Alexis Tsipras’ intervention in the 2nd International Conference, on Democracy & Social Justice, organized by the Alexis Tsipras Institute for Peace, Justice and Sustainable Growth, on June 10th, 2025, in detail:

“I would like to extend my warmest thanks to all the distinguished speakers we heard today, for their participation and their important interventions at our 2nd International Conference.

I would, also, like to thank all the citizens who attended, participated in, and embraced this initiative.

I listened to Yuval and Basel with great emotion.

There are no words to add, after people who actually experience a drama speak of it.

Their message of peace and reconciliation is stronger than any speech or peace initiative

Because Yuval, Basel, Rachel, and Hamdan have the courage to break the bonds and walls that separate them

And to stand together, to create and support – at the risk of their own lives – peace and justice.

To strive for hope and to triumph over hatred.

I am very proud that they are with us today and that the Prespa Award for Peace is in their hands.

Dear Friends,

Exactly one year ago, we began this initiative with the goal of bringing politics back on the agenda.

To encourage public dialogue on the progressive policies we need in order to address modern challenges and crises.

And most importantly, to stand up to the forces of the far right and nationalism that we saw growing in Europe.

Today, a year later, we are at a critical crossroads not just for Europe, but globally.

Unfortunately, these forces and their ideas are even more powerful.

They are not only diffused in society. They are also governing, on both sides of the Atlantic.

The re-election of President Trump does not simply affect global developments.

His policies overturn the very framework on which international relations were built after the Second World War and especially after the Cold War.

They take advantage of the weaknesses of the liberal international order….

The tragic consequences of Western interventions in the Middle East and Afghanistan, as well as the failure of NATO’s policy in Ukraine.

To impose the logic of “might makes right” over international law as the reference point for international relations.

Simultaneously, as we heard today from our American speakers, these policies legitimize positions  that we could never have imagined would return, in Western liberal democracies.

Policies and politics that undermine liberal democracy itself.

The new far-right international movement that is gaining strength in Western liberal democracies is exploiting the fear and insecurity created by 15 years of multiple crises:

The global economic crisis, uncontrolled wars, the worst migration crisis since World War II, the pandemic and of course the intensifying climate crisis.

It takes advantage of the fact that we are transitioning from a unipolar to a multipolar world where the old certainties no longer exist.

However, it mainly exploits three phenomena that we have heard about today.

First, the significant increase in economic and regional inequalities.

Inequalities that began to grow during the Reagan and Thatcher periods, but intensified with the rise of neoliberal globalization in the 1990s supported by many social democratic governments.

And, as Bernie Sanders and our other speakers pointed out, the burden has become even heavier in recent years, as working people have been forced to pay the price

of the global and European economic crises.

and then the climate crisis.

and then, the energy crisis that became an inflation and price crisis.

As billionaires got richer.

Second, right-wing forces exploit the political and legal dimensions of inequality.

The fact that billionaires who have become and are becoming rich during times of crisis — and their people — are always above the law.

As we heard today, the rescue of Wall Street during the global economic crisis, not only failed to lead to important economic actors being held accountable for their actions, but led to them being put back in positions of responsibility.

And some of the billionaires who led the world into crisis 17 years ago are now standing alongside President Trump.

Third, right-wing forces exploit the moral, psychological, and social dimensions of the inequalities that Michael Sandel spoke about.

The struggle for equality is not just an economic demand.

It’s a struggle for respect and dignity.

And unfortunately, along with inequalities, the elites of neoliberal globalization created the “rhetoric of rising,” as Sandel calls it.

The narrative, that is, that the structures of the economy, health, social welfare, and especially education, are effective enough in a liberal democracy to ensure meritocracy.

And so, if you don’t have the salary you need or can’t achieve social advancement, it’s your fault – as a citizen – because you didn’t work hard enough to be worthy.

And since you are responsible for your situation and you are not “aristos” – to put it in terms that we know better here in Greece – then the state is not responsible for supporting you.

Unless it is done in terms of a concession.

