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Greece

Greek parliament votes in support of Macedonia name change

By Katerina Selin, 30 January 2019

The Prespa agreement is aimed at paving the way for Macedonia’s rapid integration into NATO and the European Union.

Syriza government enforces new budget cuts in Greece

By John Vassilopoulos, 11 January 2019

Syriza is enforcing another austerity budget that reduces even further the social position of an already devastated working class.

Greek workers protest social attacks by Syriza government

By John Vassilopoulos, 27 November 2018

Strikes and protests in Greece are part of a wider upsurge of the class struggle throughout Europe.

Brutal conditions at Greek refugee camps condemned

By John Vassilopoulos, 9 October 2018

The appalling conditions in Greece refugee camps are a direct consequence of the filthy deal cut between the European Union, Turkey and the Syriza government in 2016.

Syriza jails Syrian swimmer Sara Mardini for helping refugees in Greece

By Kumaran Ira, 10 September 2018

This blatant attempt to criminalize humanitarian aid to refugees is a devastating exposure of the European Union and Greece’s Syriza government.

Death toll rises from Greek forest fires

By John Vassilopoulos, 23 August 2018

Fire victims have demonstrated outside parliament to protest inadequate assistance from the Syriza government.

Greek Prime Minister Tsipras claims social cuts over as Syriza prepares more austerity

By Alex Lantier, 22 August 2018

Tsipras’ speech hailing the expiration of the decade-long European Union bailout scheme for Greece was a pack of lies from start to finish.

As Greece exits bailout, EU demands further austerity

By Robert Stevens, 21 August 2018

The conclusion of the bailout is a vote of confidence from financial markets that the pseudo-left Syriza government will continue looting the people to pay off the banks.

The social and political background to the forest fire disaster in Greece

By Katerina Selin, 28 July 2018

The depiction of forest fires as an inevitable natural phenomenon serves to cover up the impact of ten years of austerity ordered by the European Union, which have led to the total collapse of basic public services throughout Greece.

Greece: 76 dead in wildfires near Athens

By Katerina Selin, 25 July 2018

The devastating wildfires are raging in the Greek region of Attica near the capital Athens.

Three years since Syriza’s referendum on EU austerity in Greece

By Alex Lantier, 6 July 2018

Syriza’s repudiation of the Greek workers’ “no” vote on austerity exposed the class gulf separating the workers from pro-capitalist middle-class parties like Syriza.

UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hails Alexis Tsipras of Syriza

By Robert Stevens, 4 July 2018

The Labour leader praised Syriza only days after it enforced the latest round of austerity and pledged further services to the EU’s vicious anti-migrant measures.

Syriza and EU plan decades of austerity measures and privatizations

By Katerina Selin, 28 June 2018

At a meeting of euro finance ministers on June 21, the EU states came to an agreement on the formal withdrawal of Greece from the European Union’s so-called “rescue programs.”

Greece’s Syriza government rushes fourth austerity program through parliament

By Katerina Selin, 21 June 2018

Syriza is once again preparing to impose harsh measures on workers, retirees and young people.

General strike in Greece against Syriza’s latest austerity package

By Robert Stevens, 31 May 2018

The stoppage, nearly the 50th general strike since 2010, saw transport and services in Greece grind to a halt.

Greek Syriza government steps up brutal repression of refugees and asylum seekers

By John Vassilopoulos, 19 May 2018

Syriza and its government coalition partners have become the EU’s jailor, presiding over what are essentially concentration camps.

Interview with a teacher from Greece: “Teachers have the same problems worldwide”

By Marianne Arens, 2 April 2018

Evangelos, a teacher from Greece working in Germany, expressed his solidarity with teachers in the US and reported on the recent teachers’ strike in Greece.

Greek rent subsidy scandal forces resignation of two Syriza ministers

By Alex Lantier, 28 February 2018

The wealthy couple had a yearly income of over $500,000 but claimed €23,000 in rent subsidies for an apartment in Athens’ upscale Kolonaki area that they in fact owned.

