There took place an impressive demonstration in Athens and large rallies in Thessalonica and 58 other cities on 11/6. These demonstrations sent the message to the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government, capital and the EU that the new anti-people measures, which they are preparing at the expense of the people, will meet strong resistance. Yesterday’s mobilizations, which were organized by the All-workers’ Militant Front (PAME) and supported by 700 trade unions and other popular organizations constitute a launching pad for the escalation of the struggle.

An enormous banner on the façade of the Finance Ministry

Trade unionists from the unions of Attica that had taken decisions to participate in the demonstrations entered the Finance Ministry in a surprise move at daybreak yesterday and hung a giant banner from the building’s terrace, which is located in Syntagma Square (the country’s central square) opposite Parliament, that covered its façade.

The giant banner depicted the previous Prime Ministers G. Papandreou and A. Samaras together with A. Tsipras under the shadow of SEV (The Hellenic Federation of Enterprises), decorated with the stars from the EU’s flag. The number of the Memorandum each one burdened or is preparing to burden the people with was written under their name (i.e. G. Papandreou, Memorandum 1 etc). The following slogan was also written in large letters on PAME’s banner: “We have bled enough, we have paid enough! People, take matters into your own hands! Block the new measures and the permanent memoranda.”

At the same time as the banner was unfurled at the front of the ministry, a mass rally of workers gathered at the entrance, with PAME’s flags and slogans.

The demonstration in Athens

Tens of thousands of workers took part in the mass and combative demonstrations of PAME in Athens and all over the country on the same evening. Thousands of workers, unemployed, pensioners and youth gathered in Syntagma square in Athens, outside the Finance Ministry under PAME’s giant banner.

The main speaker at the rally was Yiannis Tasioulas, President of the Construction Workers’ Federation of Greece. He stressed that the proposals of the lenders must be rejected, and so to should those of the government for the finalization of a new memorandum of anti-people measures.

.As Y. Tasioulas underlined: “The government has no “red lines”. It baptizes meat as fish in order to foster illusions. It is doing now what it did before the elections. There is no honourable compromise for the people in the framework of the predatory alliance of the EU and capital’s power.

 There is a solution and we will provide it through our struggles. We must reinforce the prospect which we need and which will satisfy our needs, by taking control of the wealth we produce and utilizing it for our benefit. PAME, as it has done since its foundation up to today, takes the initiative and issues a call to struggle, pushing aside defeatism, the old and new government-led trade unionism and those controlled by the employers.

All the workers have a place in this call. Those who until yesterday may have been cautious about our assessments. Those who thought that the problems can be solved by a change in government, by a better management. Now, they must draw conclusions, so that we can join forces. All honest trade unionists must respond to our call.”

Y. Tasioulas called for the organization of the people’s struggle in response to the anti-people measures, to struggle to recover the losses of the workers, on the basis of satisfying their contemporary needs, against the EU and the monopolies.

D. Koutsoumpas: the solution is to be found in the workers’-people’s struggle

The GS of the CC of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoumpas, participated in PAME’s demonstration in Syntagma square. In his statement he stressed that: “The government has already forgotten about the abolition of the memoranda and their 400 application laws. It has also even forgotten about the crumbs of the Thessalonica programme. It is readying a new preparatory agreement for a new memorandum., with many new anti-people measures. The solution is to be found in the organization of the workers’-people’s struggle today, right now, the development of a great social alliance of the people against all these measures, and the reinforcement of the KKE. At this moment, we are struggling for increases in salaries, pensions and benefits, for the consolidation of collective labour agreements, for the return of the minimum monthly salary to 751 euros and of course for the abolition of all the anti-people laws, so that their can be a real recovery of the people’s losses and so that the unemployed are supported in a substantial way.”

12.06.2015