Unless the state gives you a hand-out or an under-the-table subsidy as part of a clientelist system.

So what is the overall response that the far right proposes, often in alliance with conservative or neoliberal parties?

First, an authoritarian capitalist model versus a democratic capitalist model.

A model that borrows policies and practices from the authoritarian regimes in the world, which are being strengthened.

We heard from the President of the Workers’ Party of Brazil how the far right operates in Latin America.

We see in the US the violence with which these authoritarian structures operate when the enemy becomes the “foreigner” and the “immigrant”.

And we heard from the representative of the Harvard students’ movement the way in which the American government suppresses the rights of students and freedom of expression, without respecting any concept of academic asylum

Second, a model of extreme neoliberal capitalism.

Continuous tax reductions for oligarchs and the direct transfer of the burden to low and middle-income earners through cuts in the social state and high indirect taxation.

Simultaneously, in this model of authoritarian neoliberal capitalism, the economic interests of the people are identified with the economic interests of the leader.

The state becomes a limited liability company at the service of the leader and the oligarchs who support him, for signing public projects, procurement contracts and similar deals.

And the term “conflict of interest” loses its meaning for government officials.

As Jeffrey Kopstein writes in his book “The Assault on the State”: “the letter of the law is only valid for those who do not have connections with the ruling family.”

As they say in movies

“Any similarities between the characters or events and real people or real events is purely coincidental”.

This is the answer and the plan of the Extreme Right.

But what is the answer and the plan of the Left?

I believe it is the responsibility of all progressive and left-wing forces to resist together and to confront fear with hope.

To address insecurity by promoting a policy of dignity for the daily lives of citizens.

First and foremost, this also concerns how we Europeans view the EU.

We must agree that the only future for a strong, united, and strategically autonomous Europe is to be a force for peace and stability.

Our deterrence capability must be strong.

But not on the basis of a war economy that intensifies Cold War confrontations and helps defense industry companies get richer.

And most importantly, not at the expense of social cohesion.

Therefore, given the changes in Germany’s fiscal architecture, there needs to be a revised economic architecture that actively supports sustainable development, strategic investments, innovation, and European public goods.

And, in particular, addresses inequalities with strengthened cohesion policies.

Ensuring, as Enrico Letta points out, the freedom of every European citizen to stay and work wherever they live, with dignity for themselves and their family.

And, most importantly, we must talk about a new moral, social, and economic patriotism, to put forward the vision of the future.

To explain that we will indeed fight for every job in our country and for the forces of labor, innovation, and creativity.

Unlike the far-right and its right-wing allies.

Or the center-right with its far-right allies, who pretend to fight for workers but are basically there to support billionaires.

We must therefore make it our central goal to strengthen the institutional counterweights of democracy, preventing the danger of states becoming the limited liability companies of those who govern and the oligarchs who support them.

And replace the clientelistic-executive state with an entrepreneurial state with strategic goals

With a new social contract between workers, public administration, and economic forces, based on progressive and fair taxation.

As Michael Sandel says in the excellent book he wrote with Thomas Picketty,

“It’s a mistake to cede the concept of patriotism to the right.

Social democratic and progressive parties must clarify what patriotism and belonging to a community mean to them.

For example, when companies seek tax havens instead of paying taxes in the country where they make profits, isn’t that a lack of economic patriotism?

Do companies have the patriotic duty to pay taxes and contribute to the common good in the country that made their success possible?”

In this context of seeking a modern and effective progressive response on a series of challenges, we have heard extremely interesting proposals from young people in administration, the research community, the market and civil society, regarding the importance of promoting digital transformation in terms that protect democracy, our economies, our rights, and the natural environment.

From the government as well as multinational corporations and tech oligarchs.

Finally, I believe that as progressive forces, we must reclaim not only patriotism but also the term “human security” from the far right and right, at a time when they are exploiting it to play on fear and insecurity and secure votes.

We must emphasize the importance of protecting territorial security, as well as the natural and economic security of our citizens.

To promote a comprehensive European migration policy based on respect for international law.

