The first political rally of Alexis Tsipras – even before announcing the creation of a new party – will take place today outside the “Pallas” theater, where the former prime minister will present his book “Ithaca”.
Crowds are expected to gather outside the theater, as messages reaching Amalias street indicate that dozens of citizens plan to come to the capital to attend Alexis Tsipras’ first speech.
According to sources, the former prime minister will use his speech to signal his intentions for the new party. Specifically, he will launch a full-frontal attack against the government, painting a bleak picture of its choices that have led the country into a dead end, while addressing Greece’s political, economic and social situation.
Regarding the economy, he will note that it continues with the old recipes that led us to ruin, resulting in the accumulation of “provocative wealth in few hands.” With terms of inequality and profiteering and with a distorted production model, the same one that led us to crisis.
Regarding the writing of “Ithaca,” Alexis Tsipras is expected to emphasize that it represents another message that we will not abandon without a fight the claim to historical truth and memory. And he will underline that history is not the monopoly of those who consider themselves winners.
Referring to the extensive publicity and impact of his book after its release, he will characteristically note that the book itself, with what it presents and reveals, can defend both itself and the truth.
Furthermore, he is expected to attack those who led the country to bailout programs. “Those who bankrupted the country and delivered it to the mercy of creditors and sent unemployment soaring to 27%, destroyed a quarter of the economy, abolished the thirteenth and fourteenth salaries in the public sector, abolished the thirteenth and fourteenth pensions, sank into the shame of ‘Gerou Gera’ and ‘Vas ta Schäuble,’ when society was bleeding, and now ask us to account for ourselves.”
He is also expected to declare himself proud of everything his government tried and achieved. Proud of the determination, honesty, and selflessness of the journey. “Proud because we finally reached Ithaca.” Proud because, as he will point out, “we succeeded where they failed twice.”
He will emphasize that in 2019 he handed over a country where “the people’s sacrifices did not become direct contracts, did not become deposits in tax havens and millions parked in murky offshore companies.”
He will speak about the urgent need to move forward as a country and society with a different mentality, a different collective culture. And simultaneously he will talk about the need for radical reorganization, so that citizens return to politics. The need for collective resistance to the dictatorship of oligarchy and kleptocracy that governs us today.
Sokratis Famellos and Alexis Charitsis are expected to attend the book presentation. From SYRIZA, the overwhelming majority of MPs will be present, while it remains unknown at this time which figures from the New Left will attend. More specifically, there is interest in whether Efi Achtsioglou, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, Nasos Iliopoulos, Theano Fotiou, and Sia Anagnostopoulou will be at the presentation. Euclid Tsakalotos has stated that he will not attend.
From SYRIZA, attendees are expected to include Olga Gerovasili, Dionysis Kalamatianos, Kostas Zachariadis, Stergios Kalpakis, Thanasis Theocharopoulos, Katerina Notopoulou, Symeon Kedikoglou, Nikos Pappas, Giorgos Karameros, Giorgos Gavrilos, Giorgos Psychogios, Alexandros Meikopolos, Theofilos Xanthopoulos, Miltos Zamparas, Charis Mamoulakis, Kostas Barkas, Marina Kontotoli, Vasilis Kokkalis, Giannis Ragkousis, Christos Spirtzis and many others.
As is known, the presentation will take place in two parts. Initially, History professor at AUTH Ioanna Laliotou, emeritus History professor Antonis Liakos and former Finance Minister Giorgos Chouliarakis, who is now an advisor to Bank of Greece Governor Giannis Stournaras, and Eugenia Fotoniata, former special secretary at the Development Ministry responsible for NSRF programs, will speak.
