After 5 months of collection, we have surpassed the target for the collection for the Greek Marxists. We aimed to raise €5,000,  but through the contribution of many comrades around the world, we have reached over €6,000.

The Greek working class is being made to pay for the crisis of capitalism through the most brutal austerity measures. Unemployment has reached 25.4%, the GDP has fallen by nearly 25% and wages have been slashed. The pressure is enormous. This has on the one hand created a pre-revolutionary situation, with a radicalisation affecting all layers of Greek society, but on the other hand made the finances of the Marxist tendency much more difficult. In order to give the comrades a boost in this difficult time we asked for assistance, on the one hand with the rent for an office and, on the other, to help comrades attend the world congress of the IMT last Summer.

The response has been excellent. Comrades across Europe have organised fund-raisers for the Greek comrades. In Italy, the speaking tour of Angelos Iareklides raised €1,500 for example. The comrades there had already raised €1,000 during the summer.

All in all, we collected £5,000 (€6,170). Comrades in Italy collected €2,500, comrades in Switzerland €660 plus a further commitment to a regular donation, comrades in Britain raised £1,208 and comrades in Sweden £245. Individual comrades have given an additional £1,030 including one comrade from Brazil who gave £650.

We’d like to thank all those who contributed for their donations. With a new office in central Athens and some money on top of that, the comrades in Greece are in a better position to spread the ideas of Marxism amongst the ranks of SYRIZA and the youth in the coming period.