the European Union is a prison of nations, and who call on the people to unite in the struggle for “No to the end!,” against the memorandum, for the cancellation of the illegal debt and exit from the euro zone, for workers' control and nationalization of the banks. Another world is possible! Union Borotba (Struggle)

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

On the IMF, Greece and Ukraine

By Greg Butterfield July 15: The IMF (that is, Wall Street and Washington) is demanding that the EU/ECB extend more debt relief to Greece as part of the new bailout package. The IMF, which is supposed to kick in about 25 percent of the bailout, threatens to withdraw otherwise. Supposedly this is because IMF regulations restrict it from continuing to pour money into a country that can’t realistically pay back its debt, which everyone knows Greece can’t do. The German ruling class, which is the most exposed on Greek debt and stands to lose the most, is dead-set against this and is very angry about the IMF’s position. The IMF’s claims about sticking to the rules are pure B.S. The proof of this is Ukraine. Despite the country’s virtual bankruptcy and inability to pay its debt, the IMF negotiated a $40-billion bailout with Kiev, and both the IMF and Washington have assured the Ukrainian junta that they will continue to pour in money to prevent a default. On June 15, the Financial Times reported: "In an open letter released on Friday and addressed to the 'financial community,' Christine Lagarde, IMF managing director, warned that the fund was prepared to continue its own financing of Ukraine even if it stopped servicing its debts." Why? Because Ukraine is carrying out a proxy war for the U.S. against the Donbass people’s republics, and is the desired location for NATO bases aimed at Russia. While Berlin is thinking about its bottom line, Washington is most worried that Greece will be pushed toward Russia and the BRICS alliance. If Athens broke with the EU and allied itself economically with Russia and/or BRICS, this would split the imperialist “united front” against Moscow, and could lead to similar realignments throughout the EU’s austerity stricken “southern periphery” – Spain, Portugal, maybe even Italy. That’s why the IMF is playing “good cop” on Greece. The German ruling class is well aware of all this. They are enraged by Washington’s hypocrisy, because they have had to bear the brunt of the economic and political consequences of sanctions against Russia, and are also stuck footing part of the bill for Washington’s Ukrainian money pit. Whatever the outcome in Greece, I expect the consequences of this dispute will have a ripple effect in Ukraine for weeks and months to come. Will Berlin be as acquiescent to every unreasonable U.S. demand vis-a-vis Ukraine and Russia going forward? I suspect it will not. In trying to ensure that Europe keeps towing the line on Russia, Washington may have just sabotaged itself. Read the Spanish translation by David Moreno for VOZ

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Solidarity with Greek workers in embattled Detroit, July 15, 2015.

Photos by Kris Hamel

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Greek public sector workers say NO! to new bailout

Athens, July 15 - The trade union representing civil servants, ADEDY, protested against the bailout bills which will be voted in the Greek parliament on Wednesday.

ADEDY has called for a 24 hour strike on Wednesday. It has also called a demonstration outside the Greek parliament on Wednesday at 19:30 local time.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Syriza in revolt: more than 50% of Central Committee against bailout

At least 107 members of Syriza’s Central Committee, out of a total of 201, have signed a declaration expressing strong opposition to the bailout deal agreed by Alexis Tsipras and Greece’s creditors on Monday morning.

As parliament debates the deal, the Syriza officials call for an extraordinary meeting of the central committee.

The declaration describes the deal forged in Brussels a “coup”.

It says that it proves that the aim of the creditors was to make an example of Greece that dared to “envisage a different road beyond and outside the neoliberal model of extreme austerity”.

"The agreement was the result of direct threats of economic strangulation and constitutes a new memorandum with excessively heavy and humiliating oversight, a disaster for our country and our people" , the declaration claims.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

The political crisis for the Greek government is now severe and becoming more so

By Kevin Ovenden in Athens

July 15 - The statement by the 109 (and rising) out of 201 Central Committee members rejecting the deal shows that Alexis Tsipras is losing the argument within Syriza the party.

That leaves the parliamentary fraction of 149 MPs. The number who have indicated they will not support the government is in the region of 30, and also rising.

We will see this evening to what extent the parliamentary fraction actually reflects the balance of opinion on the elected party’s Central Committee.

It is self evident that the parliamentary fraction has a high level of autonomy and that government, with the leading group around Tsipras, not only enjoys great autonomy from the party, but also the executive power of initiative.

That’s why the majority CC statement – alone – will not be sufficient to stop the deal in parliament.

All the opposition parties (except the KKE) say they will support the deal in the vote. (The fascists also will not, but I refuse to put them in the same brackets as the KKE.)

At the same time, the opposition leaders are saying they will not join a government of national unity. We will see if that changes.

But it is designed to leave Tsipras in place as a lame duck. That lame duck in parliament will have a majority for the deal if it is just left to what can be achieved in parliament.

The lesson of the last five years is that it is massive movements, with political focus and expression – including at elections – which have broken governments and frustrated the implementation of memorandum measures even when they have been passed by the parliament.

The excellent achievement of getting over half of CC members to reject the deal can play a significant role in galvanising that process.

Not in a few weeks. But today. News is spreading of the CC majority statement. And it is not confined to active Syriza members or office holders.

Reminder - just because it is called a "Central Committee" does *not* mean that Syriza has a "democratic centralist" framework.

*Every* party in Greece - including the Tories - has a national body called a "Central Committee". It is the legacy of the impact of Lenin on Greek political culture!

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Greece: Public sector union marches against bailout deal

Supporters of the Greek public sector union ADEDY marched through central Athens, Wednesday, to protest against the bailout deal secured by the Syriza government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. The demonstration, finishing outside the Hellenic Parliament, was accompanied by a strike in which union officials urged public-sector workers to down tools for a 24-hour period.