Greece’s far-right and military lead protests over Republic of Macedonia name

By John Vassilopoulos, 15 February 2018

The Western powers, led by the US, have placed maximum pressure on both countries to resolve the dispute so Macedonia can be incorporated into NATO.

Why does Mélenchon want to expel Syriza from the European Left Party?

By Alex Lantier, 8 February 2018

Mélenchon wants to defend the anti-worker policies of European Left member parties in the face of rising social anger and working class militancy across Europe.

Syriza mounts savage assault on living standards and democratic rights in Greece

By John Vassilopoulos, 26 January 2018

The austerity measures passed January 15 by Greece’s parliament are among the most savage yet imposed—befitting a right-wing government whose “radical left” credentials are in tatters.

The working class moves against Greece’s Syriza government

By Alex Lantier, 19 January 2018

The working class is fighting to defend its social and democratic rights against all the organizations that for decades passed for the “far left” of the political establishment.

Greek workers strike against Syriza’s imposition of EU austerity “multi-bill”

By Alex Lantier, 16 January 2018

Syriza aims to further slash living standards while making it illegal for Greek workers to use their constitutionally protected right to strike to defend themselves.

Greek workers stop work in opposition to Syriza anti-strike and austerity measures

By Robert Stevens, 13 January 2018

Strikes shut down the Athens rail system, ships were unable to sail, and state-run hospitals were forced to rely on reserve staff.

Greek unions hold one-day general strike to protest Syriza’s brutal austerity measures

By John Vassilopoulos and Robert Stevens, 15 December 2017

The day prior to the walkout, angry municipal workers booed and jeered Greek Prime Minister and Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras.

Floods in Greece claim 23 lives

By John Vassilopoulos, 29 November 2017

The floods have again exposed the absence of any coordinated town planning and inadequate anti-flood infrastructure in the West Attica area near Athens.

Greek Prime Minister Tsipras embraces Trump

By Alex Lantier, 19 October 2017

The statement of Tsipras that he shares “common values” with Trump exposes not only Syriza, but all of the middle-class “left” parties internationally that promoted it.

Greece: Syriza touts for investors and fêtes Macron

By Katerina Selin, 18 September 2017

The Greek parliamentary summer is over. In the weeks and months ahead a new round of cuts will begin, which will lead to fierce class battles.

Macron goes to Greece: “Radical left” Tsipras welcomes ex-banker turned French president

By Alex Lantier, 12 September 2017

Macron traveled to Greece to hail the austerity measures imposed by the Syriza (“Coalition of the Radical Left”) government, which show the future for the workers of France.

Syriza offers big business mega-profits in Greece

By John Vassilopoulos, 18 July 2017

Nothing is to be allowed that prevents the financial oligarchy from plundering Greece’s assets and stepping up the exploitation of an already pauperised workforce.

Greek waste disposal workers strike against mass layoffs

By Christoph Vandreier, 28 June 2017

The Syriza government is throwing 10,000 waste disposal workers out of work in order to balance the budget and meet potential demands from the country’s creditors.

After Syriza pushes through more austerity, EU approves loan to Greece

By John Vassilopoulos, 19 June 2017

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras boasted that “in the two years that our government is in office, we have implemented more reforms than all the other European states combined.”

Syriza government in Greece passes more austerity

By John Vassilopoulos, 13 June 2017

The bill includes measures designed to facilitate mass sackings as well as further sell-offs of public assets.

Greek workers mount one-day strike against EU austerity package

By Alex Lantier, 18 May 2017

Workers mobilized Wednesday across Greece in a strike called by the trade unions against new austerity measures being imposed by the Syriza government.

Greece’s Syriza government agrees to further savage austerity measures

By John Vassilopoulos, 6 May 2017

Pensions are set to be slashed by up to 18 percent, affecting some 1.1 million pensioners, equivalent to around 1 percent of GDP.

Greek Syriza government and European Union finalise more brutal austerity

By John Vassilopoulos, 1 April 2017

Greece’s Syriza-led government has reportedly reached an informal agreement with the European Commission to slash the pensions of 900,000 retirees.

