::::::::
"We must rise up to demand the cancelation of our national sovereingty's abrogation" , Mikis Theodorakis, 85, said during a two-and-a-half hours speech on Wednesday. The famous composer and veteran politician called the Greeks to perform defiance against the IMF-EU bailout austerity program and announced the creation of the "Independent Citizens Movement" under the name 'Spitha' (Spark).
Talking to a broad audience at Michael Cacoyannis' Institute in Athens, Theodorakis attacked the "rotten political system" which brought the country in the precipice of bankruptcy. He analyzed how Greece came to the point of mounting debt and proposed the secession of the country from the IMF-Brussels bailout program - Greece could get loans from non-european markets, like China and Russia, he mentioned.
Furthermore, Theodorakis suggested that the government should tax the Banks instead of implementing austerity measures and brought on the table the issue of Germany's failure to pay World War II compensation to Greece. Mikis Theodorakis attacked the International Monetary Fund, arguing that its actual aim is to make Greece "a pawn in the US chess-board" .
A symbol of the anti-dictatorial movement during the 1970s and a prominent figure of the Greek Left for more than four decades, Theodorakis has been always at the forefront of his nation's social and political issues. Today, at the age of 85, the composer of "Zorba the Greek" - an eternal revolutionary spirit - seems more concerned than ever about the country's future.
"Spitha", he explained, is a "movement of defiance which aims to stand in practice against the illegal, anti-democratic and anti-popular (governmental) decisions" . Many people in Greece wonder whether or not this new movement will eventually become a political party; Theodorakis is clear on that: no aspirations for political participation exist.
"Mikis lights a spark" writes the left-wing newspaper 'Avgi' in its front page, while even traditionaly rightist journals, like "Adesmeftos Typos" , welcomed the initiative with praises. The text of the speech given by the legendary composer has been scheduled to be published in 'Eleftherotypia' Saturday edition.
(Photo: Mikis Theodorakis giving a speech at M.Cacoyannis Institute, Athens, Greece on Wednesday 1st December 2010.)
