 In January 2015, after five years of economic, social and political turmoil, the people of Greece voted for a revolution. They brought to power a Syriza, a radical left party that promised to put an end to the failing economic policies imposed by the EU and the IMF, the so-called Troika, that were crushing their country. After six months of negotiations, it became clear that the Troika was not interested in reaching an agreement. Indeed, they weren't even interested in getting their money back. All they wanted was Greece's submission and the looting of its public property for the sake of big private interests, further impoverishing a people already on their knees and locking the country in a permanent debt prison. So, in July 2015, a referendum was held to determine whether the party that was elected to oppose these policies should finally submit to them. Following an intense propaganda campaign in favour of yes, organised by establishment-owned media and amidst fear fuelled by the closure of the country's banks by the European Central Bank, the answer came back, a resounding ohi. No. Tragically, this historic referendum result was betrayed by Syriza. What followed was one of the most significant defeats for the left in recent years, the total surrender of the Greek government to the Troika, despite their people's clear instruction to resist. It is with this momentous defeat that our story of hope begins. We went to meet some of those who did not see Syriza's surrender as their own and discussed with them how their continued struggle led them to DM-25. Doctors, artists, teachers, farmers, students from across the country who since 2015 had been searching for the place where the hope betrayed by Syriza was still alive. This story, the story of DM-25 in Greece, is their story. It was difficult, for sure. I told you, it was a huge mistake that Syriza did, who did not like to hear these people talking about Syriza and what they were saying about it. We tried, we followed, we did a great mistake. Unfortunately, what we did was a failure. We have tried a great mistake, but it is still going on. And when we saw all the change, when Syriza came to the government, I personally felt sorry for Yannis Varoufakis and I believed in him a lot. And I remember, as he said, that it was not ready for Tsipras to turn the phone off in the middle of Europe and do what he had to do, it was better not to go out. Yannis Varoufakis was right. Association with Syriza, no matter how well intended, stigmatized many politicians. For none was this backlash harsher than for Yannis Varoufakis, the finance minister at the time and head of the Greek negotiation team, who was used as a scapegoat for the government's decision to ignore the referendum result. Undermining political figures is easy in Greece. Trust in politicians was at rock bottom even before Syriza's betrayal. The damage done by Syriza was not just to Greece's hopes of economic recovery or to the chances for reform of the European Union, but against the people's very self-confidence, their belief in change and the power of their democracy to deliver it. We live in Greece for two years now. This is the right thing to do. We have to find a way to change the way we live. Just because people did not believe in political parties did not make them apathetic. Many were still on the lookout for ways to express their political views, and the answer for some came in the shape of a pan-European political movement, launched across the continent and aimed at bringing real democracy to Europe. DiEM25. We were many, many people who wanted to work with us. We wanted to do what we did with Greece. We started talking about the problems of the region, about the struggles that were born. It was very, very important. We were talking about the lack of support. We started talking about the lack of support of the people, both in the past and in other parties. Parties, basically. And when the new wave came, we were talking on the internet about the economy, about the people of the movement. People came to see us. I lived in Barcelona for many years, for 15 years. And there, I worked as a doctor, and I worked in some companies in the hospital, the hospital and the hospital. When I decided to come back, I was somehow socially isolated. I had a personal movement, to find people who had the same ideas with me, to form a group, to do something together. And the second thing was that when I was in Barcelona, I already knew DiEM25. Thanks to Anta Colau, I voted for Anta Colau, I supported Barcelona ENCOMU. I had made some statements of DiEM25 in Barcelona. So I followed them on Facebook. And when I saw a call for an interview here in Thessaloniki, I decided to come too. And finally, it went very well. I met my colleagues there. I saw that in the ideological level and as if people were very close to me, so I continued. The policy that has been followed in Europe for the last few years is with some changes above the same. That is, it is political activity, very hard, extreme capitalism and new free will, let's say so. We see that companies have been financed either in Germany or in the US. German companies have been financed either by French companies, Greek companies or other companies, which means that the problem is pan-European. I would say the problem is more global. In 10 to 20 days, when it goes to Greece, it will go to France, to Germany, to Denmark. And I would say that we have the same problems. The same problems. The whole country is in Greece, the whole country is in France, the small and the big. But usually the solutions that we find in very important problems require synergy, many products from many countries. Can't Greece be the only one to solve some issues, such as the economic issue, such as the environmental issue, very important, even the transition. It is not something that should be handled by Greece alone. So yes, the solution should be pan-European and I think that in the DEM25 this opinion is expressed. As DEM25's strategy and politics on these pressing issues became more concrete, its members voted for the creation of a new tool to pursue their goals. Electoral wings, branches of the movement responsible for engaging in electoral activities on behalf of DEM25. In Greece, DEM25's electoral wing is called