New in Urdu

Urdu translation of “The Political Lessons of Syriza’s Betrayal in Greece”

8 March 2017

The statement is a devastating exposure of the pseudo-left in Greece and internationally who shamelessly promoted Syriza as a means for working people to oppose austerity.

EU and IMF demand more austerity measures from Greece

By Robert Stevens, 11 February 2017

Under conditions in which US President Donald Trump has declared his desire for the breakup of the EU, Greece is once again in the eye of the storm.

European Union and IMF demand new austerity measures in Greece

By Christoph Vandreier, 17 December 2016

At a joint press conference in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made a show of unity in advance of new attacks on the working class.

Greek workers stage 24-hour strike against Syriza government austerity

By John Vassilopoulos, 9 December 2016

In calling the 24-hour general strike, the aim of the union federations was to allow Greek workers to let off steam while the barrage of austerity measures continues unabated.

Greek fascists attack refugee camp

By John Vassilopoulos, 24 November 2016

Riot police intervened to stop Thursday’s attacks on the camp only after they had gone on for five hours.

Obama postures as Europe’s protector in Athens

By Chris Marsden, 17 November 2016

The European Union has plunged millions of Greek workers into an ever-deeper social nightmare based on an austerity programme that Obama endorses.

Greek protests greet Obama’s last overseas tour as US president

By Alex Lantier, 16 November 2016

Obama aimed to reassure the European ruling classes that Donald Trump's election would not undermine their relations with the United States.

Greece: Syriza government reshuffle prepares new attacks on working class

By Katerina Selin, 12 November 2016

The Greek government is responding to the country’s growing political and social crisis by working more closely with international creditors to push through austerity measures.

Refugees face catastrophic conditions in Italy and Greece

By Martin Kreickenbaum, 7 November 2016

Amnesty International has accused the Italian security forces of using torture and ill-treatment to force refugees to be fingerprinted.

Stylianos Pattakos (1912-2016): Leader of Greece’s CIA-backed military junta

By John Vassilopoulos, 7 November 2016

Pattakos was tried and convicted for his crimes during the military junta, but the Greek Stalinists and Syriza allowed him to return to political life.

Syriza agrees to further austerity measures

By John Vassilopoulos, 18 October 2016

European Union commissioner Pierre Moscovici praised Syriza’s “tremendous work” in imposing all the attacks demanded against the working class.

Syriza government assaults Greek retirees

By Katerina Selin, 5 October 2016

On Monday, the Greek government mobilised the police to attack protesting retirees.

Lesbos fire highlights tragic situation of refugees in Greece

By John Vassilopoulos, 27 September 2016

Around 60 percent of the camp was destroyed, including sleeping tents and clothing supplies.

China completes majority purchase of Greece Piraeus port

By John Vassilopoulos, 2 September 2016

The sale of the port is part of the wider privatisation programme imposed by the EU and the IMF to raise funds towards the repayment of the country’s vast mountain of debt.

Appalling conditions in Greek refugee camps

By Katerina Selin, 23 August 2016

The mainstream media has gone silent on refugees in Greece, but the suffering of these people, fleeing war and poverty, continues without interruption.

Syriza government oversees clampdown on refugee shelters in Greece

By John Vassilopoulos, 22 August 2016

Syriza’s inhumane treatment of refugees is entirely in line with the wider policy of the EU, which is fortifying its borders against those attempting to flee imperialist wars.

One year since Syriza’s betrayal in Greece

By Bill Van Auken, 15 July 2016

Syriza’s ceaseless collaboration in the implementation of brutal austerity measures has vindicated the warnings made by the WSWS even before the pseudo-left party came to power.

Syriza government cuts pensions and privatises state property in Greece

By Katerina Selin, 6 July 2016

While the Syriza government is throwing pensioners into even more dire poverty, they are also selling off state property to foreign investors.

Greece’s Syriza government presses ahead with privatisations

By Katerina Selin, 17 June 2016

The Syriza-led government, elected on a wave of opposition to austerity, is presiding over a sweeping sell-off of state assets for the benefit of the Greek and European financial elites.

