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We publish in the following the leaflet we have distributed since the beginning of October 2011 at a moment when the strength of the working class's mobilisation in Greece really begun to break the censorship of the international media. Some days after, these ones could not silence the courageous resistance of the proletarians, since more than two years now, against the succession with no end of austerity plans every time more brutal. The strength of this movement responded also to the bourgeoisie's campaigns aiming at presenting us the "movements of the Indignous" as example to follow while, from the proletariat's point of view, they are dead-end and even traps. During the strikes and demonstrations of October 18 and 19, the strength of the proletariat in Greece clearly expressed itself through the dynamic towards the political confrontation with the State up to the point that the Greek bourgeoisie had to utilize the stalinist party militia against the workers mobilisation – we reproduce after our leaflet the denunciation that the Internationalist Communist Tendency has made at that time and that we make ours. Actually, while the working class was looking for preventing the Deputies to enter the Parliament which was going to vote another austerity plan, this one could act without being disturbed thanks to the violent repression exerted by the scrappers of the Stalinist party. Some days later, during the Greek National Day, numerous national manifestations, amongst them military parades, had to be interrupted, sometimes cancelled, because of the demonstrators' opposition up to the point where several politicians and representatives – even the President of Greece - had to escape from the "official ceremonies".
This process of confrontation with the State and the political power – real dynamic of "masses strike" - constitutes a beginning of "politization" of the classes struggle which is, of course, only at its beginnings and is still largely insufficient to make withdraw, even temporarily, the attacks of the bourgeoisie. Nevertheless, and contrary to the a-politicism and the demand of "more democracy" put forwards by the various movement of Indignous, the working class in Greece clearly shows to the proletarians of all countries, the path to follow – thus also confirming fully the orientation of our leaflet : class struggle and political confrontation with the State.
"I don't give a damn if we become bankrupted, we are already bankrupted !", that is what a Greek worker on struggle thinks today and that many of his class brothers do share. And all are hammering out in chorus : "No to unemployment, no to redudancies, no to misery !", slogan which is echoed by their children who are student (and whose future is totally blocked) : "We want books, teachers, schools".
There is three years since the working class in Greece refuses to pay for the capitalist crisis, three years that it resists against the succession of austerity and misery plans every time more violent, three years it struggles and that the international medias censor all information about the daily fight of our class brothers ; and when these thoroughgoing liars are obliged to mention, in their press, the greatest street demonstrations and the strikes in Athens or Salonica – in particular the ones which affect the transportation on which it is difficult to be fully silent -, it is for distorting their meaning and their content.
There is three years that the workers mobilization lasts and doesn't fade : yet recently, an other day of strike and massive demonstration occurred and others will take over ; three years that there are street demonstrations in all cities on various occasions, three years that strikes break out in such or such sector, then fade, and start again with more vigour than ever ; three years that the country economy is partially or fully paralyzed ; three years that the main cities of the country are regularly blocked by strikes and demonstrations ; three years that every Greek worker joins his pensionned
parents, his salaried brothers and sisters (of the private or public sector), or those more and more numerous who are unemployed, without talking about his children who are student and thrown out on the street ; three years that the proletarians refuse to submit to the revolting and arrogant policy of capitalism in crisis ; actually, three years it refuses its logic of misery and death.
"Government and troïka out !", that is what the Greek demonstrators shout out in the streets.
There is also almost three years that the whole Greek proletariat rises against the willingness of the Socialist Party government (PASOK) and the international organizations of the bourgeoisie – IMF, European Union, European Central Bank - to make them pay for the crisis of their exploitation system ; three years that the working class and, behind it, all the no-exploiting classes - taxis, small artesans, liberal professions... -, confronts to the whole world bourgeoisie ; three years that this latter, in accord and united, strives relentessly to make pay the "first" bill of its crisis by the workers and the Greek population. "First" bill ? Yes, because it knows, as we all know, that after the proletariat in Greece, it'll be every working class of each country, the one after the other, that the world bourgeoisie will want to make pay the bill of its own crisis. Isn't it what has already begun every where in the world and on all continents ? Isn't Obama and the American bourgeoisie who call the European governments to make order in their economical affairs, while the latter do the same in return ? Isn't the ruling class in Germany, supported by all its European counterparts, in command of the European Union and the ECB, which dictates to all the States of the old continent the policy to follow ?