Mera 25. When I started being very happy, I created a group in the south of Asia, very creative, very interesting, we worked very hard, then it became Mera, from the beginning I was happy and satisfied with Mera, because the party is still unable to leave the process. I said, OK, DEM25 is there and Mera is there to listen to another voice in the parliament. The difference is that now with the original DEM and with Mera 25 more, at least in the topical level, I found a party that I could avoid, because so far it was all to leave my head, so it was a bit difficult to find where to go without having problems. I think that Mera 25 covered this and starting from DEM Mera 25 also came to the parliament. Initially, it became a movement and this movement decided to have an electoral wing. How does this movement seem to you? It was not a change, I think it is a logical continuation. A movement presents an idea, but essentially it is based on the electoral wing. No one is allowed to have a movement that simply shares ideas if you can Now, the fact that those who came only for Mera 25 to understand, to search and to find, or us to give them to understand that Mera 25 is not alone, yes, there is a place to do a lot of work. As we all know, Greece is in a state of debt fraud. It is something that everyone is accepting and in these cases Greece must change and this change must be made by the victims. That is, everyone must try to do something better. Therefore, I consider the issue of Europe and Greece to be transparent and it is not a coincidence that Mera 25 is also the only party which, of course, deals with other parties, but with the 9th party it is the only Greek party which is part of a European party. And it is the only party in my opinion which, as it is expressed in Europe and in Europe there is a change in Europe and not in the money that we know now. This is the case of Mera 25 if it manages, of course, to break this wall this perception that nothing is happening. How is it not happening? A mistake is happening. Ideas for a new type of society what we want is what we want. If we close a part of society and put in the context the words, I say this because to get rid of ideas, of course, they have not lived what each person has lived to be able to have the rights and, of course, follow the rules of the writers. What is written, what is done, that's what we are going to do. There are no such things. Society has needs, it has many things which must be removed and become, to reach its own. Through DM 25 and Mera 25 many people found a political home where they could be heard and experience in stark contrast to the state of politics in Greece. Yannis just mentioned the word ariste, meaning excellent or elites in Greek a word popularized by the current right-wing government which presents itself as the return of the ariste to power. Another way of putting it would be the return of aristocracy after 10 years of austerity and political oppression Greece is straying ever further from democracy. If you are listening, our theme is based only on the pre-election and whatever else you can imagine that you are doing but all that is closed creates a gap in which only bad things can be done in our health and it is not so economical. It is impossible in the northern city of the country but I think that it does not know much about this and it is cyclical. The negotiations the period of negotiations the activities of the two countries both in Turkey and in Greece represent some pressure we have the example of the Cypriot in the past which creates activities of the two countries that have suffered a lot. If today we do not have so much pressure some groups try to use this situation and pressure the authorities. I believe that the authorities should not use as a diplomatic means and governments and the media should be very careful about this. If I am not mistaken they were refugees what does it mean to be a refugee and what does it mean to be a refugee? I was born with a baby from my mother-in-law her mother-in-law where she was a soldier she was 19 years old they were found after a long search in Thessaloniki and we were also in Thessaloniki I have experiences that hurt the whole city and that is a reason that I am more involved in all that is happening. Especially after Christmas they start to leave us in some circumstances until they arrive here and I am really surprised by a lot of communication I was in Daxi and I heard the compressor outside that hit the cement suddenly all the hands were raised and some came out of the window some came out of the back to hide because I thought it was a conspiracy I am telling you and I am starting really because I have never cut my eye and suddenly I realized that a child is running and they are trying to protect me because I saw his face of course this is untrue I am like a child who lives in Greece and I am from Greece and fortunately I have grown up here but how much more for a child? It will seem crazy to him and I have decided to take them out and show them where this sound comes from so that they are safe In 2019 with the European and national elections around the corner and with hardly any financial resources to push its message out but the party was rich in another way it was supported by people like Cristiana, Yannis, Ali and many others like them in Greece and across Europe who gave their all to make sure Mera25's voice, their voice could be heard loud and clear in parliament I went down to the national elections and it was a very positive experience and it had a very good result and in difficult conditions for you in difficult conditions? in difficult conditions I was 6 months old I was 7 years old so it had a crack because when I announced it to my family they looked at me you are crazy something like that it went well as I told you it was unbelievable the speed it was a race that we achieved it wow, how did this happen but you who came back to Greece you have written many thousands for you I think the race was even bigger I was still as passionate about it as a year ago when they were in the streets and squares of the country campaigning for it in the end there must be people from all social classes from all social levels and to represent both in the organization and in decisions or at least in