Friends of Greece,
On 3 August 2015, Mikis Theodorakis, the Greek world famous music composer and Resistance figure, called upon the Greek people – and the peoples of the world – to respect Democracy – the very Democracy, born in Greece some 2500 years ago and given to the world as a set of values for respect for each other, for humanity – for equal rights and for free expression.
He referred in particular to the Greek referendum in which the Greek people on 5 July 2015 voted with an overwhelming 61% against the continuation of the economic and financial strangulation of Greece by the infamous troika – the European Central Bank (ECB), the European Commission (EC) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Severe austerity imposed during the last 5 years has already caused misery and countless deaths especially among children and elderly, because of deprivation of vital medical services.
Instead of respecting the vote, the Tsipras Government has ignored it, made a U-turn and accepted even harsher austerity measures for an additional € 86 billion debt, of which not one euro would reach the Greek government for the restauration of its vital social services. Mr. Tsipras’ action is anti-constitutional and illegal.
The following text summarizes Mikis Theodorakis’ appeal to stop the Syriza Government from selling out the Greek people’s country and stop the currently – almost in secret – ongoing negotiations with the troika on the modalities of the € 86 billion loan and the details of the new austerity measures – “negotiations” to be concluded by about 20 August 2015.
Mr. Theodorakis and his co-signatories want not only the Greek people to wake up, but the whole world to open their eyes, as the financial sledgehammer waged by the bankster mafia knows no scruples, no limits – and may well hit any other country tomorrow.
Peter Koenig, August 5, 2015
A dramatic appeal by Mikis Theodorakis and other known Greek personalities, asking for respecting the No vote of the Greek people and defending Greece and democracy
3 August 2015
In a dramatic appeal to the Greek people (and all the peoples of the world), the music composer Mikis Theodorakis, a world known symbol of Resistance to all oppressors and of struggles for freedom, democracy and independence, top Greek constitutional expert George Kasimatis, journalist and writer Dimitris Konstantakopoulos, Dr. Dimitris Bellantis of the CC of SYRIZA and tens of other known intellectuals, activists and politicians, ask for the respect of the will of the Greek people, directly expressed during the referendum of the 5th of July and for the immediate interruption of the program of “economic assassination” of Greece and its people, applied since 2010.
The direct mandate of the Greek citizens given through a referendum is mandatory, according to the most basic principles of any democratic state, of the Greek constitution and of European Law, it is stated in the appeal. The decision of the referendum cannot be changed by decisions of the government, of the parliament or of European institutions. It can be changed only by another referendum.
The respect of the will of the Greek people is the only way to preserve democracy and civil peace in Greece and democracy in Europe, it is also said in the appeal. It is the only way to save Greece and its people, from a total and unprecedented destruction. The program applied in Greece since 2010 constitutes a huge contravention of the Greek constitution, of the European and of the international law. It has already provoked the biggest, by far, economic and social disaster in Europe after 1945. Its interruption is a question of life or death for the Greek nation and the only way to preserve the most basic moral and material prerequisites for its survival. “It is better to stop this program in agreement with the other countries of the EU, but if this is not possible, we should do it unilaterally”, states the appeal.
The signatories warn that the new agreement signed by the Greek government, under pressure and blackmail and imposed by humiliating and illegal means to Greece, will lead, among other things, to the looting of the public and private property of Greeks, including their first residence, the land of the peasants and the Greek banks and to a new wave of massive emigration of young, well educated Greeks, in a moment the country needs them desperately.
The appeal is criticizing strongly the Greek government because it is acting, after the referendum, as if the Greeks had voted Yes. It is accusing it that, instead of organizing the defense of the country, it is itself disseminating discouragement, fear and even panic to the Greek people, in order to justify its policies.
The appeal reminds that the two governing parties are governing because they promised the interruption of the program applied in Greece. It is accusing them that, during three years and until the very last moment, they did not prepare themselves, the people and the country for the need to resist, in the very probable case that negotiations would fail. It is accusing them also of blindly believing assurances they had from abroad.
The signatories call on the Greek people, in those tragic moments of their history, “not to succumb, not to lose their courage and their capacity of a right judgment”. They call them to remember that their fathers and grand fathers were able to sustain, survive, resist and win under the most terrible conditions of the German occupation of 1941-44 and of the famine of the winter of 1941-42. They express the certainty that the Greek “sense of honor” (“filotimo”) and the patriotism will finally win over fear and the force of the enemy, leading to the victory of Greece, of Democracy and of Democratic Europe.
