Rally in Athens for Palestine

With a mass gathering in the Freedom Park and a march to the Israeli Embassy, ​​the Saturday afternoon, January 27, 2024 rally with central slogans “Freedom in Palestine – No participation of Greece in the massacre” ended.

Dozens of Unions, organizations and Student Associations responded to the call for the rally addressed by PAME.

The OGE, the EEDYE and the EEDDA, ​​the Palestinian Parish of Greece and the General Union of Palestinian Workers demonstrated with them.

The rally was attended by a large delegation of the Central Committee of the KKE, led by the general secretary, Dimitris Koutsoumba.

Grigoris Anagnostou, organizing secretary of EDYE, the soldier Theodoris Malafouris, Mohamed Abouasabe, representative of the Palestinian mass organizations in Greece, and Angelos Galanopoulos, president of “STEFENS” spoke at the mass and militant gathering in the Freedom Park.

“From the stage of our mass gathering today here, in the heart of Athens, we join our voices with the millions of protesters in Greece and around the world, shouting that the slaughter of the Palestinian people by the murderous state of Israel must stop now. We demand that all Greek involvement in the war cease now. We express our opposition to sending a frigate to the Red Sea and Greek Armed Forces outside the borders. Now return the Greek ships or other military units from missions that have nothing to do with the defense of the country and the protection of its borders,” said Grigoris Anagnostou.

“We express the undivided international solidarity and support of our people to the heroic Palestinian people. We strengthen our struggle and stand by his side, in his just struggle for a free, sovereign and independent homeland on the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

We express our solidarity with the people of Israel, who, despite terrorism and persecution, oppose the warmongering, murderous policy of the reactionary Netanyahu government, proving that the two peoples have nothing to divide each other, but instead have a common interest in strengthening the struggle against the rotten system of exploitation that gives rise to rivalries, wars, refugees” he added.

He said that “the ND government with the support of the other Euro-Atlantic parties are criminally responsible because with their policy they give an alibi to the terrorist state of Israel”, noting, among other things, that “they are the ones who refuse to implement the unanimous decision of the Greek Parliament, as early as 2015, for the recognition of an independent Palestinian state”.

“The “candy” of the so-called national interest that the government of the ND conjures up has absolutely nothing to do with the real interests and needs of the Greek people and the peoples of the region. On the contrary, it becomes clear that the interests he is talking about are those of the shipowners, business groups and the USA – NATO – EU. SYRIZA, PASOK and the other bourgeois parties “drink water” from these interests, both as governments and and as an opposition” said G. Anagnostou adding that “the depth of Greek involvement in imperialist plans and wars is the other side of the coin of anti-popular politics”.

“The young soldiers, together with the people, have a duty to express our protest, our solidarity with the Palestinian people and all the peoples who are being slaughtered for the profits of the few. To demand that any mission of Greek forces outside the borders be cancelled. To stop the involvement of Greece in the murder of the Palestinian people and the support to the murderous state of Israel. Let’s demand here and now that our country stops being a vast NATO camp from end to end” emphasized, among others, Thodoris Malafouris.

“I thank each and every one of you”, emphasized Mohamed Abouasabe and pointed out that “the solidarity expressed around the world gives strength to their struggle”.

He referred to yesterday’s decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which highlighted the fact that the State of Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

“The struggle on the side of the Palestinian people is a struggle for freedom, independence”, he emphasized and added that it is a struggle “of all the peoples of the world”, underlined M. Abouassabe.

“From the first moment, many workers and many unions confirm what we have been expressing for decades in every way, that History has a right side, the support of the people of Palestine. We cannot think of anything similar in modern history as the violent displacement and genocide that the state of Israel is carrying out today on the Palestinian people. The Palestinians are the living symbol of the greatest crime of our time, but also a symbol of hope and struggle,” said Angelos Galanopoulos.

“Today is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army and the revelation of the atrocities committed, we demand an end to the modern genocide.

Now our opposition to the political, economic and military support offered by the Greek government to the murderous state of Israel must be expressed in every way and everywhere. This will be the great contribution of the workers in Greece to stop the genocide in Gaza” he added.

A message from the General Union of Palestinian Workers was read at the gathering, with which it welcomed PAME and the Trade Unions for international solidarity in the struggle of the people of Palestine.

“We extend warm militant greetings to this great mass demonstration of solidarity for the people of Palestine against the slaughter, crimes and genocide committed by the state and the forces of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories,” the Union emphasizes. noting that “your practical solidarity gives us the strength and determination to continue our common struggle to stop the attack and end the siege of our people in Gaza.”

With the Palestinian flag at the forefront it marched to the Israeli Embassy, ​​while the percussion ensemble ‘Quilombo’ set the tone.