SYRIZA Meets German Left at Greek Church in Düsseldorf

By Aspasia Zontanou

Two leftist political movements, the Greek Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) and the German DIE LINKE joined for a political and cultural event on Sept. 15 at the Greek Orthodox Church, Saint Andreas in Düsseldorf.

Greek music, food and good spirits were the basic elements of the summer get-together of the 250 Greeks and Germans under the title: “The political and economical status in Greece and Europe”.

Sahra Wagenknecht, a leading member of DIE LINKE, Nikos Athanasiadis from SYRIZA Germany and Michalis Aggelidis from DIE LINKE said in their speeches that solidarity with the unemployed and retirees is more important than ever.

Wagenknecht pointed out the economical consequences of the crisis being a European, saying it is also a global issue and not Greek. She suggested steps on how to manage this critical period in Greece, urging solidarity among the German Left Party to Greece and other Southern European countries and the option to continue to cooperate and support the Greek people morally and politically.

Athanasiadis read a letter from SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras in German, who sent his greetings to the Greek Diaspora, stressing the efforts of the party to resist the crisis. Aggelidis, ended his speech saying that this was just the beginning of a series of meetings between both left parties trying to strengthen the bond between the two counties aiming for greater social justice.