We Stand with the People of Greece in their Struggle for Economic Self-Determination

The people of Greece have faced an unprecedented assault on their political and economic sovereignty by the institutions of European and global capitalism under the destructive framework of “austerity.”

Earlier this year, Greek voters overwhelmingly said “No” to these continued “austerity” assaults by electing a radical left-leaning political party with a clear mandate to negotiate an end to the erosion of social justice in Greek society and to defend their democratic will.

All efforts by the Greek government to negotiate a just solution have been met with hostility by the European Union. After five months of offering constant concessions it is faced with an ultimatum to accept an “austerity” program that is even more aggressive than ever before. This includes further layoffs, pension cuts, wage reductions, and tax increases on basic necessities such as food and utilities, while eliminating tax breaks to vital sectors of Greek society and economy.

The insistence of the International Monetary Fund and EU institutions on increasingly harsh and punitive austerity measures indicates that their aim has never been a viable agreement. Rather, the actions of the IMF and EU demonstrate that their aims are the defeat of a left government that has dared to negotiate for its people and the suppression of the popular electoral insurrection which threatens the legitimacy of the institutions of global capitalism.

In the face of this assault, the Greek government has called a referendum on the austerity proposal and on July 5th, Greek citizens once again will have the opportunity to send a resounding democratic response and message of dignity to Europe and the world.

We welcome the Greek referendum as an expression of the self-determination of the Greek people in conformity with Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

We stand in solidarity with the Greek people in their struggle for self-determination and dignity.

Photo/Stan Jourdan