A crowd of about 80 people gathered to hear SYRIZA candidates speak at an outdoor meeting held in the suburb of Ambelokipi. Several candidates spoke passionately about the need for change, the need for action and the need for self-reliance.
I was asked to present greetings in Greek on behalf of Green Left Weekly and Socialist Alliance.
I spoke of our awareness of the hardship many Greeks were going through and of the injustice imposed on the country. I said as a Greek-Australian, I felt this crisis on a personal level as many of my family members were suffering, too.
I encouraged the audience to maintain their pride and fight to regain their dignity and independence. And I said that, although Australia was very far away, we are also inspired by this momentous and historic occasion.
Several people approached me afterwards to express how moved they were to know that they had so much support and solidarity. One man spoke of visiting Australia when he was a sailor and how he always felt at home there. He told me that was thrilled to hear of my eagerness to be present at these elections and to share in their hope and their joy.
Greetings were also offered by Paul Mackney from the Greece Soloidarity Campaign based amongst the trade unions in England.
[Vivian Messimeris is part of the Green Left team in Greece to cover the potentially historic January 25 elections. She is a member of Australia's Socialist Alliance in Sydney.]
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