After clearing the camp in Idomeni, Greece: Syriza government continues its attacks on refugees

By Martin Kreickenbaum, 30 May 2016

Catastrophic conditions prevail in the state-run camps for refugees in Idomeni, near the Macedonia border.

Greece's Syriza government imposes harsh austerity measures

By Christoph Vandreier, 27 May 2016

Eurogroup finance ministers have made clear they will accept no way of dealing with the Greek debt crisis other than continuing attacks on the working class.

Greek Syriza government orders clearing of Idomeni refugee camp

By Katerina Selin, 25 May 2016

Special forces and police have forcibly removed all refugees, who have struggled to survive there for months, from the camp.

Syriza government pushes through new austerity package in Greece

By Katerina Selin, 23 May 2016

The rightward shift of the pseudo-left Syriza has reached a new peak with the passage of an austerity bill that contains unprecedented cuts to social spending.

A resurgence of class struggle

By Barry Grey, 21 May 2016

The revival of the class struggle is finding political expression in the turn by workers against all of the parties of the official “left” that are backed by the trade unions.

After Syriza imposes billions in new cuts

EU plans decades of austerity for Greece

By Alex Lantier, 10 May 2016

In the face of mass strikes and protests, Syriza is accepting decades of cuts under cover of restructuring Greek debt.

Greek workers strike against Syriza’s austerity policies

By Christoph Vandreier, 9 May 2016

The renewal of struggle by the Greek working class must take as its point of departure the political lessons of the bitter experiences with the Syriza government in 2015.

IMF, European Union, Syriza government prepare more austerity in Greece

By Alex Lantier, 30 April 2016

European and US authorities are again threatening to force Greece to default on its debts if it does not impose new social cuts.

A comment on demoralized opportunists

By David North, 19 April 2016

The anti-Trotskyist blog site of Alex Steiner and Frank Brenner recently reported on a meeting that they hosted in Brooklyn, New York, on April 12.

International Monetary Fund discussed forcing Greek debt default

By John Vassilopoulos, 12 April 2016

A leaked teleconference transcript published by WikiLeaks exposed differences between the European Union and IMF on how to enforce a third austerity package.

Macedonian police use tear gas and rubber bullets against refugees

By Martin Kreickenbaum, 11 April 2016

Greece and the Balkan states stepped up police violence and repression in the wake of the EU’s deal to deport refugees en masse to Turkey.

Greece’s Syriza: Full partner in historic crime against refugees

By Bill Van Auken, 5 April 2016

The police-state measures and summary deportations employed by the Syriza government against refugees are of a piece with its relentless attacks on the Greek working class.

Syriza and European Union begin mass deportations from Greece

By Johannes Stern, 5 April 2016

The brutal actions against refugees and the militarisation of Europe are directly linked to the intensification of the attacks on the working class in Greece and throughout the continent.

Syriza government carries out mass deportation of refugees from Greece to Turkey

By Robert Stevens, 4 April 2016

Thousands of people are being deported as part of the deal to seal off the “Balkan route” to refugees fleeing the war zones of the Middle East.

Opposition in Greece to European Union refugee policy

By Katerina Selin, 2 April 2016

Two thousand refugees and aid workers demonstrated in Athens against the recent agreement between the EU and Turkey

Greece’s Syriza government detains refugees

By Katerina Selin, 26 March 2016

The Syriza-led government is doing everything in its power to implement the EU-Turkey refugee deal.

Tsipras acts as gatekeeper for Fortress Europe

By Katerina Selin, 16 March 2016

The Syriza government in Greece is playing a key role in blocking refugees from traveling from the Middle East on to Europe.

Refugees face disastrous conditions in Greece

By Katerina Selin, 7 March 2016

Tens of thousands of refugees fleeing to Europe are trapped in Greece, leading to a humanitarian catastrophe.

European Union threatens summary mass deportations of refugees

By Alex Lantier, 4 March 2016

As growing numbers of refugees flee imperialist wars in the Middle East, the EU is preparing draconian attacks on democratic rights to prevent them from coming to Europe.

