The New Democracy government is escalating its attacks on and repression of popular protests denouncing Israeli crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. These protests express solidarity with the Palestinian people and demand an end to all support from the Greek government for the murderous state of Israel as well as an end to all relations with it (military, political and economic).

It has even gone so far as to activate the anti-racism law, which confirms the KKE’s warnings that, once voted in Parliament, it would ultimately turn against the people and their movement.

The government and other officials’ shameful attempt to label anyone demonstrating in support of Palestine and denouncing the criminal plans of Israel and its allies as anti-Semitic is still ongoing. Characteristically, Justice Minister G. Floridis, felt the need to defend the slaughterers of the Palestinian people and the “strategic alliance” of the Greek bourgeoisie with Israel while speaking in Parliament. He even went so far as to accuse those reacting to the massacre of Palestinians and participating in solidarity demonstrations with the long-suffering Palestinian people of “undermining the strategic alliance” with Israel and of working “in favour of Turkey”!

An immediate response was given both by Dimitris Koutsoumbas, the GS of the CC of the KKE, during his speech in Parliament, and by the Party’s MPs, who showed photos of the massacre in Gaza and emaciated children starving to death.

“And since Mr. Floridis is here, who today made unacceptable and despicable statements, let us make something clear. Stop trying to label the demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people as anti-Semitic. Stop the arrests under the unacceptable so-called anti-racism law of the ND-PASOK coalition government, which the KKE warned you about at the time,  and which we revealed was intended for use in this way”, said D. Koutsoumbas.

“No one is being targeted because of their nationality or religion. After all, there are Israeli citizens and members of the Communist Party of Israel and of the parliamentary front who participate in the Israeli Knesset, there are journalists and other Israeli workers who are persecuted by Netanyahu’s murderous state for taking an honest stance against the genocide of the Palestinian people. Are these Israeli citizens anti-Semites too?

Moreover, we rarely see tourists going to another country and celebrating provocatively while waving giant flags and banners, and provoking Greek workers while children are being slaughtered. We are also well aware of the leisure trips organised in our country for IDF soldiers to unwind before returning to Gaza to kill innocent people as occupiers and continue the genocide. 

And this is happening at a time when your justice system is handing out lenient sentences to genuine racists, fascists and Nazis, such as those who attacked KKE and KNE members at the party offices in Chania. The court recognised mitigating circumstances and “remorse”, ruling that they had not acted as a gang, despite the nature of the attack speaking for itself.

Only your blind bourgeois justice system fails to see this, despite the prosecutor’s contrary opinion. The reason is obvious: these people are the best lackeys of your system and your policy.

In a region like Crete, with its US bases, scandals, criminal rings and big tourism entrepreneurs who exploit workers, you give rise to these henchmen who attack communists, vanguard militants and anyone who takes on all of the above.

That's how fascists have always been. As always, it will be the Greek people themselves who send them back to their holes, as they have done many times before. It certainly won't be your class and anti-people state, which shelters and unleashes them whenever it suits you.

But you cannot catch old birds with chaff! We will not leave this issue unanswered. The struggle will continue until the ideals of freedom, justice, anti-fascism, equality, and the abolition of the exploitation of man by man are vindicated”, he concluded.

31/07/25