Greek state budget: Tsipras' government is doing the "dirty job" on behalf of the capitalists

Speaking yesterday in the Parliament during the discussion on state budget, Prime Minister Tsipras developed the narrative of "post-memorandums Greece", while presenting his government as the most capable to guarantee the recovery of the capitalists' profitability. 

PM Tsipras, bypassing the class content and character of the 2018 state budget- which, like the previous ones consists a tool for the implementation of the strategy of the capital, by attacking people's rights, cutting social spending, providing even more tax exemptions to large business groups, etc- said with certainly that "this is the last memorandum budget, we are now doing different things with different results". 

PAME: Intervention at the Euro Mediterranean Trade Union Meeting in Marseille (English / Français)

All-Workers Militant Front (PAME-Greece).

Intervention at the Euro Mediterranean Trade Union Meeting held in Marseille, France 14-15/12/2017.

Dear colleagues,

On behalf of PAME (All Workers Militant Front), the class oriented trade unions movement of Greece, I salute today’s, big meeting of the trade unions of South Europe and the Mediterranean. It’s our great pleasure to be here with you, our class brothers the same moment that in Greece the banners of PAME and WFTU are flooding the streets, today December 14, day of big General Strike.

Pafilis (KKE): The government of SYRIZA whitewashes the capitalist system

Thanasis Pafilis.

Speaking in the Parliament about the 2018 state budget, the Communist Party of Greece MP Thanasis Pafilis denounced both SYRIZA and the opposition party of New Democracy for their efforts to disorientate the people about the real enemy- capitalism. As Pafilis said, behind their disputes, SYRIZA and New Democracy try to relieve popular dissatisfaction within the same system, the power of the monopolies and the capital which exploits the wealth produced by the people. 

For that reason, the KKE MP underlined, the EU, the representatives of capitalism, the industrialists congratulate the SYRIZA-ANEL government. 

Pafilis also said that the government lies when it argues that by August 2018 the austerity memorandums will end, as long as none of the 600 laws will be abolished, while the implementation of antipeople measures has been scheduled to continue in 2019, 2020, even by 2060.

"Message for the struggle's escalation" - Militant strike mobilization in Greece against antiworkers policies

A message for the escalation of struggle against the antipeople-antiworkers policies of the SYRIZA coalition government was today's militant strike mobilizations across Greece. 

In Athens, the organised by the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME), demonstration began at Omonoia Square and through the city center passed towards the U.S. embassy, as a symbolic action against the recent Trump's decision on Jerusalem. 

Greece: Everyone in the strike of December 14th - Le 14 décembre tous à la grève partout!

PAME: Everyone in the strike of December 14th.

All in the strike rallies in all cities! We fight back!

Let’s give a militant response to the new measures of impoverishment of the working people!

The positive climate that the government of SYRIZA - ANEL is trying to cultivate all along this time through the tale of the “just development” does not contain anything positive for the working people, since a new wave of anti-popular measures is being planned. The "just development" that the government promotes and defends, means further assault on the life of the working-people family with further abolition of rights and advances.

Tsipras and Erdogan, both enemies of the working class in Greece and Turkey

By Nikos Mottas. 

The visit of the Turkish President Erdogan in Greece has concluded. A lot of things were said in front of cameras and, certainly, even more behind closed doors. We could write about several conclusions regarding the undisputable upgrade of Ankara's assertions against Greece's sovereign rights, the unacceptable demand for the revision of the Treaty of Lausanne, the pretexts of President Erdogan regarding minorities, etc.

However, if we would like to summarize the very essense of Erdogan's visit, we must briefly- and clearly- point out the following:

• Both President Erdogan, as well as the Greek leadership, repeated in their public statements the (trite) wishes about “good neighborly relations”, “mutual respect”, “friendship” and “peace” between the two countries. All these are empty words, taking into account that within the framework of imperialism, within the framework of the NATO alliance – members of which are both countries – actual friendship and peace cannot exist. This is a given and multiple times proven in the passage of history truth. Therefore, with these words, Tsipras and Erdogan do not deceive each other, but they deceive together the Greek and Turkish people.

