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“Fires do not become disasters by accident, the disasters are consequences of the capitalist system”

Monday 30 July 2018

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This statement was adopted at the closing rally of the 35th International Revolutionary Youth Camp, hosted in Billund, Denmark by the SUF.

The 35th Youth Camp has been held this year in Denmark. The Danish drought was clear for the whole camp. The media’s main focus is the economic loss for the capitalist class, through the destruction of crops and trees.

During the camp, we have heard about wild fires in the whole of Scandinavia, which has been hit by an historical severe drought. In Greece these wild fires have turned into a social catastrophe, where we as a camp declare our unconditional solidarity with the victims of this catastrophe.

Fires do not become disasters by accident, the disasters are consequences of the capitalist system. Climate change is a reality. Extreme climatic events are getting more and more usual. The destructive dynamics of capitalism have driven us to this situation. It is not any more about avoiding climate change but reducing the damage. The fires situations are going to be a key question. The risks are worsened by speculative urbanism and the loss of traditional agriculture and farming.

On the 23 July a catastrophic wild fire in the eastern part of the Attica Region led to the death of 87 people so far. The SYRIZA-ANEL government is blaming the extreme weather conditions and the victims and refuses to take any responsibility.

The same government, almost a decade ago was accusing the government in power at that time for the wild fires in Peloponnese and demanding their resignation.

The same government allowed all these arbitrary buildings by legitimizing them.

The same government spends 2,36% of the GDP in military equipment instead of hospitals, schools, fire-extinguishing equipment.

In these hard times people showed big solidarity by donating clothes, food, blood and medicine. When the state fails to take responsibility the people can self-organize and minimize the catastrophe.

The camp supports all the comrades resisting the SYRIZA-ANEL government, among which our comrades from ANTARSYA.

28 July 2018

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