Antarsya

Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow

Αντικαπιταλιστική Αριστερή Συνεργασία για την Ανατροπή
Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow Αντικαπιταλιστική Αριστερή Συνεργασία για την Ανατροπή
Founded	22 March 2009
Merger of	Radical Left Front; United Anti-Capitalist Left
Ideology	Anti-capitalism; Communism; Trotskyism; Revolutionary socialism; Eco-socialism; Anti-fascism; Euroscepticism
Political position	Left-wing to far-left
Colours	Red
Hellenic Parliament	0 / 300
European Parliament	0 / 21
Regional Councilors	13 / 703
Municipal Councilors	11 / 12,978
Website
	antarsya.gr
	Politics of Greece; Political parties; Elections;

The Front of the Greek Anticapitalist Left (Greek: Αντικαπιταλιστική Αριστερή Συνεργασία για την Ανατροπή, ΑΝΤ.ΑΡ.ΣΥ.Α., romanized: Antikapitalistiki Aristeri Synergasia gia tin Anatropi, ANT.AR.SY.A, literally "Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow") is a coalition of radical left political organisations in Greece. The Greek word ανταρσία antarsia (which is pronounced the same as the backronym Antarsya) means "mutiny". ANTARSYA describes itself as "Front of the anticapitalist, revolutionary, communist left and radical ecology".

ANTARSYA was founded on 22 March 2009 in Athens by 10 organisations and independent militants involved in the Radical Left Front (MERA) and United Anti-Capitalist Left (ENANTIA) with the exception of the Workers Revolutionary Party (ΕΕΚ).^[8] These organisations come from different left wing currents ranging from ex-KKE and KKE Interior members to Maoism and Trotskyism.

Members[]

The 7 organisations which are members of ANTARSYA:

Alternative Ecologists
Left Group (ARIS)
New Left Current (NAR)
Organization of Communist Internationalists of Greece–Spartacus, Greek section of the Fourth International (OKDE-Spartakos)
Revolutionary Communist Movement of Greece (EKKE)
Socialist Workers' Party (SEK)
Youth of Communist Liberation (nΚΑ)

The Organisation of Internationalist Communists of Greece (Greek: Οργάνωση Κομμουνιστών Διεθνιστών Ελλάδας, romanized: Organosi Kommouniston Diethniston Elladas), although it participated in the foundation of ANTARSYA, left the coalition shortly afterwards on 18 May 2009.^[9]

ANTARSYA is based on local assemblies of militants at city or neighbourhood-level with a central coordination committee in Athens. There are also periodically national assemblies of ANTARSYA.

Left Recomposition (ARAN) and Left Anti-capitalist Group (ARAS) were part of the coalition till August 2015.

Ideology[]

ANTARSYA calls for exiting the European Union and dropping the euro currency, defaulting on Greece's debt, and nationalization without compensation of major industries.^[10] The party also calls for a banning of lay-offs, a minimum salary of equivalent to 1,400 euros, a reduction of weekly working time to 35 hours without reduction of wages, the disarmament of the police, full political and social rights for immigrants, and an ecosocialist answer to ecological crisis.

Popular support and electoral results[]

ANTARSYA participated for the first time in elections in the European Parliament elections in June 2009. It took 21,951 votes or 0.43% of the votes. ANTARSYA also participated in the October 4, 2009 general elections presenting lists in every constituency. The party secured 24,737 votes, or 0.36% of those cast.^[11]

It contested the September 2015 Greek legislative election in a joint campaign with the Workers Revolutionary Party (EEK).^[12]

Regional elections[]

Election year	# of overall votes	% of overall vote	# of overall seats won	±
Administrative regions of Greece
2010	97,499	1.79	7 / 725
2014	128,154	2.27	9 / 703	2
2019	87,676	1.62	13 / 703	4

Hellenic Parliament[]

Election year	# of overall votes	% of overall vote	# of overall seats won	±
Hellenic Parliament
2009	24,737	0.36	0 / 300
2012 (May)	75,428	1.19	0 / 300	0
2012 (June)	20,389	0.33	0 / 300	0
2015 (January)	39,411¹	0.64	0 / 300	0
2015 (September)	46,096²	0.85	0 / 300	0
2019	23.239	0.41	0 / 300	0

¹ Participated in coalition with the Left Front Coalition (MARS)

² Participated in coalition with the Workers Revolutionary Party (EEK)

European Parliament[]

Election year	# of overall votes	% of overall vote	# of overall seats won	±
European Parliament
2009	21,951	0.43	0 / 22
2014	41,307	0.72	0 / 21	0
2019	36,361	0.64	0 / 21	0

Notes[]

