More than seventy thousands of demonstrators overcrowded the center of Athens on March 11, day of the very successful General Strike called by the GSEE (General Confederation of Labor of Greece) and ADEDY (the National Federation of Public Employees). The contingents of the unions and of left organizations covered the entire space from the National Museum and the Polytechnic University to Syntagma (Constitution) Square in front of the Parliament. PAME, the organization of the trade unionists of the CP of Greece (KKE) hold earlier their own separate rally in Omonia Square and marched towards the Parliament as well, before the GSEE-ADEDY- independent unions march starts. The PAME demonstration was also big although in quite fewer numbers than the main one.
The massive participation is impressive if it is taken into account the fact that all the means of public transport (buses, trolley buses, metro) were in 24 hours strike too. In comparison to the Athens demonstration in the previous General Strike of February 24, today's demonstration was more than double. Much more extended was also the participation in the strike action itself in the workplaces. Particularly they were mobilized those layers of workers, which are savagely hit by the wage cuts in the public sector introduced by the second package of austerity measures that were announced by the government on March 3.
The State repression forces intervened again with their well known brutality. They intercepted the march in many points trying to divide it and disperse it by the massive use of chemical gas and riot police attacks. First they did it in the beginning of the march, stopping and attacking the contingent of the Athens-Piraeus Public Hospital Doctors (EINAP). Then the repression forces repeated the operation many times focusing always to the radical segment of the march, unions connected with the extra-parliamentary Left as well as radical left organizations and the anarchist groups. Our Party, EEK, was again targeted and it received repetitive vicious attacks by the riot police with tear gas.
Two persons were very seriously injured by the motorized DELTA Force and are hospitalized now in the Intensive Care Unit of Evangelismos Hospital. Eleven young people were arrested and charged. It is clear that State repression is unleashed to intimidate at that relatively early stage of the confrontation the growing upsurge of the working class.
This first information from today's General Strike is focused in the battle in Athens. But we have to notice that equally big demonstrations took place all over the country, not only to the bigger cities such as Thessalonica, Patras, Volos, etc. but also in all the main towns in the provinces, from South to North, including the islands.
La luta continua!
¡Hasta la victoria siempre!
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