The appeal calls also the Greek people to organize and do everything possible to help the weakest confront the famine, the illness, the dispossession, to help people safeguard their dignity. It is calling Greek citizens to help sustain the most vital state and social functions, under direct threat from the new agreement imposed by European governments and institutions and to resist, everywhere they can and by whatever means they can, to the imposition of the new anti-popular measures.
The signatories of the appeal call to the Greek people to draw “the painful but necessary conclusions from their own experience and built a serious and credible front of resistance, not trusting again self-described saviors, adventurers and opportunists”.
The signatories are calling “all the peoples of the world, to realize that the struggle of the Greek people is also their struggle”. They are calling especially “the Europeans who expressed solidarity with Greeks during the black period of military dictatorship, to stop the coup d’ etat their own governments organize in Greece”, in cooperation with IMF and ECB, under the guidance of the international Finance, in order to impose the dictatorship of the Creditors in Greece today, in all Europe tomorrow”.
“If the forces that have planned and are executing the transformation of a country of the European Union to a sort of Iraq or Libya, through “financial bombing” will win, they will destroy not only Greece but all human kind. In front of the new totalitarianism of the “Markets”, the same if not more dangerous than totalitarianisms of the ‘30s and ‘40s, we don’t have other alternative than to unite and fight. Tomorrow it risks being too late”, concludes the appeal.
The text of the appeal is signed by
Mikis Theodorakis
Venios Angelopoulos, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Athens National Polytechnic School, member of the Central Committee of SYRIZA
Dr. Yiorgos Vihas, doctor, member of the administration of the Medical Association of Athens, one of the creators of the movement of Social Medicine in Greece
Kleanthis Grivas, psychiatrist and writer
Katerina Thanopoulou, Vice-president of the Regional Administration of Attica (the major agglomeration of the Athens region), responsible for social policy, member of the Central Committee of SYRIZA
Kostas Karaiskos, editor of the newspaper “Antifonitis” in Thrace
George Kasimatis. Professor Emeritus of constitutional law, Athens University, founding member and honorary President of the International Association of Constitutional Law, legal advisor of PM Andreas Papandreou
Father Andreas Kefaloyiannis, from the historic town of Anogeia in Crete (cradle of the Cretan revolutions and of the resistance to the Nazis during the occupation)
Yannis Kimpouropoulos, journalist
Stathis Kouvelakis, Professor of Political Science, King’s College, London, member of the Central Committee of SYRIZA
Nikos Koutsou, MP from Famagusta, one of the two Cypriot deputies resisting to the end the voting of the laws legalizing the financial coup in Cyprus, in 2013
Marios Kritikos, vice president of the General Council of ADEDY (Union of Greek Public Servants)
Dimitris Konstantakopoulos, journalist and writer, coordinator of the “Delphi Initiative”, member of the editorial committee of the international review for self-management, “Utopie Critique”
Lefteris Konstantinides, leading cadre of PAK, one of the main resistance formations during the military dictatorship (1967-74), ex-deputy of PASOK
Spyros Lavdiotis, economist and writer, ex high ranking official of the Central Bank of Canada
Yannis Mavros, member of the National Council for the Claiming of debts of Germany to Greece
Yiorgos Moustakis, film director
Dimitris Bellantis, lawyer, Dr. in Constitutional Law, member of the Central Committee of SYRIZA
Maria Negreponti-Delivanis, Docteur d’Etat ès Sciences Economiques (Sorbonne), three times elected Dean of the University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki
Panagiotis Pantelides, economist-researcher
Dimitris Patelis, Prof. of Philosophy, Polytechnic School of Kriti
James Petras, Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University, New York, ex-advisor of PM Andreas Papandreou, ex-Director of the Institute of Mediterranean Studies in Athens, advisor of various Latin Americans leaders and movements
Eleni Portaliou, Professor of Architecture, National Polytechnic School of Athens, member of the Central Committee of SYRIZA
Stathis (Stathis Stavropoulos), cartoonist
Themos Stoforopoulos, Ambassador
Μihalis Stylianou, journalist, director of the Greek emission of the French state Radio ORTF during the Greek military dictatorship
Yannis Schizas, writer
Fotis Terzakis, writer
Maria Fragiadaki, member of the Central Committee of SYRIZA, ex-member of the direction of GSEE (General Confederation of Workers of Greece)
Stathis Habibis, physicist
The contact mail of the signatories of this appeal is [email protected].
