A-Infos (en) Greece, Protaanka: Joint statement - call for the TIF demonstration (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

We don't ask for alms. We want everything for everyone. ---- As every 
year, this year too, employees are invited to attend the Prime 
Minister's announcements at the Opening of the Thessaloniki 
International Fair. This now customary procedure consists of a speech by 
the political head of state, in which "measures for the relief of the 
weaker sections of society" are usually announced and promises of 
"development and prosperity" are made. ---- According to what we have 
read so far in the news media, the package of measures that Mitsotakis 
is expected to announce on September 6th fully reflects the policy of 
the New Democracy government so far: A few crumbs thrown to the people, 
sprinkled with gold dust by the establishment media. Crumbs that have in 
fact been extracted from our own economic bloodletting, through state 
policies of austerity and class exploitation.

The narrative on which New Democracy has based its entire term in 
government is now well-known and well-played: economic growth and 
stability supplemented by the doctrine of "law and order" and a few 
doses of moderate welfare so as not to exceed fiscal limits. We will see 
this narrative unfold again in the prime minister's speech, in the midst 
of New Democracy's attempt to use the TIF to restructure itself and 
recover its poll ratings, in the wake of the social anger expressed in 
recent months in the large demonstrations over Tempi, the recent 
revelation of the OPEKEPE scandal and the social discontent that has 
been shaped by the unbearable reality of poverty and impasses for the 
large social majority.

The mobilization of measures - crumbs towards the economically weaker in 
order for New Democracy to gain electoral value and change the negative 
climate for it, was already evident last April, when, in its attempt to 
change the agenda after the mobilizations for the state-capitalist crime 
of Tempi, it rushed to prematurely announce some of the TIF benefits 
that will be in effect from... November. These benefits, which will form 
the core of TIF's announcements, such as the 250-euro payment to certain 
low-income pensioners and vulnerable social groups, the return of rent, 
constitute the confirmation of the rule for how state officials 
distribute wealth. While the Greek economy exceeded its primary surplus 
targets, which were inflated, as has happened before (e.g. SYRIZA's 
famous cushion), by the plundering of income, pensions and social 
benefits, only a small percentage (about 1/11) of this surplus is 
returned to those who pulled the strings so that the rulers could boast 
about "growth."

The success story of growth that New Democracy has built is being 
demolished not only by the same unbearable everyday life that the vast 
social majority lives, but also by their own numbers: the GDP of the 
Greek state in 2024 in nominal terms remained lower than that of 2011, 
the forecast for the percentage of public debt in relation to GDP for 
2025 remains at the same levels as in 2010, while at the same time the 
memorandum rules, such as primary surpluses, are still here, necessarily 
leading New Democracy to a more restrained "offer of benefits", despite 
its agonizing effort for recovery.

Of course, these economic figures will be hidden in the prime minister's 
speech and an attempt will be made to highlight the "benefits of 
development for the many", while in reality it is a development for the 
benefit of the few: thus, while the prime minister will talk about the 
drop in the ocean of the "social housing" program, on the other hand he 
will boast about the increase in investments, a large part of which 
comes from the boom in real estate and tourism capital that have a 
leading role in the increase in rents and the housing crisis, while he 
will talk about the goal of an anemic increase in the minimum wage with 
a horizon of 2027, he will applaud the surplus income of state coffers 
that come largely from the profiteering of precision that is destroying 
the purchasing power of the lower social strata, while he will talk 
about some imaginary improvement of the disbanded and understaffed 
National Health Service, he will emphasize the necessity for paying 5% 
of GDP in war spending and increasing the salaries of the military and 
police.

On the other hand, the fragmented social democratic or center-left 
opposition is unable to counter a government narrative, having fully 
assimilated into its agenda the myth of the end of the crisis and the 
exit from the memoranda, which Tsipras' SYRIZA inaugurated and 
Mitsotakis continued with greater success. Thus, they lack an 
oppositional narrative on the big picture of the economy as well as on 
major social issues, since almost all of them participated in the 
economic binge and the bloodletting of the social base in the midst of 
the crisis. The "first time on the left" even bears enormous 
responsibilities for the disappointment and futility within a large 
portion of the grassroots, which led to its withdrawal from the 
forefront of struggles in the last decade. Fascists of all kinds will 
certainly try to take advantage of the current climate and the global 
shift towards the far right, but it is up to us to stop them. We should 
of course make it clear that, as anarchists, we do not believe that any 
government, right or left, would ever legislate and act in favor of 
those from below. In this authoritarian and oppressive system, the 
political power in question, whatever color it may wear, exists to serve 
the ruling class.

