The sentence imposed on conscript M. Papageorgiou for standing by the farmers and the struggling people must be cancelled!

The KKE and KNE strongly condemn the outrageous sentence imposed on conscript Manos Papageorgiou for saluting the mass rally of trade unions in Syntagma Square against the anti-popular budget on 16 December, and demand its immediate cancellation. The leadership of the Armed Forces imposed a 25-day prison sentence on Manos Papageorgiou and expelled him from the Special Forces.
In a statement, the Press Office of the Central Council of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) stressed that “young conscripts serving their military service have political rights, and no government or reactionary military regulation can deprive them of these rights. Above all, they have dignity and the will to fight for their rights. They are aware that they are serving the people and not the dangerous NATO plans, involvement in war fronts, and the ‘culture of war’ as demanded by the government and the EU. No punishment can
erase this proud stance.”
In his letter published in Rizospastis, Manos Papageorgiou states the following: “I am serving my military service in Samos with the aim of defending my country’s borders, as is the case for the vast majority of my colleagues, and not the plans of NATO, the USA,or the government, which is getting us deeper and deeper into wars every day. With this letter, I want to protest against my punishment of 25 days in prison and my expulsion from the Special Forces because I expressed, as is my right, my opposition to the state budget of war, poverty, and NATO’s military equipment, which we pay for with billions from our own pockets, while at the same time spending on the people’s needs —health, education, and labour rights— is being cut. I am being punished because I supported the just struggle of the farmers at the roadblocks, and because I said that conscripts will not become cannon fodder for the imperialists of NATO and the USA.
This stance was honest and sincere, consistent with my dignity as a supermarket worker before my military service, and with my responsibility towards my family, who bear the financial burden of my military service, as well as towards all working people who struggle
to make ends meet every day. After all, they are the ones who keep the country running with their hard work. None of us in the military camps can ignore the fact that, while we struggle to survive, the state and governments rake in billions of euros from our pockets every year and grant tax breaks to the war profiteers, the shipowners, and the bankers. After all, the laws and regulations that have brought the people’s lives to this miserable level are of the same nature as those that punished me. It is the same political decisions that rightly drive thousands of non-commissioned officers and officers into the streets, protesting —even in uniform— for a dignified life free from war.”
Dozens of labour unions and mass organizations have condemned the sentence handed down to soldier Manos Papageorgiou. Among them is the Athens Workers in Retail Union, where he served for many years as a member of the executive board.
Moreover, dozens of conscripts from military camps throughout Greece, including the unit that M. Papageorgiou served in Samos, have expressed their solidarity.