Which supports legal migration channels.

And the inclusion of the thousands of workers that Europe needs in the coming years, within the framework of a healthy labour market with well-paid jobs for all legally employed people in every country.

To confront human traffickers while protecting borders in accordance with international law and treaties.

So that we don’t continue witnessing in Europe the same images we see today in the US, and we don’t relive new tragedies like the ones in Lampedusa and Pylos.

At the same time, progressive forces must fight for a new international order of collective security and sustainable development in a multipolar world.

To address modern challenges and crises without repeating the terrible mistakes the West made in the past.

And this new order must have at its center respect for international law.

We cannot talk about European values if they are based on double standards.

We must stand more firmly against the Israeli operations that kill tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza and we must demand that the European Union impose sanctions on Israel until it stops them.

An immediate end to the operations is necessary, with the return of the hostages and the restart of talks based on the 1967 borders, for a two-state solution that coexist peacefully.

We must continue opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but without being overtaken by the war mongering that is sweeping Europe.

Putting forward the demand for an immediate end to this bloody war with respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and a European but not NATO future for this country.

We must oppose human rights violations and stand against the arrest of Mayor Imamoglu in Turkey.

And we must do everything we can for a fair and viable solution to the Cyprus issue.

Based on UN decisions, without guarantees and occupation troops.

As we should actively support the EU’s enlargement towards the Western Balkans.

If Europe is not a reliable force in its own neighborhood, it cannot be a reliable force anywhere.

And with the Prespa Agreement, which we signed 7 years ago, progressive forces proved once again that they are the ones fighting for a confident Europe – a reliable force for peace.

Not those who exploit nationalism for votes and at the same time pretend to be pro-Europeans.

Dear friends,

I firmly believe that this is a new progressive agenda that can inspire, provide vision, and be effective against the far right and anti-politics.

The far right is organizing and coordinating before our eyes, absorbing, manipulating, or allying with, the dominant parties of neoliberalism and conservatism.

We must also address it in an organized and coordinated manner, with an international movement for democracy and social justice.

In Europe, the US, and globally.

We’ve done it before, in Seattle, Porto Alegre, and Genoa.

We did it again against the Iraq War.

We did it with the Occupy Wall Street movement and the indignados movement in the squares of Madrid and Athens.

We can do it again, especially now that we have the experience of government

In Latin America, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, and Portugal…

And we know better which alliances to build, which challenges to face, how and with whom to carry out this struggle and how we will win.

Dear friends,

I believe Bernie Sanders is sending us an important message in this direction with every intervention he makes.

Speaking in English but also in Greek at the same time.

Because there are four Greek words dominant in almost all of his speeches.

Three words to describe the situation in his country.

Oligarchy, kleptocracy, xenophobia.

And another word to describe the demand of all movements at this time:

Democracy.

Democracy, the invaluable Greek contribution to the advancement of humanity.

And the answer to what today appears as natural: A world of wars, climate crisis, oligarchic power, and division between those who are privileged and those who are not.

Because without democracy, there is no justice.

There are no human values, rights, rules, prosperity, or hope for the many.

This is not a play of words.

This is about the lives of people and the future of the planet, Europe, and our country.

Because everything that Bernie and the other speakers describe doesn’t just concern Trump’s America.

It concerns Europe, and it concerns Greece.

Today, both democracy and justice are being tested in our homeland as well.

Because, with its visible policies and “invisible” practices, the government is building a society that, based on official data and measurements, can be reasonably characterized as a society of gaps.

A society of “one-fifth”, as I had the opportunity to say a few days ago.

In which the privileged one-fifth has the ability to live wealthily, or at least with self-sufficiency and dignity.

So much that they can ensure important savings.

And on the other side of the divide, the vast majority, four-fifths, who make ends meet with difficulty.

And a large part of this group is around the poverty line and sometimes in deprivation.

And lets not forget this is a society that has endured eight years of crisis and great sacrifices.

In this context we must remember that the goals that each government sets during its term in office, make a big difference.

