The Antifascist Coordination of Athens and Piraeus is running a campaign in order to cancel the pan-European neo-nazi gathering in Athens, on November 1 (see more here). A number of international organisations have sent messages of support so far
Letter from the International Socialist League
Comrades of the Antifascist Coordination of Athens and Piraeus:
Good morning. We have received your emails with the information of the fascist call and the call to carry out a campaign to impose the cancellation of the event that the beasts have called in Athens. The fight against neo-Nazis and neo-fascists requires a strong and united response from workers and peoples, wherever in the world the extreme right rears its head.
For these reasons, we express our solidarity, we will disseminate your public statement, we will encourage the sending of emails to the Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection demanding the cancellation of the fascist rally and we will support the mobilization that you will carry out on Wednesday, November 1 in Athens.
We ask you to add the signatures of support for the call of the International Socialist League (ISL), which as you know brings together organizations from over 30 countries on 5 continents.
A big revolutionary hug.
They shall not pass!
Unity, solidarity and struggle to crush fascism!
Alejandro Bodart
Coordinator of the International Socialist League (ISL)
www.lis-isl.org
Letter from Sol, section of the Comittee for a Workers International
Message of Solidarity from Sozialistische Organisation Solidarität (Sol – German section of the Committee for a Workers’ International) to the Antifascist Coordination of Athens and Piraeus
Workers and Youth – Unite to stop the fascist march in Athens on November 1st
For mass action and a socialist programme against racism and the far right
Fight the causes not just the symptoms – Fight capitalism
Dear comrades and friends,
We have heard from your campaign to stop the international fascist gathering in Athens on November 1st and want to express our solidarity with your struggle. We wish you every success in your attempt to stop the fascists and we will try to help by spreading the word in Germany and hopefully by sending some of our members to Athens.
The far right is raising its head all over Europe. In many countries right-wing populist parties are getting stronger, in some cases they have even joined governments or are about to do so. With them comes the division of the working class along lines of colour of skin, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation etc. The far right are the enemies of ordinary working people not just because of their racism and sexism but also because, despite their populist words, they stand for capitalist exploitation, social cuts, privatisation and have no answer to the crisis of the capitalist system.
The open fascists of Golden Dawn and other Neo-Nazi organisations stand for the same policies – they just want to implement them by using open terror against workers, trade unionists, socialists and those layers of the population they discriminate against.
The growth of these forces is a consequence of the crisis of capitalism and the pro-capitalist policies not just of the traditional bourgeois parties, but also the social democratic and, in many cases, “left” parties like Syriza in the case of Greece.
The far right is also protected by the capitalist state which is no partner for us in the fight against the racists and fascists.
We therefore agree with you in your attempt to build a mass mobilisation against the fascist gathering in Athens. Don’t rely on the police or capitalist institutions to stop the Nazis – just rely on the strength of the working class and young people and their organisations! Especially the trade unions must become a part of the mobilisation against the fascists.
And let us not leave it by marching against the fascists – let’s fight the cause of the problem not just the symptoms. The best anti-fascist and anti-racist activity is the common struggle of workers and young people of all nationalities and all nations for their class interests, for jobs, decent wages, homes and a good social infrastructure. This struggle must be part of a struggle against the capitalist system and for socialist change.
Let’s therefore link the fight against the far right with the fight for international socialism.
As a German saying goes: The division is not between the different peoples but between the top and bottom in society!
Yours in solidarity,
Sascha Staničić
National spokesperson for Sol (CWI Germany)
www.solidaritaet.info
www.socialistworld.net
Letter from Workers International Network
The fascists shall not pass!
We are outraged at the plans of a number of fascist organisations to hold a pan-European neo-Nazi gathering in Athens on November 1st. We send our solidarity to the Anti-fascist Coordination of Athens and Piraeus, and fully support their effort to cancel this unacceptable event.
In recent years we have seen a lurch to the far right all over Europe and the world. We believe that this is a reflection of the crisis of the capitalist system, which cannot provide either a decent standard of living or a stable social environment to the mass of the population. The capitalist crisis has created conditions of social turmoil which, in the absence of a clear working-class alternative, leaves room for far right and even openly fascist forces to gain momentum.
We consider the battle against the far right to be of crucial importance. That’s why we will do whatever we can to help prevent the November 1 neo-Nazi gathering. We strongly protest to the Greek government and the Municipality of Neo Heraklion, where the gathering is set to take place, for their refusal to take action to protect their citizens from fascist violence.
Workers International Network
