Please show solidarity

E.

Hi everyone. I feel like describing a very strong experience I had today. I was driving along a road in suburban Athens when I hit a sudden traffic jam. What had happened was no accident. It was deliberate. Someone had deliberately decided to crush the weakest. And they were out there, quietly protesting.

A special school for mentally disabled children, (or rather, yet another school for mentally disabled children) is being starved of funds and is about to close. The teachers, parents and students were holding a dignified protest that didnt block traffic, it just slowed it down long enough so that every car got a leaflet explaining the situation.  As we were driving slowly, listening to the subdued music of the protest and realising what is going on in our country, Ilias next to me said "I feel like crying". I was already weeping my eyes out, as calm as I could, so as not to upset my kids.

At the time, all four of us were on our way back from the Pendeli childrens hospital, where staff was also protesting. The nurses, administration etc hadnt been payed since december. Despite the protest, the doctors examined our kids as always. 

Tomorrow, May 11th, there is yet another national strike planned for Greece. Probably, images of clashes will go around the world. Images such as the ones I m describing will once again be lost, as some of you may wonder "what is it that these Greeks want".

Well, I ll tell you what we want. We dont want to be attacked in this manner. We do not deserve it. Noboby deserves this. 

We want people around the world to shift the blame where it really belongs to. By "rescuing/crushing" Greece, the IMF/ECB/EU are really rescuing the financial system. The one they already rescued in 2008, with your money, of course.

I attended a conference this weekend, where representatives of the global south (further south than here, Brazil, Argentina, the Philippines etc) litteraly couldnt believe what is going on in europe. They were aghast at the fact that all those policies that had so bitterly failed in their part of the world are now being forced upon european countries.

Of course austerity makes things worse. These measures shrink the economy, so the debt burden becomes even more crushing. We knew that from day1. On Monday the EU has admitted it as well, proposing, of course, new loans, with new conditions. 

The Irish and the Portugese are facing the same fate. They dont deserve it either. 

If we accept this, it will go on for 20 years and we will end up with our own "lost generation", just like the Philippines. 

Please try to find out what is really going on. 

Please show solidarity.

E.