Austerity, its consequences, and how to resist: these are the issues fuelling the rise of radical Greek party Syriza. Its programme rejects the cuts imposed by the International Monetary Fund, EU Commission and European Central Bank – the so-called “Troika”.
This rejection has exposed the fact that the interests of the Greek workers and youth are incompatible with the interests of international finance capital – the speculators, creditors and politicians determined to thwart the democratic will of the Greek people.
The German and French banks will not back down. They are intent on stripping Greece of all its assets, and will brook no interference. They are robbing the Greek people of their hospitals, schools and transport systems.
Austerity is big business for Europe’s major powers.
From Athens to Paris the question of using elections to express popular rejection of austerity poses enormous challenges to the dictatorship of capital.
Internationalism
Greece is not a one-off. Spain has become the fourth European country to be bailed out – to the tune of €100 billion. Because a new right wing government is firmly in place there, carrying out austerity, Europe’s bankers and politicians say they will not interfere. But no doubt if the workers resist, the Merkels and Camerons will not be slow in reading them the riot act too.
Across Europe, forces are mobilising for a decisive confrontation. Any national working class that raises its resistance to a level that threatens their government of austerity will meet the same barrage of reaction facing the Greek workers. That is why their fight is our fight.
At the same time, the forces of counter-revolution are also mobilising for the conflict.
Greek fascist party Golden Dawn has revealed its true face when its representative punched two women on a live TV debate. If the left do not take the power in a workers’ government, the far right is waiting in the wings.
Revolution
For the big banks, international money markets and Europe’s openly capitalist governments, rejecting austerity is not an option. For the millions in struggle against the consequences of a crisis we did not cause, Greece symbolises that not only is resistance necessary, but that victory is possible.
Syriza’s rise puts it on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the EU and international markets.
The scale of popular resistance in Greece has opened a revolutionary situation – one that will be deepened by the victory of Syriza and the formation of a workers’ government to renounce the debt, expropriate the banks, disband the fascist gangs and their police sympathisers, and arm the working class against the reaction of the counter-revolution.
Victory to the Greek workers!
Internationalise the resistance!
Forward to a workers’ Europe!
