KKE mobilises against Rubio's visit to Greece

The party's activities centred on a major demonstration in Athens, while KKE and KNE (Communist Youth of Greece) organisations also organised rallies and pickets in cities across the country.

The main mobilisation took place in Athens, where PAME, the Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE), trade unions and other mass organisations called a demonstration at Syntagma Square. KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas attended the rally and made a statement condemning the US-Greek strategic relationship and Greece's involvement in US and NATO plans.

Koutsoumbas stated that the Greek population was already paying the cost of the strategic agreement with the United States through higher energy prices, poverty, taxation, military expenditure and Greece's involvement in wars. He specifically criticised the proposed Vertical Energy Corridor, arguing that the promotion of US liquefied natural gas would increase energy costs and deepen Greece's involvement in geopolitical and military competition in the region.

Following the gathering, thousands of demonstrators marched towards the US Embassy, carrying banners and chanting against the US and NATO military presence in Greece. The KKE highlighted the mobilisation outside the embassy as the central political message of the day's action. The demonstration brought together trade unions, student organisations and political groups, with the march beginning in central Athens and proceeding towards the embassy.

After the demonstration, the KKE issued a statement welcoming what it described as the mass participation of workers, young people and other sections of the population. The party said that the mobilisation, despite police restrictions and a provocative police response, demonstrated opposition to Greece's deeper involvement in US and NATO energy and military plans. It reiterated demands for no Greek involvement in imperialist wars and rivalries, the closure of US/NATO bases and infrastructure used for military operations, and the return of Greek military forces from missions abroad.

The mobilisation was not limited to Athens. KKE and KNE organisations in the regions continued campaigning against Rubio's visit on 6 October. In Thessaly, the KKE's regional organisation called for action against the visit and against Greece's involvement in military plans. In Volos, the Magnesia KKE organisation held a picket in the city centre, while in Kozani the party organised a rally in the central square under slogans calling for the US Secretary of State to leave and for US/NATO bases to be closed.

The KKE had also organised or announced similar actions in other cities, including Lamia, where its local organisation called a picket specifically around Rubio's arrival.