Version imprimableWhatever the parrots of the troika may tell us, the "haircut" (debt cut), carried out by the “black front” means the rescue of the bankers and social disaster for the population. The measures of Memorandum No. 2 amount to a war of extermination against the majority of the working class. The EU is imposing a devastating austerity program throughout Europe. The bankers are compensated with 50 billion euros while social security and other public funds are being robbed! The loan agreement creates conditions akin to those an imperial power would impose on a colony. There is a total absence of popular sovereignty and the selling off of public wealth along with the natural environment, while the debt is increased even further. New Democracy (ND) [1], PASOK, Troika and the mob of the sold-out media outdo themselves in order to frighten us with the specter of “ungovernableness.” But what this “ungovernableness” actually means is the inability of the present government to push through its actions, which is the only hope for the people! They try to paralyze us but they will not succeed! There is another way: without memoranda, euro, European Union, beyond capitalist barbarism.
Prime Minister Papadimos, ND, and PASOK claim that the memoranda and the guardianship of the Troika is the only way to avoid disaster. But the greatest disaster for the people is that we remain attached to the memoranda, the euro and the EU, and have to repay the debt. Despite all the propaganda we say that there is surely a different way!
– Immediately terminate the loan agreement, any memoranda and all related measures.
– Do not recognize the debt, debt cancellation and suspension of payments.
– Break with the system and with the euro/EU.
– Nationalize the banks and corporations without compensation under workers’ control.
– Immediately increase wages and pensions! Cancel the poll tax and increase the taxation of capital.
– Prohibit layoffs and fully protect the unemployed. Shorten working hours and reduce the retirement age.
– Expropriate hundreds of closed factories and re-commission them controlled by the employees themselves.
– Provide cheap and good quality food through agricultural cooperatives, poor and middle farmers—without middlemen and large producers.
An uprising of the entire working population—anti-capitalist revolution!
Power and wealth belong in the hands of the workers!
That is the only way we can avoid the bankruptcy of society. Our way leads to a break with capitalism—by the overthrow of the current authoritarian political system and its replacement with a democracy and the power of the workers, with the widest control to be exercised by the workers and by the people. If the united front of workers, intellectuals and creative people take over leadership we can live in dignity, use the social productive forces collectively and break with the logic of profit, the market, “competitiveness,” and environmental degradation.
We are strong enough to overthrow them!
We have demonstrated our strength during the great general strikes, the occupation of the ministries, the unique lessons in democracy and struggles during the occupancy of public squares. We can see it every day in small and large conflicts, in the heroic struggles of Chalivourgia (steel industry), in the movements of civil disobedience (“I do not pay”). It is shown by the many forms of organization and coordination of struggles by the rank and file, outside of and against the institutionalized trade unionism of GSEE and ADEDY [2], by developing new forms of solidarity, self-organization, and self-determination. The popular uprising, the continued popular and labor war that is increasing its strength, will lead to victory!
In the elections of May 6 we face the alternative:
– Either the forces of the merciless memorandum, the euro-junta, of the “creditors” and capital are strengthened so that they can form a “stable government.”
– Or we strengthen the forces of resistance, of “destabilization” and the reversal of the attack, of the real struggle against the barbaric memoranda, EU and capital.
In the first case the forces of the Troika with the black front, Samaras [3] and Venizelos [4], Provopoulos [5] and Daskalopoulos [6] would be “confirmed” and would then lead the population into a genuine slaughterhouse! Cuts in wages and pensions, poverty and unemployment, sell-out of all public property and an “iron heel” against the struggles would be the result. In the second case the way may open to slow down the march towards barbarism, the mass movement could take a leap forward, so that we get back what was stolen from us and shake off the new tyranny.
We must condemn the black front ...
In advance of the elections ND and PASOK have already agreed to jointly form a government of the Troika and the memoranda. Their evil and dangerous allies are:
– The far-right LAOS [7], which is jointly responsible for the memorandum and were quick to take part in the Papadimos government.
– The neo-Nazis of “Chrysi Avgi” (“Golden Dawn”) [8], the nostalgia addicts of Hitler and the quislings of the security battalions (“tagmatasfalites”) [9], who have been supporting Manesis [10] against the heroic struggle of the steel workers, who attack the social uprising, cooperate with the cops and want to use their racist poison to divide the working class and the people. We can beat back the anti-democratic attacks and smash the Nazi gangs with unified struggles!
... but also its crutches
– The various “anti-memorandum”-parties that have emerged from either PASOK or ND and go fishing for votes in order to participate in post-election coalitions, such as Katseli [10] and Kammenos [11] must be rejected. The same applies to DIMAR. [12] Do not vote for these parties!
– The “patriotic fronts” that avoid talking about the local exploiters, either about SEV or the Greek bankers who furiously support the memoranda.
The solution is a strong Left struggling for a break with the system and the anti-capitalist revolution!
The parliamentary parties of the Left do not meet their historical responsibilities. SYRIZA suggests a "leftist government," but does not dare to say anything against the euro and the EU. It is increasingly in search of “solutions” to the debt problem through agreements with the creditors! The Communist Party (KKE) [13] now rejects the recognition of the debt and takes a stand against the EU position, but points to the metaphysical presence of “peoples’ power” that should come into existence through parliamentary channels and through the conquest of the parliamentary majority in the election. This party avoids any overt political conflict and still refuses to participate in a united front for a workers and popular uprising. Such an approach is a barrier to the struggles. Joint action is more necessary than ever!
What is needed is the mobilization and organization of goals and demands, put today on the agenda by reality itself (cancellation of debt, leaving the euro zone and the EU, nationalization and workers’ control). This can be achieved by a united front of all those who want a break with the system and revolution, by the escalation of the workers’ and popular uprising combined with strikes, occupations, demonstrations, also by the organization and coordination of struggles at the level of the rank and file on the basis of an anti-capitalist program. This is the way to achieve the power of working people, true democracy combined with a socialist and communist perspective.
This is the left ????RS?? is struggling to create. We are committed to ensuring that this left—one which will break with the system and aim for the insurrection, the anti-capitalist revolutionary left—will come out stronger from the national parliamentary elections.
In the elections we give our voice and support to ????RS??!
OPEN CALL FOR UNITY
????RS?? calls on all of the collectives and movements struggling for the past two years against the terror of the memoranda, the Troika, and the euro-junta to communicate in solidarity and to cooperate before, during and after the elections. This appeal is directed to all forces that have bled in the strikes and clashes, that have filled the squares with life, that want to strengthen the rebellion of the labor movement, that are aiming for an overthrow of the government coalition, the EU, IMF and capitalist barbarism!
Whatever they may tell us, we know that history is not written in the corridors of power but in the streets where the real struggles take place. With a battle-front based on the need for a break with the system and revolution, combined with a strong, militant anti-capitalist left, we can win the fight!
Translation and notes: A. Kloke, 21 April 21, 2012
