UK Greece Letter by Etienne Balibar, Costas Douzinas, Barbara Spinelli’ - please spread‏

Dear friends,

At this critical and historical time we ask you to sign the following
statement of support to the Greek people:

"Over the last five years, the EU and the IMF have imposed unprecedented
austerity on Greece. It failed badly. The economy shrank by 26%,
unemployment rose to 27%, youth unemployment to 60% and, the debt to GDP
ratio jumped from 120% to 180%. The economic catastrophe led to a
humanitarian crisis with more than 3 million people on or below the
poverty line.

Against this background, the Greek people elected the Syriza-led
government on 25 January 2015 with a clear mandate to put an end to
austerity. In the ensuing negotiations the government made it clear that
the future of Greece is in the Eurozone and the EU. The lenders however
insisted on the continuation of their failed recipe, refused to discuss
a write down of the debt, which the IMF is on record as considering
unviable, and finally, on 26 June, issued an ultimatum to Greece by
means of a non-negotiable package that would entrench austerity.This was
followed by a suspension of liquidity to the Greek banks and the
imposition of capital controls. In this situation, the government asked
the Greek people to decide the future of the country in a referendum to
be held next Sunday.

We believe that this ultimatum to the Greek people and democracy should
be rejected. The Greek referendum gives the European Union a chance to
restate its commitment to the values of the Enlightenment – equality,
justice, solidarity - and to the principles of democracy on which its
legitimacy rests. The place where democracy was born gives Europe the
opportunity to re-commit to its ideals in the 21st century."

Etienne Balibar, Costas Douzinas, Barbara Spinelli’

Please translate and disseminate. Currently you can decide by writing to
me. Thanks

Professor Costas Douzinas

Director, Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities

Birkbeck College University of London

C.Douzinas@bbk.ac.uk