Greece wildfires — KKE: The country is once again left unprotected against fire fronts

Criminal state - government responsibilities for the lack of prevention and inadequate firefighting means

Volunteer groups of the KKE and KNE are fighting the dozens of disastrous wildfires that have broken out around the country together with firefighters and local residents. KKE MPs are also present in the fire-stricken areas.

Greece fires: The KKE exposes the criminal responsibilities of all governments

“The responsible ones and the reason are known. The responsibilities of all governments are timeless”, says the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) concerning the ongoing disastrous fires of the last days in Evia, Attica and Peloponnese.

With info-graphics published on social media, the KKE exposes the responsibilities of all the Greek governments (both liberal and social democratic), including those of PASOK, New Democracy and SYRIZA. 

Greece fires: Remarks by the KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas

Extensive fires have raged in many parts of Greece, including in the outskirts of Athens, the island of Evia (Euboea) and Peloponnese with thousands of people fleeing as protracted heat wave turned forests into tinderboxes and flames threatened populated areas, electricity installations and historic sites. 

In a statement, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas said:

“The members and the friends of the KKE, its deputies and those elected to regional and municipal councils are in battle positions against the wildfires, by the side of the people who are being tested once again.

Wildfires in Greece: A Capitalist Crime

At least 84 people are dead and 187 injured. The number of those missing is still unknown. Thousands of properties have been turned into ashes. The results of the deadly wildfires which affected the region of Attica are devastating.

The SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government has unleashed an outrageous communicative campaign in order to throw the blame for the disaster somewhere else, except from itself. They blame the “weather”, the “climate change”, the supposedly “unprecedented weather conditions”, the “wind”, etc.

Communist Party of Greece: Statement on the disastrous wildfires [En, Es, Ar]

In a statement regarding the disastrous wildfires, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece points out the following:

“The KKE expresses its condolences to the families of the victims of the fires in the area of Nea Makri and Rafina. It supports the dozens of injured people and thousands of people who saw their properties be consumed by firein the fires that hit East and West Attica.

The KKE demands from the government to mobilize all the necessary forces of the state mechanism to support the inhabitants of the regions. The government must take all necessary measuresin order to:

Greece Wildfires: Tsipras' government bears "criminal responsibilities", says the KKE

KKE: The policy that sacrifices fire protection is guilty of the CRIME

The firefighting forces fought with the flames, but their struggle was uneven since the current government of SYRIZA-ANEL, like all the previous ones, blamed the weather, without having any substantial organization, infrastructure and means. 

As it is pointed out in the comment of the Press Office of the CC of the KKE: “The fires that destroy forest and rural land as well as residences, once again highlight the lack of fire protection measures, the inadequacy of forest protection and forest fire-fighting infrastructures and the shortcomings in means and personnel. The KKE demands from the government of SYRIZA-ANEL, from all responsible state and local authorities, to take all the necessary measures right now in order to effectively deal with the fires that are in progress.” 

Who is to blame for Greece's disastrous wildfires?

Firefighters in Greece battle wildfires northeast of Athens for a third day trying to prevent a blaze that scorched thousands of hectares of pine forest from spreading further. The fire near Athens started in Kalamos, a coastal holiday spot some 45 km (30 miles) northeast of the capital, and spread to three more towns, damaging dozens of homes. A state of emergency was declared in the area.

On Monday 14 August, firefighters battled more than 90 forest fires across Greece, an outbreak fed by dry winds and hot weather that saw blazes burning near Athens, in the Peloponnese, and on the Ionian islands of Zakynthos and Kefalonia.

ΚΚΕ: Both SYRIZA and New Democracy share responsibility for their policies over forest protection, land commercialization, privatization of firefighting services.