An enormous rally of youth and workers with their families at the Vouli (Greek parliament) square in Athens on Sunday demanded for the fifth consecutive night the overthrow of the government of prime minister Yiorghos Papandreou.
Once again, the most popular slogan was ‘Take the Accord and get out of here’, the Accord being the savage austerity measures imposed through an agreement of Papandreou with the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission.
Last Saturday night the Popular Assembly, which meets at the centre of the square every night, decided to add the following two very significant paragraphs to last Friday’s resolution.
‘Resolution of the Popular Assembly of the Vouli Square.
‘We call for Sunday, 29-05-2011, to be a pan-European rising! To a common struggle of the peoples of Europe and of the world against our common problems.
‘We call on workers, associations, trades unions, to move forward to a general political strike independent of their trade union leaders and to get united.’
It is estimated that over 250,000 people took part in the rally, coming along in a joyful mood to the square and staying for a few hours. Between 8-10 pm last Sunday night it is estimated that some 80,000 people were in the square.
The masses of working class people who came made the rally much more political and determined. Several trade union banners were hung around the square.
As the Popular Assembly last Sunday night there were so many that wanted to speak that numbers were distributed and then drawn by lot.
In short speeches, speakers castigated the government and demanded its overthrow. Many women and students spoke – some only to say how happy they were just to be there and insisting that no-one would go away until the government goes away. The Assembly decided on square rallies every night at 6.00pm. Square rallies took part in many Greek cities.
