Communiquè of the PB: On the olympic games
Communiquè of the PB of the CC of the KKE
In a few weeks we will have the official opening of the Olympic Games in Greece.
The New Democracy and PASOK party propaganda is already limited to finishing the Olympic works on time, in order to disorient the people and to focus their attention on Greece's "consistency" in achieving the so-called "national goal". They have a "gentlemen's agreement" not to refer to issues such as: the astronomical cost of these works, the cost overruns, the dozens of dead and injured workers, restriction of the people's labour and democratic rights, the environmental damage, the intensified, restrictive and repressive measures and the surveillance measures under the Euro-Atlantic "security" umbrella.
They used the undertaking and preparation, they will utilize the hosting of the Olympic Games and the exploitation of the athletic facilities after the Games are over to promote their own policy, i.e. defending big capital's profits and other vested interests which take precedence over the collective interests of the working people.
In the name of the Olympic Games, a spirit of self-satisfaction and national arrogance is being cultivated in relation to whitewashing and accepting the policy that is being implemented, and to the sharper anti-popular offensive that will come when the Olympic Games are over.
Today there is an obvious lack of any measures to ensure the healthy organization and growth of sport, to develop and support mass popular athletics for all, and to support our athletes.
Everything operates within the logic of window-dressing, commercialization, personal promotion, and patronage.
The many-tentacled mechanisms that prevail internationally, and are controlled by the multinationals, guide and set their seal on sports in Greece, too.
They divert sport from its social mission; they transform it into a commodity; they dictate structures and functions, thus making athletes and fans alike grist for the mill of their advertising campaign, their profits and other ambitions. Plans are being made to sell off or hand over projects and facilities to capital for exploitation. The organisation personnel, coaches, trainers and people in other special fields have an expiry date, at the end of the Olympic Games.
The so-called "national goal" is becoming a "national noose" for the environment and the working people's labour rights.
A great deal of open space is being destroyed, covered with concrete to be handed over for exploitation to private interests. Air, water, beaches, and green space have all become commodities that only a few will be able to afford.
The preparations for the Games became the focal point around which the working people's labour relations were further disorganised. Phenomena such as: violations of collective contracts and of working hours, uninsured and unpaid labour, part-time employment, the intensification of labour, and the rental of workers have been widespread. In addition, the total lack of hygiene and safety measures in the workplace has resulted in dozens of dead and injured workers. These disruptions are the basis for stepping up the anti-labour policy in all fields after the Olympic Games, when the machinery of "social consensus" and labour peace will be used again to this end, guided by the political voice of big capital.
The "security" of the Games has been incorporated into the US and EU "anti-terrorist" policy. It is an enormously expensive secret service operation (CIA, Mossad, Intelligence Service) associated with powerful states.
Surveillance of people's movements and conversations, and the filming of every event will all provide basic data that will be gathered by ultramodern technical means and supplemented by the police and military forces operating in every area in which the Games are held.
Fear is being cultivated in order to make people accept and justify the involvement of NATO, the imperialist organisation that terrorises the peoples.
Now the government has confirmed the plan for the measures and equipment (e.g. cameras, etc.) to remain and to be used appropriately after the Games. Not to improve traffic supposedly, but to further limit action by the working people, to monitor and conduct personal surveillance of demonstrators fighting for jobs, peace, and against anti-popular choices; it will also be used to frighten the people, whose interests are in total opposition to the policy of the US, the EU and NATO.
The "purging" of the city of undesirable people is going ahead rapidly. Ghettos and camps are planned for migrants and narcotics users without any measure to ensure rudimentary humane treatment.
Every sign will be "purged", even with political content, because the sponsors, their posters and their advertisements are sovereign.
The city will be "dressed" in banners about the Games and the sponsors to look beautiful and to hide the enormous problems of unemployment, inflation, and the circumvention of labour relations and democratic rights. And above all to hide claims and demands, with their banners, posters and slogans. For the working class, the broad strata of the people and for the economy of the country in general, the social and financial effects of the Games will be enormous.
Works and services required by the working people are being subjugated to the Games and to multinational profits. In the name of expediting the works, regulations have been pushed through to circumvent regular procedures in order to serve big capital, leading to inertia, minimal accountability, and enormous cost overruns.
According to some estimates, the astronomical cost will exceed 3.5 trillion drachmas, an onerous debt that will take decades for our people to pay.
Already, the great cost is being used to prepare the Greek people mentally for a new austerity policy, for new cutbacks in social rights, health, education, and welfare, for new restrictions on labour rights, wages, and social security which, in addition to the rise in unemployment, will hit the working people. And on the other side, the policy will continue of selling off projects and facilities to big capital to increase its profits.
In the final analysis, such will be the Olympic Games in today's new world order, and they could hardly be otherwise
The KKE believes that the only way to deal with the problems and to limit the adverse effects of the policy implemented by Pasok with the consent of ND that the ND continues with the consent of Pasok, and by EU and US policy, is:
The only way is for the working class to fight together with the popular strata for a radically different policy, for power to the people, that will address and solve problems based on the needs of the working class and the popular strata.
In a few weeks we will have the official opening of the Olympic Games in Greece.
