Giannis Konstantinidis, a member of PASOK’s Northern Dodecanese committee and former deputy mayor of Leros, writes:
Poverty and discrimination are open wounds. They affront human dignity and undermine the society we have built. Tackling them cannot fall to individuals alone. It is a collective need and a democratic responsibility. Accepting inequality passively deepens injustice. Speaking up and acting together open a way towards social justice.
From France and Spain to neighbouring Albania, people have taken to the streets. The demands vary: the cost of living, housing, education and distrust of those in power weigh differently in each country. What they share is the feeling that daily life is getting harder and that an entire generation is seeing its hopes disappointed.
Ordinary citizens often bear the economic and social costs of international crises and wars without a say in the decisions. As inequality grows, so does anger. That does not justify violence. But protest sends a clear message: people cannot be expected simply to watch events unfold.
There are those who call for an ‘uprising’ from the comfort of their sofas and scold those who stay at home. Participation is more than a slogan tossed about in a café or a burst of anger on social media. It means speaking openly at work and in your neighbourhood, listening to someone who has lost faith and making the case that staying away from the polls is no solution. The streets give voice to demands. The ballot box lets people change the balance of power and hold governments to account. Voting and protesting are both acts of democratic participation.
In Greece, the government owes people answers. As the anniversaries of the Polytechnic uprising and the killing of Alexis Grigoropoulos approach, fear of clashes and polarisation must not consume the debate. How can people’s lives improve? How can we restore trust in democratic institutions?
The date of the election must not be chosen solely to limit political losses. In a democracy, the final word belongs to citizens. Those who fear their judgement know why: what they fear most is the ballot box.
Giannis Konstantinidis, member of PASOK’s Northern Dodecanese committee and former deputy mayor of Leros