^ "Teachers' union calls for rally over arrest of ANTARSYA protester (in English)". Kathimerini. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
^ Alexander, Anila (5 April 2012). "Violent Protests Erupt In Greece After Pensioner Kills Himself Over Debt, Called For Greeks To 'Hang Traitors' At The Square [VIDEO + PHOTOS]". International Business Times. Retrieved 13 June 2020. Petros Constantinou, an organizer for the left wing Antarsya group that participated in Wednesday's protests, told the Washington Post that the very public nature of the act -and the fact that it was done in front of Parliament- made it political.
^ "Greek retiree's suicide prompts new protest plans". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2020. It was clearly a political act," said Petros Constantinou, organizer for the left wing Antarsya group that participated in Wednesday's protests. "The fact that a person reached the point of giving his life to change the situation shows ... where the policies of austerity and poverty have brought people.
^ Kouvelakis, Stathis (11 June 2019). "Syriza's Failure Has Hurt Us All". Jacobin. Retrieved 13 June 2020. Varoufakis’s success and the relatively honorable score for Kostantopoulou only make the defeats for Popular Unity (a political front created in the summer of 2015 by Syriza’s Left Platform after it left the party) and Antarsya (the far-left coalition founded in 2009) more painful, especially for the former, not least in a contest in which the pressure to vote tactically for bigger parties is much lesser than in a national-level general election.
^ Baboulias, Yiannis; Seth-Smith, Niki (3 July 2015). "Letter from Athens: Greece divided over exit as anarchists and neo-Nazis wait in the wings". International Business Times. Athens. Retrieved 13 June 2020. In February, the far-left Antarsya group called on the wider left to "co-ordinate their forces and to invite workers, the people and youth and put up a large movement against the agreement".
^ Kouvelakis, Stathis. "Syriza's Rise and Fall". New Left Review. Retrieved 13 June 2020. The far-left Antarsya coalition has some potentially very interesting activists and could have contributed, but they were too sectarian.
^ Georgiopoulou, Tania (10 May 2017). "More than 2,500 refugees live in Athens squats". Kathimerini. Retrieved 13 June 2020. At the same time, the municipal council spokesman for the far-left ANTARSYA party, Petros Constantinou, said the money raised from the squat's one-year anniversary events will be used to pay the “former owner's” workers money that is owed to them.
^ Tassos Anastassiadis. "On January 31, the Greek anti-capitalist left will launch the perspective of its convergence!". International Viewpoint No. 408 - January 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
^ Γιατί αποχωρήσαμε από την ΑΝΤΑΡΣΥΑ (in Greek). Οργάνωση Κομμουνιστών Διεθνιστών Ελλάδας. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
^ Hardy, S & Cooper, L (2002) Beyond Capitalism?: The Future of Radical Politics
^ Andreas Sartzekis. "Greece:The Right is routed in the legislative elections". International Viewpoint No. 417 - October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
^ "EEK and ANTARSYA join forces for snap elections in Greece".

External links[]

Antarsya website

[1] "Teachers' union calls for rally over arrest of ANTARSYA protester (in English)". Kathimerini. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.

[2] Alexander, Anila (5 April 2012). "Violent Protests Erupt In Greece After Pensioner Kills Himself Over Debt, Called For Greeks To 'Hang Traitors' At The Square [VIDEO + PHOTOS]". International Business Times. Retrieved 13 June 2020. Petros Constantinou, an organizer for the left wing Antarsya group that participated in Wednesday's protests, told the Washington Post that the very public nature of the act -and the fact that it was done in front of Parliament- made it political.

[3] "Greek retiree's suicide prompts new protest plans". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2020. It was clearly a political act," said Petros Constantinou, organizer for the left wing Antarsya group that participated in Wednesday's protests. "The fact that a person reached the point of giving his life to change the situation shows ... where the policies of austerity and poverty have brought people.

[4] Kouvelakis, Stathis (11 June 2019). "Syriza's Failure Has Hurt Us All". Jacobin. Retrieved 13 June 2020. Varoufakis’s success and the relatively honorable score for Kostantopoulou only make the defeats for Popular Unity (a political front created in the summer of 2015 by Syriza’s Left Platform after it left the party) and Antarsya (the far-left coalition founded in 2009) more painful, especially for the former, not least in a contest in which the pressure to vote tactically for bigger parties is much lesser than in a national-level general election.

[5] Baboulias, Yiannis; Seth-Smith, Niki (3 July 2015). "Letter from Athens: Greece divided over exit as anarchists and neo-Nazis wait in the wings". International Business Times. Athens. Retrieved 13 June 2020. In February, the far-left Antarsya group called on the wider left to "co-ordinate their forces and to invite workers, the people and youth and put up a large movement against the agreement".

[6] Kouvelakis, Stathis. "Syriza's Rise and Fall". New Left Review. Retrieved 13 June 2020. The far-left Antarsya coalition has some potentially very interesting activists and could have contributed, but they were too sectarian.

[7] Georgiopoulou, Tania (10 May 2017). "More than 2,500 refugees live in Athens squats". Kathimerini. Retrieved 13 June 2020. At the same time, the municipal council spokesman for the far-left ANTARSYA party, Petros Constantinou, said the money raised from the squat's one-year anniversary events will be used to pay the “former owner's” workers money that is owed to them.

[8] Tassos Anastassiadis. "On January 31, the Greek anti-capitalist left will launch the perspective of its convergence!". International Viewpoint No. 408 - January 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-04.

[9] Γιατί αποχωρήσαμε από την ΑΝΤΑΡΣΥΑ (in Greek). Οργάνωση Κομμουνιστών Διεθνιστών Ελλάδας. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2011.

[10] Hardy, S & Cooper, L (2002) Beyond Capitalism?: The Future of Radical Politics

[11] Andreas Sartzekis. "Greece:The Right is routed in the legislative elections". International Viewpoint No. 417 - October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-05.

[12] "EEK and ANTARSYA join forces for snap elections in Greece".

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]