The New Democracy and PASOK party propaganda is already limited to finishing the Olympic works on time, in order to disorient the people and to focus their attention on Greece's "consistency" in achieving the so-called "national goal". They have a "gentlemen's agreement" not to refer to issues such as: the astronomical cost of these works, the cost overruns, the dozens of dead and injured workers, restriction of the people's labour and democratic rights, the environmental damage, the intensified, restrictive and repressive measures and the surveillance measures under the Euro-Atlantic "security" umbrella.
They used the undertaking and preparation, they will utilize the hosting of the Olympic Games and the exploitation of the athletic facilities after the Games are over to promote their own policy, i.e. defending big capital's profits and other vested interests which take precedence over the collective interests of the working people.
In the name of the Olympic Games, a spirit of self-satisfaction and national arrogance is being cultivated in relation to whitewashing and accepting the policy that is being implemented, and to the sharper anti-popular offensive that will come when the Olympic Games are over.
Today there is an obvious lack of any measures to ensure the healthy organization and growth of sport, to develop and support mass popular athletics for all, and to support our athletes.
Everything operates within the logic of window-dressing, commercialization, personal promotion, and patronage.
The many-tentacled mechanisms that prevail internationally, and are controlled by the multinationals, guide and set their seal on sports in Greece, too.
They divert sport from its social mission; they transform it into a commodity; they dictate structures and functions, thus making athletes and fans alike grist for the mill of their advertising campaign, their profits and other ambitions. Plans are being made to sell off or hand over projects and facilities to capital for exploitation. The organisation personnel, coaches, trainers and people in other special fields have an expiry date, at the end of the Olympic Games.
The so-called "national goal" is becoming a "national noose" for the environment and the working people's labour rights.
A great deal of open space is being destroyed, covered with concrete to be handed over for exploitation to private interests. Air, water, beaches, and green space have all become commodities that only a few will be able to afford.
The preparations for the Games became the focal point around which the working people's labour relations were further disorganised. Phenomena such as: violations of collective contracts and of working hours, uninsured and unpaid labour, part-time employment, the intensification of labour, and the rental of workers have been widespread. In addition, the total lack of hygiene and safety measures in the workplace has resulted in dozens of dead and injured workers. These disruptions are the basis for stepping up the anti-labour policy in all fields after the Olympic Games, when the machinery of "social consensus" and labour peace will be used again to this end, guided by the political voice of big capital.
The "security" of the Games has been incorporated into the US and EU "anti-terrorist" policy. It is an enormously expensive secret service operation (CIA, Mossad, Intelligence Service) associated with powerful states.
Surveillance of people's movements and conversations, and the filming of every event will all provide basic data that will be gathered by ultramodern technical means and supplemented by the police and military forces operating in every area in which the Games are held.
Fear is being cultivated in order to make people accept and justify the involvement of NATO, the imperialist organisation that terrorises the peoples.
Now the government has confirmed the plan for the measures and equipment (e.g. cameras, etc.) to remain and to be used appropriately after the Games. Not to improve traffic supposedly, but to further limit action by the working people, to monitor and conduct personal surveillance of demonstrators fighting for jobs, peace, and against anti-popular choices; it will also be used to frighten the people, whose interests are in total opposition to the policy of the US, the EU and NATO.
The "purging" of the city of undesirable people is going ahead rapidly. Ghettos and camps are planned for migrants and narcotics users without any measure to ensure rudimentary humane treatment.
Every sign will be "purged", even with political content, because the sponsors, their posters and their advertisements are sovereign.
The city will be "dressed" in banners about the Games and the sponsors to look beautiful and to hide the enormous problems of unemployment, inflation, and the circumvention of labour relations and democratic rights. And above all to hide claims and demands, with their banners, posters and slogans. For the working class, the broad strata of the people and for the economy of the country in general, the social and financial effects of the Games will be enormous.
Works and services required by the working people are being subjugated to the Games and to multinational profits. In the name of expediting the works, regulations have been pushed through to circumvent regular procedures in order to serve big capital, leading to inertia, minimal accountability, and enormous cost overruns.
According to some estimates, the astronomical cost will exceed 3.5 trillion drachmas, an onerous debt that will take decades for our people to pay.
Already, the great cost is being used to prepare the Greek people mentally for a new austerity policy, for new cutbacks in social rights, health, education, and welfare, for new restrictions on labour rights, wages, and social security which, in addition to the rise in unemployment, will hit the working people. And on the other side, the policy will continue of selling off projects and facilities to big capital to increase its profits.
In the final analysis, such will be the Olympic Games in today's new world order, and they could hardly be otherwise
The KKE believes that the only way to deal with the problems and to limit the adverse effects of the policy implemented by Pasok with the consent of ND that the ND continues with the consent of Pasok, and by EU and US policy, is:
- To bring more people into the struggle and for the labour movement and the popular movement more generally to step up their efforts:
- To thwart every effort to violate labour, democratic, and trade union rights and popular freedoms, and fight to expand them.
- To ensure that all cameras and surveillance systems are removed.
- To stop the destruction of the environment.
- To develop mass popular sport.
- To ensure that the facilities and works be given to the people and not to capital.
The only way is for the working class to fight together with the popular strata for a radically different policy, for power to the people, that will address and solve problems based on the needs of the working class and the popular strata.
Athens 7/7/2004
e-mail:cpg@int.kke.gr