An initial analysis of the campaign of international support for the Greek Debt Truth Commission

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An initial analysis of the campaign of international support for the Greek Debt Truth Commission

3 June 2015 by CADTM

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In just over two weeks, the call for support for the work of the Greek Debt Auditing Commission, which was backed by over 300 public figures (including Noam Chomsky, Ken Loach and Susan George among others), has already collected more than 6,000 signatures from Europe and around the world. It is worth highlighting the significant support from the United States, particularly from academia, but also from social movements and activists.

The call has been translated into 15 languages (French, English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, German, Arabic, Serbo-Croatian, Greek, Berber, Russian, Basque, Turkish and Persian) and it is available here: http://greekdebttruthcommission.org/

This is a historic initiative in Europe, and as we know, it is a crucial moment for Greece, a country that has been brought to its knees by the policies imposed by the Troika Troika Troika: IMF, European Commission and European Central Bank, which together impose austerity measures through the conditions tied to loans to countries in difficulty.

IMF : https://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/html/index.en.html , where the most basic social and economic rights are being trampled in the name of paying a debt that was not contracted for the benefit of its population. Today, the creditors are maintaining a very high level of pressure to prevent any progress by Greece. Indeed, this initiative would breathe a breath of hope into the whole of Europe, and it could inspire many other peoples who are currently subjected to the dictates of debt and austerity.

For these reasons it is vital to support the work of this Auditing Commission, as it aims to provide a detailed study that the Greek government could use to cancel all or part of its debt on the basis of it being illegal, illegitimate, odious or unsustainable.

It is also vital that social movements in Europe and elsewhere monitor and support this initiative, which aims to reverse the dominant discourse about debt and hasten the end of austerity. It is important that the work of the Commission is widely publicised among large sections of the population, as large numbers of people will be needed to apply sufficient pressure to change the situation. It is also necessary to support active campaigns for citizens’ debt auditing in other places (France, Spain, Belgium etc.) and repeat the experience in our own countries!

Auditing and questioning debt is a democratic exercise that should now spread.

That is why we are making a call to all social movements, civil society organisations, trade unions, activists and collectives to provide mass support to ensure this initiative grows in their networks.

The struggle of the Greek people is our struggle!

Translation by Joel Lopez-Ferreiro