Growing German solidarity with Greece as activists organise protests

In Germany solidarity with Greece has seen protests organised across the country – including at the Greek embassy in Berlin and outside the Berlin Film Festival. Below we repost a statement by Attac Germany.

The globalizationcritical network Attac Germany sharply criticized the austerity measures accelerated by the German government, which the Troika of the European Central Bank, the IMF and the European Commission imposed on Greece, and expresses its solidarity with the protesting people in Greece. “Angela Merkel destroys the chances for a solidary and democratic Europe. We say: This happens not in our name!” said Roland Süß, member of the board of Attac Germany.” This policy of crisis is an attack on democracy, exacerbats the crisis, destroys political and social structures and serves primarily the rescue of the creditors, not the Greek population. Forced to pay are especially those who have no responsibility for the crisis.”

Thereby the extreme export orientation of German economic policy and related policies of making the location cheaper for economic activities are precisely responsible for the severe economic imbalances in Europe. Even with the Agenda 2010, Germany acceleradted this imbalances by cutting wages and social costs. Roland Süß: “Our export surpluses are the deficits and the debts of other countries such as Greece. These differences in the tradebalances are one of the reasons for their high level of public debt.” Against this background, the structural problem of Greece – the lack of efficient tax administration and the lack of taxation of capital – would be so devastating.

“Now the Greeks are exposed to a neoliberal shock therapy. In a terrible downward spiral it will be deregulated, privatized and cut, that there’s no tomorrow. With this the German Government and the Troika demand squaring the circle. The Greeks should save money and simultaneously generate growth,” said Roland Süß. “But the population has long since reached the limits of their endurance; the conflict is escalating.”

Attac is preparing together with numerous other organizations and initiatives protests against the austerity policies of the German government and the Troika.

At an international action conference from the 24th to 26th of February in Frankfurt am Main will be set up a timetable for joint protests. The spectrum of organizers reachs from Attac, the Occupy movement, the Interventionist Left and initiatives of unemployed people to anti-racist networks, peolple from the student movement and representatives of trade unions, Solid, the Young Greens and the Left Party. In May there are plans for European Days of action in Frankfurt.

This entry was posted on February 15, 2012 at 09:09 and is filed under column two, International, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.