http://www.marxist.com/greece-speech-to-popular-assembly.htm
Greece: speech to the popular assembly<http://www.marxist.com/greece-speech-to-popular-assembly.htm> Written by Stamatis Karagiannopoulos Tuesday, 31 May 2011 [image: Print]<http://www.marxist.com/greece-speech-to-popular-assembly/print.htm#> *On Sunday night at Syntagma Square, as a follow-up of the mass demonstration of 150,000 people against the blackmailing of the workers by the bankers and their political lackeys, there was the biggest popular assembly since the beginning of the movement, with the participation of between 6.000 and 7.000 protestors. Among the speakers who took the floor was the member of the editorial board of "Marxistiki Foni", comrade Stamatis Karagiannopoulos, who made the following short speech:* <http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/greece/May_28_public_assembly_Athens-Ioannis_Poulopoulos.jpg> [image: Night-time assembly at Syntagma Square, May 28. Photo: Ioannis Poulopoulos] Fellow fighters, 1. OUR STRUGGLE IS SOCIAL, CLASS-BASED AND INTERNATIONAL: Regardless of the symbols chosen by each individual participator in the struggle (Greek flags), the struggle is objectively social and class-based. It is a struggle against the bankers, against Capital, against the bourgeois political careerists: all those that created the debt and loaded it on our backs. We have nothing in common with the Greek bankers and industrialists. However we have the same interests as the migrants, the European workers and youth, along with whom we demonstrate today. Therefore our struggle is objectively internationalist. 2. MASSIVE PARTICIPATION AND HOW TO REACT TO REPRESSION: The weapon of this movement since the beginning is massive participation. This is the best antidote to the plans of repression that the state is now elaborating, as we have seen in the past few days in Barcelona in Spain. We now need to extend the movement to all the neighborhoods and workplaces, with mass meetings to elect action committees and coordinate on a nationwide scale. 3. ON THE ISSUE OF THE GENERAL POLITICAL STRIKE: Yesterday's decision of the People's Assembly for a general political strike must be the subject of our attention. A general strike cannot be arranged outside of the unions and the workplaces, but requires struggle within the trade unions and the workplaces. Above all, a general political strike raises the question of power and the movement should have a clear answer for this. What is our proposal and what are the criteria for our proposal? Those who managed the system and got us into this mess should not participate in the new government: New Democracy and the other right-wing parties and the current leadership of PASOK. In general, this government should not consist of "personalities" and "specialists" of power, but should express the genuine interests and direct control of the working people. It must come from within the democratic mass organizations, those that exist today and those that will be created in the course of the struggle, with representatives to be elected and accountable to them. 4. ON THE QUESTION OF "DIRECT DEMOCRACY": The goal of "direct democracy" is in general a move in the right direction. But what does this mean? Democracy must have a specific social, class and political content. There is no democracy if it is not extended to the economy, where democracy means workers' control and social control and ownership of banks and all major businesses. The direct democracy which we demand should not be a neutral social democracy, a system of continuous consultation with no practical relevance, but a workers' democracy, where power will be exercised at all levels of society by the working class and its democratic institutions. Greece: they are afraid of us! Action committees everywhere!<http://www.marxist.com/greece-they-are-afraid-of-us-manifesto.htm> Written by Ìarxistiki Foni Tuesday, 31 May 2011 [image: Print]<http://www.marxist.com/greece-they-are-afraid-of-us-manifesto/print.htm>[image: E-mail]<http://www.marxist.com/component/option,com_mailto/link,abba5fe6fe3861cd84e3961ee773429f73d28bc1/tmpl,component/> Share <http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marxist.com%2Fgreece-they-are-afraid-of-us-manifesto.htm&t=Greece%3A%20they%20are%20afraid%20of%20us!%20Action%20committees%20everywhere!%20%7C%20In%20Defence%20of%20Marxism&src=sp> This leaflet was issued as part of the intervention of the Greek Marxists of Marxistiki Foni in the demonstrations over the weekend. We publish it here in English for the benefit of our readers. [image: Syntagma Square, May 26. Photo: linmtheu.]<http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/greece/May_26_Syntagma_Square-linmtheu.jpg>Syntagma Square, May 26. Photo: linmtheu.We are proud to say that our comrades in Greece were the only organization of the Greek Left that participated in the movement from the very beginning and has been intervening every day in the movement defending Marxist ideas. The Greek Marxists are participating in the movement, not only in Athens but also in Patras, Iraklion, Thessalonika, Komotini, Rhodes. They are present in Syntagma Square and have addressed the Popular Assembly, despite the difficulties arising from the somewhat chaotic way in which the assemblies is organized. They have also experienced some attacks from some ultra right elements (possibly police agents) but have been protected by the Syanspismos party rank