Manchester: Tuesday 25 MAY, 7.30pm, Methodist Central Building, 
Oldham Street, Manchester.
Speaker: Aris Vasilopoulos, (member of Radical left Coalition Syriza and Kokkino – sympathising organisation of the Fourth International).
London: Wednesday 26 MAY – at 7pm Conway Hall, Red Lion Square
Speakers: Caroline Lucas MP, Tony Benn, Aris Vasilopoulos and others.
Greece is rising up against the IMF. Workers from the public and private sectors joined up in a general strike in May, the fourth this year. Athens saw the biggest May Day marches for 25 years. Banners reading “Peoples of Europe rise up” were draped from the Acropolis.
The resistance is due to the government’s plans to drive through austerity measures after agreed with the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The EU-IMF 110 billion euro bail-out is reliant on the PASOK government pushing through harsh measures against Greek workers. Their average income has declined by 20 percent this year.
The new plans include cuts of 11 percent of GDP in the next three years, a three-year wage freeze, cuts in benefits and VAT increase to 23 percent. The EU and the IMF are planning similar measures for countries such as Portugal and Spain. A victory for workers in Greece can set an example for other workers across Europe.
Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) gained 5% of the vote at the last election and has 13 MPs. Aris Vasilopoulos is touring Britain to report on the resistance and the challenges for the left in Greece.
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