Por El Cambio en Grecia (english version).
The upcoming Greek elections can represent a turning point in the European scenario. Greece has become a political and economic testing ground of the European elites, spreading misery and weariness throughout all the South of Europe as a response. The economic recipes based on austerity and cuts, and on paying the debt at the expense of the rights of the citizenship, only left a trail of unemployment, child poverty, despair and barbarism. Furthermore, the thread of the resurfacing of fascism represented by Golden Dawn, turns into a present reality atrocities and problems that we though Europe had left behind.
But the Greek people didn't fall into the resignation of being the Troika guinea pig. Demonstrations, strikes, workers cooperatives and solidarity has been the response to the dictatorship of the financial capital and the markets. The opportunity appears now for sacking those politically responsible of the plunder. As soon as the call for elections was made public, the International Monetary Fund suspended its “help” (help that was only given in exchange of the sacrifice of people's rights) until knowing who will lead the next Greek government. This shows that those that profited from the crisis, at the expense of the majority of the population, have a deep distrust on democracy and their respect of the voting polls is conditional to the election of the candidates that defend their interests. No one votes for the markets, but they decide on a daily basis over our lives and our future.
For sure there is an alternative to their policies. The situation of the Greek people is not the product of immutable laws but of specific decisions and interests. The electoral rise of SYRYZA is the proof that an ample social majority is saying 'enough!' to corruption and to the looting to which they were subjected during the last years. A political force that has been in contact with the struggles taking place on the streets and that is ready to bring political change to the institutions. A change that will only be possible if the Greek people maintain the mobilizations in the streets, self-organize on all possible levels of society and count with the international solidarity of the European citizenship.
We are convinced that the Greek people will sack the thieves using the voting polls. In that case, the difficulties and the blackmails will be enormous and our obligation as European citizens is – and will be – to show solidarity with democracy and the aspirations of change of the Greek people. Their victory will be ours, but their defeat too. On account of that, the persons signing this manifesto, we make an open call to the citizenship to show solidarity with the Greek people. Not allowing democracy to be defeated by the markets, by impulsing actions that will accompany the Greek people on their journey to gain sovereignty and rights.
Gerardo Pissarello, Jaime Pastor, Ada Colau, Diego Cañamero, Teresa Rodríguez, Juan Diego Botto, Lola Sánchez, Xose Manuel Beiras, Yayo Herrero, Miguel Urbán, Martiño Noriega, Lidia Senra, Pedro Ibarra, Teresa Forcades, Vicent Navarro, Santiago Alba Rico, Arcadi Oliveres, Alberto San Juan, Ramon Zallo, Emmanuel Rodríguez.
Find here the more than 5,100 signatories (at the time of this post's publication) of the petition.