Washington and Athens have dramatically expanded their bilateral military cooperation late last year, when the US took advantage of Greece’s maritime dispute with Turkey over gas drilling rights in the Mediterranean.
The US gained access to 4 additional Greek bases, and the two countries penned a major $9.4 billion naval equipment deal in December.
Trade unions in the Greek city of Thessaloniki united in support of employees of private railway company TrainOSE after management attempted to clamp down on workers who refused to take part in the transfer of US and NATO military equipment from Alexandropoulos to Eastern Europe, the news portal of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) has announced.
TrainOSE reportedly threatened workers from the Thessaloniki Electric Locomotive Department, who refused to travel to Alexandropoulos to provide technical servicing of trains involved in transporting NATO military out of the port city, with punitive action, pointing to their obligations under signed contracts.
This prompted Thessaloniki’s trade unions to adopt a resolution demanding Greek railway infrastructure not to be used to transport military equipment, and ordering TrainOSE to stop its efforts to intimidate employees.
“We demand that our country’s railway rolling stock not be used to transfer the US and NATO arsenal to neighbouring countries. We condemn employers’ threats against TrainOSE employees who have refused to provide technical maintenance for trains which are currently transporting NATO tanks from the Alexandropoulos port. Employers’ statements to the effect that ‘what do you care what the trains carry, it’s your job and you are obliged to go’ are a joke,” the resolution said.
“We, the railway workers, work to provide affordable and quality transportation to the people and for the transport of goods which can be used to meet their needs, not to become part of the country’s involvement in plans which are dangerous for the people, by transporting NATO material to areas near Ukraine. We will not be accomplices in the passage of the war machine through the territory of our country,” the statement added.
A dozen trade unions, including workers of the chemical industry of Northern Greece, construction, telecoms, food industry, hotels, catering establishments, local authorities and municipal enterprises backed the resolution.
According to Alexandropoulos port director Konstantinos Hadzimihail, three trains’ worth of NATO equipment have been sent to Poland and Romania through the port to date. At least three NATO ships have entered the port over the past month, including the US-flagged Liberty Passion, and the Hartland Point, a British ro-ro cargo vessel, and the US Liberty King, which is continuing to be unloaded.
The KKE has been highly active in opposing Athens’ involvement in the crisis between NATO and Russia over Ukraine.
On Tuesday, KKE activists in the region of Thrace threw water balloons filled with red paint at US armour being transported on railway cars.
The party has also organised a series of protests in Athens and other major cities. On Friday evening, the KKE held a rally on Syntagma Square, next to the country’s parliament building. Party leader Dimitris Koutsoumpas told the crowd that the KKE is fighting to close all NATO and US bases in Greece and is opposed to the deployment of a single Greek soldier or officer abroad.
The US and its NATO allies have dramatically ramped up arms deliveries to Ukraine in recent weeks. On Friday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US would provide $300 million more in weapons, including laser-guided missile systems, drones, armoured vehicles, night vision and thermal imaging devices, satellite imagery and communications equipment, machine guns and medical supplies. The Biden administration has allocated over $2.3 billion in military “aid” to Ukraine over the past year, on top of over $1.5 billion sent by his predecessor Donald Trump. Washington’s European allies committed an additional billion euros (about $1.1 billion US) to Kiev since February.
[…] held numerous demonstrations to support the workers and oppose NATO actions in Greece. It was also reported that “the US recently gained access to 4 additional Greek bases, and the two countries penned a […]
So this is the KKE or the communist party of Greece that is greatly opposed to the war machine. But my question is Ukraine is a little country that gave up it’s nuclear weapons it has a small army… It has its own term while going on and recently had a Civil War within its own country… And now it’s being invaded by a big country… With lots of bombs & nuclear weapons and does it not seem that it has a right to ask for weaponry to defend itself? I’m not a fan of the US and itsForeign policies, But clearly Putin has an agenda here… He’s the aggressor, he’s shelling the people, he’s not going to the table to negotiate he’s not allowing a cease-fire for negotiations… It’s just bomb bomb bomb…. Doesn’t Ukraine have a right to defend itself?
It’s worth noting that that recent Ukrainian ‘civil war’ was in fact also an invasion by Russia as well
Ukraine is the second biggest country in Europe, with a population of 44 million so no, its not a small country. And its army is not at all small either, you better check you figures, in Europe its a very big army. And arming them wil prolong the war. They are doing the right thing and all Europe should do the same and stop this war. Ohterwise it will continue for a very long time. These two here got a very different view of who is attacking who. former Swiss intelligence officer, senior United Nations official, and NATO advisor Jacques Baud. And Former Top Pentagon Advisor Col. Douglas Macgregor
Putin isn’t the aggressor! Everything main stream media reports about this is a lie! Have a look at Eva K Bartlett You Tube Channel and this one for honest information! https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=patrick+lancaster
Please dont be such an ******…….
No excuse if you harm a child the police may not really care as to your miserable reasons. The same with puta, who cares why he invaded and kills. He is not so pure! he loves his dictatorship! I look at him he the great man had a thought to invade so after minutes hours days he did it. He is isolated and he thinks he is a genius. He invaded Ukraine because many people don’t like dictatorships and he got mad and he attacked us.
Eva Karene Bartlett is a Canadian activist, commentator, and blogger who has propagated conspiracy theories in connection to the Syrian civil war, most notably the disproven allegation that the White Helmets stage rescues and “recycle” children in its videos.Wikipedia
If the Greek Communists refuse to help Ukraine defend themselves against the monster Putin of Russia, I only hope Greece is next to get the fury of Russia invading them!
Good!
Maybe Russia will help Greece get all those US military bases off their sovereign soil!
In fact, I think Russia should help ALL countries that aren’t the US get rid of US military bases off their sovereign soil.
There is only one aggressor on the planet since WWII, only one terrorist nation, and it is the US.
Death to imperialism.
Death to corrupt capitalism.
Death to US foreign policy.
Stay in your own damned country!
Hear hear.