Our government was tasked with getting Greece out of the crisis, and we were indeed forced to adopt fiscal discipline policies. However, we reduced the percentage of households below the poverty threshold.

When we assumed power it was at 21.4% in 2015 and we left it at 17.9% in 2019.

And we achieved a significant improvement in the economic inequality index.

In contrast, the Mitsotakis government – which inherited the economy in a very good condition, without economic programs in a period of expansionary fiscal policies – increased the poverty rate from 17.9% to 19.6% in 2024.

At the same time, it paved the way for enormous profits for large corporations.

The ten largest listed companies had a record 15-year high in profits last year, with a total of 11.5 billion euros.

This is Greece today.

‘Wherever I travel, Greece wounds me’ as the poet said.

Greece, a country of great inequalities that remains in Europe, but is constantly diverging from Europe.
In terms of purchasing power, it is 30% below the European average, competing only with Bulgaria for the last place.

A country with a shrinking, ineffective social state.

With underperforming, degraded hospitals and schools.

At the same time, profiteering in these sensitive areas of the social state is being advertised and promoted in every way.

If one also considers the blows to the independence of the judiciary, the functioning of independent authorities, and the pluralism of the media,

If you factor in corruption, the staggering number of direct awards, which now account for three out of four public contracts, and the fact that 87% of Recovery Fund funds have gone to just 2% of the country’s companies,

Then we realize that the term “Balkanization” I used the other day, is rather mild.

What’s more, our relationship with Europe is increasingly becoming a relationship with the European Prosecutor’s office.

First with the Predator phone-tapping scandal, then with the scandal concerning agricultural subsidies, and of course with the attempted cover-up of the two tragedies in Tempi and Pylos.

All of this, in my estimation, is not the result of a political mistake.

It is the result of a policy that deliberately and persistently links economic growth to the enrichment of the few at the expense of the lives of the many.

For example, it drastically reduces taxation on large real estate and dividends and keeps the taxation of wage labor at the top levels in Europe.

And it maintains as a flimsy foundation for all of this: the same productive model, parasitic and shortsighted for the most part, that led Greece to the disastrous crisis of 2010.

A return to which I greatly fear.

Given that the terms of this crisis remain unchanged, they are also leading to the next one.

That is why no progressive, democratic human being – especially if they are entrusted with the responsibility of public office- can remain silent in conditions like these.

Irrelevant of the position one is in.

While international instability is proliferating existential risks.

While society is sinking in disappointment or remains paralyzed

With the economy on the verge of instability.

With the opposition unable to present a credible and realistic alternative to policies that deepen all kinds of inequalities.

Unfortunately, there is no magic key to open the door to another Greece.

We must find the key or create it together.

A new national recovery and reconstruction plan with a five-year horizon is needed.

With the goal of development, resilience, security, and justice, strengthening institutions, and democracy.

With the goal of strengthening trust and solidarity.

But first and foremost, what is needed is a new vision that will inspire and mobilize.

Workers, young people, freelance professionals, farmers, healthy entrepreneurs.

We need a new reading of reality and the path to change it.A new social and political wave that will effectively unite the colorful resistance movements and – guided by the needs of the country – will give motivation, inspiration, and an alternative to citizens.

A new patriotism.

That will address the challenges and dangers of our time.

A new patriotism against oligarchy and kleptocracy.

On the one side stands our country, on the other, their wealth.

This is the modern dividing line.

Against policies and practices that exacerbate inequalities and injustice.

A new patriotism in Greece, which will meet with similar movements in Europe, the US, and the world.

Because it will be based on democracy, justice, solidarity, and humanism.

A new patriotism in each country and a new internationalism, to coordinate our actions in a globalized society and economy.

We need such a new vision and a new movement.

An ethical, social, and political initiative that will reach across all progressive parties, will reach those who have turned their backs on the political system, will respond to far-right demagoguery, and will motivate citizens to mobilize.

Giving meaning and substance to democracy and justice.

And this is a goal that is worth giving our all for,

to achieve.”