Greek voters defy EU and IMF, vote "no surrender" on austerity

On the 5th of July, voters in Greece went to the polls for Syriza's referendum on the now-withdrawn IMF offer of even more austerity in return for more bailout loans. In spite of closed banks and dwindling supplies on grocery store shelves, Greek voters chose by over 60% to reject the austerity terms.

Even Forbes is saying this thumping vote against austerity hugely strenghens the hand of Syriza in negotiations with the European Union and the Troika, saying it's time to play hardball. Forbes suggests Greece offer the Troika, Germany, and th IMF a choice between a 20% debt restructuring and no more austerity or an absolute and total default of every last Euro, dollar, or Drachama "owed" by Greek workers to the foreign meddlers.

There is a special irony in the fact that the German government has played such a role in the past five years of hellish austerity in Greece. It was crushing external "debt" payments (war reparations) after WWI that turned th Great Depression into an absolute and total collapse of the German economy. Hyperinflation killed German democracy in 1932, yet the EU led by the German banks is willing to impose similar economic horrors on Greece.

As for the German bankers who so support austerity in Greece, they probably have not heard a "NO" this loud since Winston Churchill warned that "we shall go on to the end, we will never surrender" as Britain faced the onslaught of WWII. Now it's our turn: just as the English could not defeat the Nazis without help from Russia and the US, now the Greeks need the solidarity of the whole world as they defy the might of two of the world's biggest bullies, the European Union and the IMF.The Greeks have shown what they are made of, now we must do the same!

The people of Greece celebrate victory over the IMF in the July 5 referendum (photo reposted from Popular Resistance)

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