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Solidarity With Greece Now
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Less than 24 hours from now 15 Greek trade unionists will be in court facing up to 5 years in prison for organizing a sit-in/occupation of the main public power offices in Athens to ensure that working-class families continue to have power in their homes after management, following directives from the government and the European Union, cut off their power because of (1) a mass refusal to pay a fee hike, considered an unjust tax, and/or (2) the people's inability to pay their bills due to the crisis.
Fifteen union leaders and rank-and-file member of the GENOP-DEH electrical workers' union will appear in court on January 10, 2012. They face up to five years in prison without parole for expressing their opposition to the policies of the Troika (IMF, European Union, and European Central Bank) and for actively demonstrating their solidarity with the Greek people, who refuse by any and all means necessary to pay for a crisis created by the banksters and speculators.
An international campaign to demand that all charges be dropped against the 15 GENOP-DEH trade unionists has been organized.
We are enclosing a SAMPLE MESSAGE below and urge you -- and if at all possible your union or organization -- to send it via email today to the Greek authorities [see email addresses below], with copies to the GENOP-DEH trade union office in Greece. Also please send copies of your letters to<eit.ilc@fr.oleane.com> and to <ilcinfo@earthlink.net>.
We thank you in advance for your solidarity and look forward to receiving a copy of your message,
In solidarity,
Eduardo Rosario and Alan Benjamin
Co-Editors,
Unity & Independence
* * * * * * * * * *
SAMPLE MESSAGE:
Trade union leader Nikos Photopoulos, president of the GENOP-DEH electrical workers' union, along with 14 of his colleagues, is due to stand trial on January 10, 2012, for occupying a government office to protest the denial of electricity to people unable to pay the new property taxes and utilty rate increases imposed on all Greek homes.
Nikos and his colleagues are not responsible for the crisis that has led to this situation, but like them, he and his colleagues are facing having to pay for it -- in their case, with their freedom.
We call on the Greek authorities to drop the charges against trade unionists who are defending the right of citizens to unimpeded access to a vital public good that is doubly essential in these trying times of utmost hardship.
We urge the Greek authorities to abandon the prosecution of our Greek trade union colleagues.
* * * * *
Please send your statement (feel free to modify sample message above) to the following email addresses:
Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos
<internationalmediaoffice@primeminister.gr>
Greek Minister of Labour
Ministry of Labour
<info@ypakp.gr>
Please send copies of your message to
GENOP-DEH Union :
<main@genop.gr>
<press@genop.gr>
and to
<eit.ilc@fr.oleane.com>
and
<ilcinfo@earthlink.net>
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