Macedonian police tear-gas refugees trying to cross Greek border

By Alex Lantier, 1 March 2016

Police fired stun grenades and tear gas at hundreds of desperate Syrian and Iraqi refugees seeking to travel through the Balkans towards Germany.

NATO operation in Aegean heightens threat of war with Russia

By Johannes Stern, 29 February 2016

The dispatch of warships under German leadership to the strategic Aegean Sea to deter refugees heightens the risk of NATO intervention in Syria.

Austrian-led conference closes Balkan route for refugees and divides Europe

By Martin Kreickenbaum, 26 February 2016

The move by West Balkan countries to block refugees from leaving Greece will unleash a humanitarian crisis and intensify tensions throughout Europe.

Syriza-led Greek government takes its place in US war drive alongside Israel

By John Vassilopoulos and Jean Shaoul, 20 February 2016

The pseudo-left Syriza government is backing US plans to dominate the energy-rich Eastern Mediterranean region and the Middle East.

What is behind Varoufakis’s “Democracy Movement to Rescue Europe?”

By Ulrich Rippert, 15 February 2016

Behind Varoufakis’s defence of the European Union is the defence of the sinecures and privileges of the well-off layers for whom Varoufakis speaks.

Greek military to play main role in setting up refugee concentration camps

By John Vassilopoulos, 10 February 2016

Whether enforcing the EU’s reactionary refugee agenda or implementing austerity, the Syriza-led government relies heavily on the police and army to force through its measures.

Mass one-day strike hits Syriza’s austerity measures in Greece

By Robert Stevens, 5 February 2016

Just over one year after it came to power, Syriza, the party that was hailed by pseudo-left groups internationally, is an object of hatred and contempt.

Greek Syriza government colludes with EU in refugee crackdown

By John Vassilopoulos, 30 January 2016

Syriza boasts that they have deported 130 people back to Turkey in the space of 15 days.

Spain: Podemos ready to form government with Socialist Party

By Alejandro López, 23 January 2016

All of the parties willing to form or back a “left government” have a historical record and programme of supporting austerity and war.

Mass protests against pension cuts in Greece

By Christoph Dreier, 23 January 2016

In Greece, an increasing number of professional groups are protesting against the planned pension cuts of the Syriza government.

Syriza presents plan for drastic pension cuts

By Kumaran Ira, 7 January 2016

Based on Syriza’s record in government, workers must assume that its assurances that it is seeking to protect pensions as much as possible are outright lies.

Pamphlet on Syriza’s betrayal in Greece now available from Mehring Books

21 December 2015

The betrayal of the anti-austerity struggles of the Greek working class by the Syriza government is a strategic experience for the working class not only in Greece, but internationally.

Syriza government sends Greek riot police to attack refugee camp

By John Vassilopoulos, 16 December 2015

Prior to the raid, police moved all journalists, photographers and aid workers three kilometres from the camp.

Greek parliament approves austerity budget for 2016

By Stefan Steinberg, 8 December 2015

Aware of the massive popular opposition to austerity, Tsipras has sought to win the support of the right-wing opposition for an all-party offensive to enforce his program.

Second one-day protest strike hits pro-austerity Syriza government in Greece

By Alex Lantier, 4 December 2015

Transport workers on the state railways and the Athens subway, trams and airport walked off the job, together with workers in the country’s ports and shipping industries.

Yanis Varoufakis in Australia: A political cover for his role in Syriza’s betrayal

By James Cogan, 28 November 2015

Varoufakis admitted in a lecture at the University of Sydney that he had extracted “blood out of stone” in order to repay Greece's creditors.

Turkish video shows Greek coast guard trying to sink refugee raft

By Kate Randall, 23 November 2015

More than 600,000 refugees from the Middle East and Africa have made the treacherous journey to Greece by sea, and thousands have drowned making the attempt.

The way forward in the struggle against austerity in Greece

By Alex Lantier, 13 November 2015

The growing opposition to Syriza’s austerity policies raises the urgent need for a comprehensive strategic and political reorientation of the working class.