At the same time, as the government tries to convince us of the benefits 
of growth and clashes with the opposition over who got us out of the 
crisis, the reality for workers is particularly harsh. Accuracy is 
skyrocketing, both in the supermarket and in energy bills. Rents have 
skyrocketed, while people of our class are being thrown out onto the 
streets by funds that buy up "red" mortgages in the new year. Wages, 
mostly stuck at extremely low levels, are no longer enough to cover the 
increased cost of living. The attack on the working class continues with 
new anti-labor laws that make the basic wage hostage to the indicators 
of capitalist "development", while at the same time, they essentially 
impose the 13-hour workday, legalize the most flexible forms of 
employment for the benefit of the bosses and want to cancel with a 
single stroke the union struggles and the right to strike, with the 
bogey of unemployment as a means of persuasion and discipline.

The dominant policy imposes the disintegration of public infrastructure 
and the privatization of everything. Public health is suffering from 
understaffing and higher education is increasingly opening up to private 
individuals, with the recent vote on private universities. A victim of 
this same policy and a more egregious example of its effects is the 
railway network, where the combination of selling off part of its assets 
to private individuals with its chronic state degradation and the lack 
of even the most basic, necessary investments in infrastructure, brought 
about the state-capitalist crime of Tempi and the murder of 57 of our 
fellow human beings.

Of course, those who decide to resist the above-mentioned treaty are 
called upon to face intensified repression. The attack on unions and the 
right to strike is accompanied by new anti-terrorist laws for enemies of 
the established order, with (pre)trial detention and convictions of 
activists without evidence. On the other hand, the generalized impunity 
observed towards members of political power and big Capital, despite the 
stench of corruption and the scandals that constantly emerge in the 
public sphere, show us in the best way how "independent" bourgeois 
justice is.

We do not forget, of course, that this year's TIF is being held during 
the period when the genocide of our time is being carried out in 
Palestine by the Murderous State of Israel. Nor do we forget the role 
that the Greek State has played in this affair, tied to the political 
and economic interests of the Western imperialist bloc. At the same time 
that the majority of society carries out and frames solidarity actions 
with the Palestinian people, the Greek government continues to support, 
among other things, Zionist investments in the country, in tourism, 
industry, etc. And all this while it proceeds to continuously increase 
the percentage of GDP allocated to armament programs and carries out a 
cruel war on immigrants, both with the murders at the country's land and 
water borders, and internally, with the new racist laws of the fascist 
Minister Plevris.

Faced with the reality of poverty, job loss, repression and war imposed 
on us by the state and capital, the only hope the working class has is 
the collective path of organization and struggle. A struggle to 
overthrow the system of oppression and exploitation, towards the 
creation of a world that lives up to our needs and desires.

Although important struggles have taken place recently, which have 
brought large segments of society to the streets, such as the 
mobilizations against the state-capitalist crime of Tempi and the 
anti-war movement against the ongoing genocide in Gaza, we see, however, 
that the entire set of movements and struggles of the era lack a 
visionary orientation and a strategy towards a revolutionary and 
liberating direction. Because of this fact, and despite their real 
importance, they ultimately become easily assimilated or are condemned 
to remain isolated moments of struggle and social outbursts with 
specific limits.

As anarchists, our role on the key issues and struggles of our time 
should be catalytic. With our organized presence and action, we must 
convince and inspire society and our class that the struggles are not in 
vain, but on the contrary are more necessary than ever, while 
simultaneously attempting to generalize and radicalize them towards a 
revolutionary perspective. Because the only path for the oppressed and 
the exploited is none other than that of regrouping, organizing and 
counterattacking against our powerful. On the road to Social Revolution, 
Libertarian Communism and Anarchy.

Anti-state / Anti-capitalist March for the TIF

Saturday 6/9 Kamara 18:00

Horizontal Movement - For Anarchy and Libertarian Communism (Thessaloniki)

Anarchist Initiative of Saints Anargyroi - Kamaterou (Athens)

https://protaanka.espivblogs.net/2025/09/01/koini-anakoinosi-kalesma-stin-diadilosi-tis-deth/
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