Communist Youth: Mass demonstration in Athens in solidarity with the Palestinian people

A strong message of solidarity with the Palestinian people and against the recent decision of the U.S. to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital was given by thousands of young people, members and friends of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) who demonstrated in downtown Athens on Friday afternoon. 

The protesters gathered at Propylaia and marched towards the U.S. Embassy, shouting slogans such as "Freedom to Palestine" and "Americans, murderers of the peoples". 

Statement by the KKE on the visit of Turkish President Erdogan in Greece: "People in both countries must be vigilant"

On the occasion of the official visit of the President of Turkey Rejep Tayyip Erdogan in Greece (7-8 December), the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece issued the following statement:

"The visit of the President of Turkey T.Erdogan in our country did not confirm whatsoever the environment that the SYRIZA-ANEL government was uncourteously cultivating during the previous days by naming the visit as "historical". After all, it wouldn't be different, when only within 2017 the violations of the Greek airspace and maritime waters are thousands, while just before his visit, during an interview, the President of Turkey restored all the new provocations and assertions against the country, with the peak being the demand for the revise of the Treaty of Lausanne. 

General Strike on December 14th in Greece - Workers to give a powerful response to SYRIZA government

Source: All-Workers Militant Front.

Last week in Greece, the working class witnessed a series of incidents that showed a strong escalation of state oppression and employers' intimidations against workers

The workers of supermarkets in Ioannina, the students and the workers of the Universities, outside the Ministry of Education, but also the protesters in the courts against the banks auctioning off peoples’ homes, were not the first to suffer persecutions, arrests, violent repression and tear gas.

The over 18 months unpaid workers of the super markets of Ioannina who struggle for their right to work and their salaries, the students who in the year 2017 literally demand a decent meal and the workers who protect their homes, were within a few hours targeted by the SYRIZA-ANEL government.

KKE sends powerful message to Tsipras' government: "The right to strike is non-negotiable, don't dare to touch it!"

Regarding the SYRIZA-ANEL government's amendment about the right to strike- which provoked the militant response of Trade Unions and workers - the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece issued the following statement:

"The SYRIZA-ANEL government broke any record of political impudence and nastiness, bringing, like a thief in the Parliament - and within an irrelevant law proposal in order to vote it quickly- an amendment in order to begin the rupture of the working class' biggest conquest, which is the right to strike. 

SYRIZA government withdraws anti-strike amendment after Trade Unions' militant reaction

Workers-Trade Unionists invade the Ministry
of Labour in Athens.

The SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government was forced after militant mobilization by PAME and Trade Unions to withdraw a shameful amendment on workers’ strike and other labour issues only hours after they were tabled in parliament. Earlier today (Tuesday), demonstrators supported by the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) invaded the Ministry of Labor in central Athens, as an act of protest against the antiworker-antipeople measures of the government.

The government's amendment proposes that for a union to go on strike, at least 50% plus one of active union members must agree. In fact, this measure is a step towards the restriction of the workers' right to strike and consists an escalation of the government-EU's attack against the labour movement.

"Imperialists Out of Greece!": The 18th Congress of EEDYE to be held on 2-3 December in Athens

Archive Photo: From an EEDYE rally.

The 18th Congress of the Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE) will take place on the 2nd and 3rd of December in Athens. The Congress will be hosted at the City Hall of Haidari, west of Athens. 

For the preparation of the Congress, local peace committees across the country held meetings, discussed and organised the future activities of the antiimperialist movement.

Against Black Friday: Amazon workers in Germany and Italy are going on strike

More than 500 Amazon employees in Europe will go on strike on Black Friday in a bid to win higher pay from the retailer, according to trade unions.

Large numbers of employees in Germany and Italy will stay home for one of the busiest shopping days of the year in a bid to win concessions from their employer.

Workers at Amazon's main Italian distribution hub posted a statement saying that they would walk out after attempts to secure bonuses from management broke down.

NATO soldiers attacked and injured civilians in Crete

An outrageous incident took place in the city of Chania, in the Greek island of Crete, on November 17th. 

