Freedom for Palestine! Massive rally in Athens and many other cities

On Wednesday, 18 October, a massive rally was organized by Trade Unions, Federations, Labour Centres, Students'and Women's Associations etc., expressing their solidarity with the people of Palestine, condemning the new crimes of Israel and its allies, USA-EU-NATO, in the Gaza Strip and demanding the recognition of the Palestinian state.

The participants fiercely denounced the attitude of the Greek government and of the bourgeois parties of SYRIZA and PASOK, who support the Israeli occupation and reproduce the false pretexts of the State of Israel for the massacre of the people of Gaza.

The solidarity rally began with a speech by the Palestinian Ambassador to Greece, Yussef Dorkhom, followed by the ones of representatives of trade unions of Athens.

The rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people was attended by the GS of the CC of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, who made the following statement:

"We are here to express our solidarity with the struggling Palestinian people who have been suffering for decades from the murderous policy of the State of Israel and its government through the killing of civilians, encroachment of Palestinian territory, occupation, blockades, settlements, apartheid.

We also express our solidarity with the Israeli people who are suffering from the State of Israel itself, from the reactionary Netanyahu government that is dragging them into the carnage of war and conflicts against other peoples and makes them both perpetrator and victim at the same time.

The Greek government bearsenormous responsibilities, while the other opposition parties are tolerant of its attitude. We demand the immediate withdrawal of theGreek frigate “Psara”as well as of any other military means deployed in the Middle East region. No to the deployment of  Greek armed forces outside our borders. The bases of NATO in Greece must close. Our country must not participate in this carnage in the Middle East because the Greek people themselves will eventually pay the price. We demand freedom for Palestine. The occupying Israeli troops must leave the Palestinian territories immediately. An independent Palestinian state, on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital must be established."

After the speeches the massive rally headed towards the US and Israeli embassies. Outside the Israeli embassy the police threwtear gas and stun grenades into the rally, in an unprovoked attack against the thousands of protesters.

Mass rallies and demonstrationswere organized in many other cities of Greece as well, such as Patras, Larissa, Mytilene, etc.