THE NEW SITUATION in Greece has hastened the fusion between two Greek Trotskyist groups - the Revolutionary Socialist Union and the Communism group - to form a xingle sympathising organisation of the Fourth International in their country. The new orgraisation will be known as the Revolutionary Socialist Union (RSU).
In a statement issued on 6 August, the country. the United Central Committee of the new organisation points out that 'the Novembes clashes showed clearly the inability of any single group to act as a pole of attraction in the spontaneous upsurge of the masses". This showed 'yet again the necessity to draw together the revolutionury forces in order to strike more etfectively at the centralised capitalist forces The statement goes on: From these experiences, and after practical and orginisational co-operation, the two groups have decided to unite their forces for a more effective struggle. The exchange of ideas, the needs and the tasks of a practical intervention in the day-to-day struggles of the workers, peasants and students over the past months, the latest events in Cyprus, and the new political situation which resulted with the Karamanlis solution have hastened this fusion.
The RSU are cleat that this fusion is only the Tirst step in what they hope will be further moves towards the regroupment of the revolutionary forces in Greece, uniting all those who (in opposition to the Communist Party) recognise the socialist character of the revolution in Greece'. They conclude their statement by declaring their readiness to discuss and work with any group or organisation" with similar political positions.
This move is all the more important in the light of recent events in Greece, which have already begun to reveal the true nature of the Karamanlis regime. Following the further Turkish military action in Cyprus, protests began to develop against Government - to withdraw Greek forces from NATO but not to liquidate the various American bases in In Heraklion on the island of Crete there was a demonstration of 20,000 people against the American presence in Greece, while on 16 August a massive crowd of peasants actually tried to overrun the nearby US air-base and set it on fire! The police anly manaped to disperse them with considerable difficulty.
But it was in Athen that the mobilisations most highly critical of the Government took place. For. three days, on 16, 17 and TR August, there was a constant succession of largely spontaneous demonstrations in Constitution Square involving more than 5,000 people. The slogans were extremely militant 'Only оле слету *For a popular democracy of workers' and peasants" councils!" - and clearly rejected the project of national unity put forward by Karamanlis and supported by the Stalinists of the 'Interior and 'orthodox" Communist parties MANY ARRESTS Fearing that such activity could provide the basis for a new mass upsurge like that of last November, when revolutionary militants played a key role in developing the struggle of workers and students, the Govern ment eventually sent in the police on Sunday 18 August to break up the demonstrations. Just as under the military dictatorship, the police Jannis Felekis - arrested again brutally struck out in all directions, haphazardly arresting many passersthe half-measures taken by the Greek by along with numerous demonstratOTS.
after an order from higher-up pointIng out that the resultant publicity could be damaging to the Government's image, and only four were held overnight. One of these, however, was our comrade Jannis Felekis - a printing worker who now edits the only revolutionary paper yet to appear in Greece, Argariki Pali (Workers" Struggle), which has appeared weekly since 10 August with a print-run of 4,000 copics He is by now well used to such treatunder the Papadopoulos regime before being released in September 1973, and was then re-imprisoned after the November events tor having been a member of the struggle committee at the Athens Polycapitalism! technic.
His trial was due to begin on 29 August, but no puhlicity at all has been given to the cose by the press. The Communist parties, too, have refused to make any declarations of solidarity. There is thus a heavy responsibility on the forces of the laft internationally to ensure that this first attempt at repression by the Karamanlis regime does not go unchallenged. Messages of solidarity should be sent lo: Ergalik! Palt, Emm. Mpenaki 28 (1st floor). Athens, Greece.
Copies of Ergariki Polt are avallable price Sp (ineludes postage) from Red Books, 97 Calodonian Road, London NI. then added, almost unbelievingly