and file members. One of the leading Synaspismos trade union activists said to a member of Marxistiki Foni on Friday : "You little kids have saved the honour of the Left!" The following is the Manifesto of the Greek Marxists: THEY ARE AFRAID OF US! ACTION COMMITTEES EVERYWHERE! The mass movement in the squares of major cities have sowed terror in the government, the directors of IMF/EU and the ruling class. In order to blackmail and terrorize the revolutionized population, they talk about the 'bogeyman' of bankruptcy and the return to the drachma, and they "foresee" that if people do not capitulate, voluntarily accepting the driving down of their standard of living for the sake of the moneylenders and loan sharks, then it will mean that the Greek workers will "return to the Stone Age!" (27/05/11, Real FM, Mr G. Alogoskoufis, ex Minister of Finance) In a desperate effort to slow down the workers' movement, they organized a meeting of political leaders, trying to send a message of "national unity" on the basis of the austerity program and of cuts without end. But the avalanche of popular discontent forces the leadership of New Democracy, who are also guilty of crimes against the workers, to hesitate before accepting governmental responsibilities, fearing that they will be soon "burnt out", and useless as a reserve government for the capitalists. The complete absence of the organized political forces of the Left movement is unacceptable and damaging in every way. The Left leaders - unlike the thousands of ordinary activists of the Left - during all these days when the movement was born in the squares, are playing the role of observers, fearful of the movement of the masses. In an attempt to justify politically their absence from the movement, they call for certificates of "maturity" saying cynically that this movement will "deflate" (the leadership of the Communist Party), or they agree with the apolitical nature of some protestors who called for this protest on the internet but are afraid to openly assert political positions intervening creatively in the movement (the leaders of SYRIZA), while the sectarians, basing themselves on isolated incidents with a few protestors holding the Greek flag, characterize the movement as "nationalist" and "reactionary"! However, the movement in the squares developed as a genuine movement of the broad masses and this awakening, in addition to its anger and militancy, naturally carries as "baggage" all the political and ideological prejudices on which they have been nurtured during the previous period (political confusion, negative opinions of all parties, patriotic illusions). It is through participation in the movement itself that the masses will learn through living experience not to trust the patriotic tales of the bourgeoisie and their politicians. They will seek deeper answers to the ills of capitalism and the current first phase of the "inter-class" moods of revolt and the lack of specific political demands will be overcome. The movement will start to get clear class and acquire political characteristics. Already the movement is beginning to realize its power. The thousands who gathered understand that they are the most decisive factor in the political developments. But as we have already stressed, the occupation of large squares of cities by thousands of angry people is not enough. We need to make an organized, tactful but decisive contribution to the working class struggle. What is required are the historically developed weapons of struggle for social change; well-organised and united strikes and general strikes, powerful demonstrations, occupations of factories and workplaces and above all the revolutionary ideas and programme of Marxism. Only through the development of revolutionary political subjective factor will the movement end in victory. All out on the streets against the united bandits of Capital and their lackeys! 1. Set up action committees in neighbourhoods and workplaces which will be accountable to the general meetings and coordinated nationwide. 2. For a 48-hour general strike next week, with its key demands as follows: the cessation of payment of loan sharks and moneylenders; use the vast amounts of the sinking funds to raise the living standards of working people and address poverty and unemployment; the immediate cancellation of the new government cuts; and the return of the rights and benefits uprooted by the EU/IMF and the government. 3. If the government remaining adamant, the struggle should be transformed into an indefinite general strike for the fall of the government and the election of a new one which will be committed to implement a program to benefit the working majority. 4. The only permanent alternative to the slavery and injustice of capitalism is the struggle to establish a socialist planned economy and a state that is democratically controlled by the working class and the poor of towns and countryside. For the election of a government of the Left (SYRIZA, Communist Party and other leftist trends and collectives), which will be based upon the democratic institutions of the people and will implement a programme which will break the "chain" of capitalism and start the process of building the United Socialist States of Europe and the world. Signed: *Ìarxistiki Foni*<http://www.marxist.com/weblinks/europe/marxistiki-foni.htm> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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