With multiform and massive actions on May 21-22 workers and people of Greece send a strong message against the imperialist war and competitions, against the involvement of Greece in the imperialist plans, for the disengagement of Greece from NATO.
In Athens hundreds took part in the 42klms Peace Marathon called by EEDYE (Greek Committee for Peace), marching from the Marathon to Athens, where they were welcomed by thousands of protesters in front of the Ministry of Defense.
In front of the Ministry a big protest took place, which opened with the speech of Air Force soldier Nikos Karagoudakis, who stated
“Dear friends, militants, who march for Peace,
I welcome our great march and protest. I join my voice with you and I shout:
No participation in the imperialist war!
Close all US-NATO bases now!
No soldiers or officers on missions abroad!
We soldiers are the children of the people, we have no work outside the borders!
The young people who serve our service are your children. We are anxious for the war in Ukraine, we are suffering from the inflation on basic necessities, the increases in the electricity bills and the fuel prices, which are crushing us and our families. At the same time, every day we see new information coming to light about the immediate involvement of the Greek armed forces in the war, alongside the killing machine of the USA, NATO and the EU.
– Who benefits from Greece’s involvement in the war? What interests serves the sending of permanent officers of the Armed Forces to operations that have nothing to do with the defense of our country?
– In addition to permanent officers, does the government plan to send new service men, conscripts, to the slaughterhouses of war conflicts?
Greek soldiers have values and ideals! We have taken an oath in our homeland, for the defense of our people, for our independence and our territorial integrity.
We did not show up at the army to stand attention to the murderers of the peoples, the Americans and the NATO members, who are making tours inside the Greek army camps freely and under the stamp of the Greek parliament under the Greece-USA Agreement signed by the New Democracy government.
As a young soldier, I am opposed to my participation, to the participation of my unit, the new soldiers, the Greek officers and non-commissioned officers, in any way in the war! I am opposed to sending them abroad. Stop using Greek lands, political and military infrastructure and means as military bases of NATO and the USA.
We, the Greek soldiers, should not become slaughterers of other peoples, nor shed our own blood outside Greece, for the interests of those who squash us and our families. It is unacceptable for a soldier to give his life for such missions.
I greet my colleagues from all over Greece who proudly denounce the war and our country’s involvement in all ways, in the reports of their units and in their letters of protest.
The young soldiers unite our voice with the people and the youth!
The soldiers are the people’s children, they have no job outside the borders!”
Photos Athens https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzR77Q
Similar actions with demonstrations, protests, marches, peace races and concerts took place all over Greece
Photos https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzR6fH