NATO soldiers, who were participating in a multinational military exercise, attacked civilians in the city center of Chania thus injuring one of them seriously. The victim was transfered to the local hospital. 

The incident took place on  the evening of Friday, 17 of November, just after the end of the rally for the 44th anniversary since the Athens Polytechnic Uprising. 

The attack from the side of the NATO soldiers, which is not the first one that takes place in the area, was unprovoked.

Deadly floods hit west Athens, leave at least 16 dead: Statement by KKE GS Dimitris Koutsoumbas

The General Secretary of the Central Comittee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas, visited on November 15th the facilities of the Helenic telecommunications organisation (OTE) in Parnitha and spoke to the employees. In his speech, among other things, he referred to the huge destruction caused by the floods in the areas of Mandra and Nea Peramos, in Attica, which killed 16 people.

In particular, General Secretary Koutsoumbas stressed among other things:

“Poor working class and people’s families drown every year, in different areas all over Greece, precisely because there are no flood protection works, there is no necessary infrastructure; as a result we constantly mourn victims, fellow people, houses and properties are destroyed that people had created working hard all their life, from day to night. Therefore, we must express our solidarity with the victims, but, above all, we must express our determination to organise the struggle on such issues in every workplace, in every neighbourhood.”

KKE: Tsipras government's "social dividend" consists crude and shameless propaganda

In an effort to disorient public opinion from the agenda of the upcoming new antipeople measures, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras made an unscheduled television appearance on Monday night to announce a €1.4bn “social dividend” to be paid next month to more than 3m Greeks who have been hit hardest by the country’s seven-year recession and the antiworkers-antipeople policies implemented by the governments of ND, PASOK and SYRIZA. The handout would include €720m in one-off payments for low-income Greeks and €315m in rebates for earlier cuts in healthcare payments, Premier Tsipras said. 

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued a statement denouncing the Prime Minister's announcements as "crude and shameless propaganda". More specifically, the statement of the Press Office of the CC of the KKE writes:

Shameful verdict by Greek court convicts Communist Youth members who were assaulted by neo-Nazis!

A shameful verdict was issued by the single-member Magistrate Court of Thessaloniki in northern Greece regarding a murderous assault of neo-Nazi Golden Dawn thugs against Communist Youth (KNE) members  of November 2012. 

According to the Court's verdict, the perpetrators of the attack were sentenced to 21 months imprisonment. However, the same verdict convicts the... victims of the attack to 12 months imprisonment! 

Demonstration of PAME in Athens: Workers send message of resistance to Tsipras' government

With a large demonstration in central Athens, thousands of working class people send a message of resistance and counterattack against the new measures prepared by the SYRIZA-ANEL government, the quartet and the capital. 

The demonstrators, who corresponded to the initiative of the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME), gathered at Syntagma Square thus sending an organised and militant message to the antipeople triangle of government-EU-employers. 

Greece's government sold ammunition to Saudi Arabia - The KKE denounces the agreement

Another shameful agreement by the- supposedly- "left" government of SYRIZA. This time, the Greek Ministry of Defense agreed to sell ammunition to Saudi Arabia, a country with a very dark role in the promotion and implementation of imperialist plans in the broader region of the Middle East. 

The agreement between Greece and Saudi Arabia was denounced by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the Press Office of which issued the following statement:

Golden Dawn's fascists have no place in Santorini!

Around 20 Golden Dawn's fascists tried to attack
a foreign student during the "OXI Day" parade.

"The fascist-nazi ideology has no place in our island" underlines the Santorini Party Organisation of the KKE in a statement issued regarding the racist incident of 28th October. 

Last Saturday, a group of around 20 Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party members and "sympathizers" violently disrupted the traditional student parade for the “OXI Day” holiday celebration, because the flag-bearer was a foreign student. 

Just before the parade was about to start, the fascists of Golden Dawn wearing black t-shirts with “Hellas Ultra” printed on them, started shouting and terrorizing both the students who were getting ready for their parade and their parents. The police attempted to negotiate with them, but the atmosphere was already explosive.