FREE SOLDIER’S NETWORK “SPARTACUS” SOLIDARITY INITIATIVE TO THE STRUGGLE OF THE PUBLIC BROADCASTING (ERT) EMPLOYEES

Announcement signed by draftees and employees of the Greek Army, Navy and Air force from 51 military units

We denounce the provocative governmental decision to shut down the Public Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), which was cynically announced by the government spokesman. 2800 employees are being sacrificed to fulfil the goals of the government and the memorandums of E.U – I.M.F and the banks. On the same time, abolishment and depreciation of ERT is a big bonus to the private mass media owners, who have been occupying for years parts of the frequency band under an oblique and corrupted status. Abolishing public radio and television will result to thousands more layoffs and to a stronger hold on information by capitalist interests. It will also result to the total depreciation of ERT cultural production.

The emergency state we live in, aims to convert labour to modern-day slavery by means of state oppression, totalitarian control, abolition of freedom of expression and by manipulation, commercialization and privatization of every public possession and service.     

It is not that we have forgotten that ERT has been used as an instrument of promoting governmental policies and traducing popular struggle. Some of us, as students a few years ago, have been victims of censoring when we mobilized against university commercialization. But we are fully aware of the fact that market laws have not been fully exercised over ERT. Due to this fact alternative perspectives over war coverage  and antiwar movement reportage have been able to air. The Draftee’s Solidarity Committee has been allowed to inform the public on the issues of Depleted Uranium and of suicides in the Greek Army and other issues that the “Spartacus” network needed to publicize. Finally we can never forget ERA SPORT and all the other broadcasting that have been keeping us company during the endless hours of keeping guard, under the heavy helmets, in every last spot of the frontiers, where no private media would spend a penny to have its signal broadcasted. These holes in the censorship wall can be drilled wider. This is the main reason why we stand alongside the ERT employees who have decided to resist the government’s shut down by airing a programme that is not controlled or censored by the well-paid governmental trustees.

We support, as much as we can, every action of resistance and struggle decided by the general assembly of the ERT employees and we call on all workers, people and youth to participate in solidarity protests.

Let’s form a massive shield of solidarity that will annihilate governmental plans.

Let’s get rid of the memorandums and stand for employment, for public information that will not hide the truth and obscure the popular struggle, for a real public ERT controlled by the workers.

FREE SOLDIER’S NETWORK “SPARTACUS”

Tel. number 6932955437

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