International Women’s Day was honored in Greece with a big protest rally in downtown Athens on Sunday.
When protesters passed by the Labor Ministry red paint was thrown at the facade of the building, as well as at the entrance of an adjacent bank.
Strong reference was made to the 5 women-workers who were killed during an explosion at the biscuit factory Violanta in central Greece, last month.
The protesters reportedly denounced the incident as an “employer crime” and “capitalist femicide”, emphasizing that the safety of the workers was sacrificed on the altar of profit.
The “attendance” at the rally and march for International Women’s Day was dynamic.
At the same time, the urgent need for justice and safety was highlighted through the demand for decent working conditions, equal pay and protection from gender-based violence, which has numbered 19 femicide cases in the last year.
Other protesters’ groups, collectives and unions, raised the issue of the welfare state, focusing on the dissolution of the Labor Inspectorate, the under-funding of Health and the reported difficulties in accessing abortion in 46 public hospitals in the country.
The framework of the demands was complemented by the request for international solidarity and resistance to war plans, with an emphasis on supporting women who are enduring in Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran.
The mobilizations continue with a march towards Syntagma Square, reminding that equality is not given, but is conquered through collective struggles.