The bourgeoisie has declared war to the death on us, in all countries and in all continents. And it can't withdraw. There is no illusion to have ! The crisis which strikes it and that it wants we pay, is irreversible and signs the historical bankruptcy of capitalism. Accepting the sacrifices would be suicidal for us ! Have not we been asked for sacrifices for decades ? For what results if not the generalized bankruptcy and the dramatical misery for all that the bourgeoisie doesn't even try to hide us.
Those - the Left parties and the unions - which defend "that there is money in the riches' pocket and that it matters to make them pay", it means that they want us to believe the debts of the States have to be paid off, try to drag us and to confine us on the capitalist's ground and logic, behind the defence of national economy against the so-called foreign speculators, behind the capitalist State. As the workers of Athens who "don't give a damn about capitalist bankruptcy", we must reject this ground. It is a trap ; and the very ones, Left parties, Leftists, unions, which didn't cease to sabotage our struggles during all these past years, still attempt to impose on us the logic of Capital and its sacrifices. We must reject this logic and refuse sacrifices. "The State owes us money" shout the Greek proletarians. It is their voice we must listen to and, like them, we must refuse the false blackmails about the pay-off of the debts or about the general bankruptcy.
"When we'll really protest, you will realize" yelled the more determined of the demonstrators in Athens. They are right. Rejecting, through massive struggle, the sacrifices is indispensible. Certainly we can make the bourgeoisie draws back momentaneously. It is already something we gain. But today there is no illusion to have : the ruling class will renew as soon as it can its attacks against us. Capitalism in crisis has no more means to spare any part of the international proletariat and as long as it has the power, it means the State power – whether "democractic" or no -, it won't cease to multiply its attacks on our living conditions.
Workers, proletarians, for our anger and our refusal make draw back the exploiters and their infernal logic, we must not only express it massively but above all we must take in our own hands the leadership of our struggles. It means : don't leave it to the unions and the advocates of the "make pay the wealthies". We must organize ourselves the spreading and the unification of our fight. We must organize through the means of our sovereigned general assemblies, of our delegates elected and removable at any moment, through the means of our massive delegations to seek active solidarity to other workers sectors, through the stoppage of production in the work places with strike and the occupation of the street by demonstrations. Thus as the Greek proletarians, we'll block this society that the bourgeoisie is so much attached to, which doesn't serve but only its interests and in no way ours.
That is the path that the proletariat in Greece has begun to take. The path that it shows us. The path that we must take up in all countries.
But to make draw back the exploiters won't be enough. We must take them off the exercice of power and destroy their State. It is the historical responsibility of the proletariat. The crisis and the general bankruptcy of capitalism replaces the former at the core of the historical situation, at the center of humanity's future.
Workers, proletarians, our class does not only need to defend its immediate economical and material interests. It also have the responsibility to save the whole humanity from misery and generalized war that the Capital's crisis inescapably brings. Thus there is no other solution than the one of bringing down this system in order to build up an other society, without classes, without any exploitation of man by man and without war. Our class brothers in Greece indicate us the beginning of the path. So, if we paraphrase the great revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg in 1918, we can say today that "in Greece the problem could only been posed... and in that sense the future belongs everywhere to the revolutionary proletariat".
October 8th 2011
The Fraction of the International Communist Left
[This text has been translated into English from French by a no-English language comrade. Thus we apologize for any political mistake and we refer our reader to the French and Spanish version. Any help is welcome]
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