ideas for decisions the strange thing is that while we still have a democratic base we all take decisions about what will happen we vote and so on but the base the Greek media we have a group called the Varoufaki group and as they are representing us I don't know if anything has been done or almost anything for all the work that has been done this year as long as the vote is done about what Giannis did and where he went and what kind of media he went they have a lot of choices which are not called by the changes not just because they don't allow them to but also because they don't believe them I think that for us realists it has been accepted by the media and by the changes it is the only group that in this time has put the theoretical base so that at some point we understand what is happening because you know that the truth hurts and we all know that but on top of that maybe it is the end of the month for the first time as a base for something different for the day I see it very positive it has done very good work and we who collaborated with the parliamentarians and with the whole organization we went through a lot of issues the parliamentarians how many parliamentarians are in Greece when the others are 151 3 parliamentarians for each region 1 parliamentarian for 30 regions I know I have not been given any an opportunity for my choice I am very happy from the fact that all the values of the parliament have become fundamental they continue to be fundamental without having a political cost maybe it is a mistake but I like the fact that all the commitments that we make in terms of equality coincide exactly with the DEM's spirit with all the ideas reached the point with Turkey the problem with the Euro we said we would open in time we should open in time that is what we want not only for Greece there is only a part that has 50-50 parliamentarians but it is 50-50 at all levels when you take decisions from our meetings the meetings where 50-50 take the word women and men and in the how important their voice is and this is something very funny especially for the Greek citizens because women in parliament are very few we are the only exception and of course there is a big issue with women's violence we hear things every day there must be a political representation as positive as the first year has been for Mera 25 the party's job is only just beginning in a country facing so many unresolved issues which have been exacerbated by the pandemic the pandemic has brought the problem Covid has brought the problem to the health always for the past 10 years they have solved the health and when we talk about health we are talking about the people the gift the gift of health the gift of health that the Greek citizens have has solved they have solved the health the citizens have the power the power the youth they have left the doctors are a bit stupid the doctors must be called today the doctors themselves to cover the pandemic and the tactical situations and the common diseases it will not happen it will not happen what the pandemic has given I think is fear not the fear of the pandemic but the fear of a second economic crisis that has never happened it is a second wave we have a giant debt it is unbearable we are in a friendly debt that needs to be solved and the economic decisions are not taken from people who don't care about the economic development of the country but their own policy despite all the difficulties Mera25 and its members continue to challenge the notion that there is no alternative by daring to imagine an ambitious and positive future for Greece and the rest of Europe I consider a region that has a huge debt that needs to be produced for Georgia and the rest of the world is one of the great weapons that the Greek economy needs and not so much for the majority because we can't reach bad habits neither the Russian stars nor the good pockets of the EU nor the European Union we have huge expenses we can't reach sustainability let's move on to the green transition which I imagine as a complete circle production of new circles and returns in the environment to produce a few biologically biologically the more environmentally friendly products to deliver the new energy the energy in the countries or in the countries where you speak of production you have a fixed income that's what you will do the first move was this because when you forget a person that he has a plate of food and a few vegetables comes out the creative part comes out the dream comes out what he wanted to do he wanted to do it because he was part of a group he gave the opportunity for the children to study to get a good education for the women to see how many people come to the house the election of Mera 25 opened many new ways for the politics of the movement and the party to be advanced one of these is through the foundation of a research institute associated with the party which is the capitalist civilization it's a national center it's basically the whole of Europe and not only the members of our digital community open in the DM but also open in the progressive national our goal is to share the phenomenon of capitalization because of the capitalization all the money is a national center and there we hope that we will be able to study first and then capitalism in contrast to the classical let's say the findings of other parties this finding will be achieved in something very primitive in the civilization in the development of art but also in the civilization as a way of life passion and their skills and channeled them towards something constructive who dare to believe that alternatives are still possible even in Greece especially in Greece when DM 25 started establishing parties across Europe it did so with the promise that each time an electoral wing was created it would not be just another political party it would be a tool for people across the continent to stand for what they believe in and replace the system and a set of politicians that have abandoned them those we met on our visit showed us not only that that promise is kept in Greece but that if DM 25 has any chance of saving Europe from itself this is it look at his tattoos trying to promote himself a piece of work or fight for the image of the city this is his work if he doesn't do that, it's not worth it