Greeks Rally ‘To Defend the Republic’
The Greek people have answered the threats of the European financial oligarchy by escalating their mass strike that brought their new fighting government to power. As of this writing, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, are demonstrating throughout Greece in support of the Greek government under the slogan, “No Blackmail, Do Not Fear, Do Not Back Down, We Will Win.” The demonstration was organized through Facebook and other social media in response to European Central Bank president Mario Draghi’s cutting Greece off from regular liquidity operations by refusing to accept Greek bonds.
Live stream coverage of the Syntagma Square in front of Parliament shows tens of thousands gathered. It cannot be seen from the coverage whether the entire square, which could easily hold 100,000 or more people, is filled. Demonstrations were also called in Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion, Chania, Kastoria, and other cities.
Slogans read, “We will not succumb to blackmail again”; “The Republic has spoken and no one has the right to not hear”; “The era of kneeling Greece and submissive governments, finished”; “Defend the Republic and National Sovereignty.”
Earlier in the day Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras gave a powerful speech at his party faction after his government and the new parliament were sworn in.
“I want to welcome you all in the Greek Parliament, you are the voice of the people,” said Tsipras, addressing the MPs. He continued:
The election of “Jan. 25 was a big step. You should feel proud, because on Jan. 26 the citizens of this country could breathe, and [be] filled [with] confidence. Dignity, and democracy has returned.”
“The Greek democracy will no longer accept commands and even through e-mail… Greece now has its own voice, its own bargaining power. It took just a week and managed to change the agenda of the debate in Europe. It took just a week to start the debate in Europe on the real problems.”
“We have an agreement with our people; this agreement will be honored. The Greek government does not threaten any balance in Europe, [it] comes to restore Europe…The Greek government is no threat but is hoping for big changes that need to occur in Europe.” He added that within a week the government had “won allies and alliances it was not able to win in five years of crisis…. Greece is no longer the crappy partner who listens to teachings. Greece has its own voice, now has proposals. We expect proposals from partners, we expect proposals from Germany.”
“We are a sovereign country, we have democracy, we have an agreement with our people and will honor it….”
He said Greece will respect the EU rules but not the austerity, because it “is not a rule of Europe, not a founding rule…we will put brakes on sacrifices” by the Greek people, to guarantee “the European course of the country.”
He denounced the statements of foreign officials who assert that elections do not change anything, because such “statements are dangerous, especially in a Europe where danger of Nazism is very high risk.”
“The Greek democracy does not aim either to blackmail or threaten anyone, but much more not be threatened by anyone. There is blackmail because democracy in Europe is blackmailed,”
Prime Minister Tsipras said.
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