"Man is the measure of all things: of the things that are, that they are, of the things that are not, that they are not." -- Protagoras Under these principles, democracy was created 2,500 years ago. Democracy was born out of need. The need of liberation from tyrannical regimes. The need of human liberation from centuries of oligarchy, absolutism, obscurantism. In the 2,500 years that followed, the setbacks were countless. There were some regimes that referred to themselves as "democracies," but only used this as a cover to impose absolutism.
These enemies sowed economic, political and environmental dictatorships in the name of "democracy," always creating enemies out of the general public and with the end goals of money and power. The current Greek government, which resulted from the January 25th elections, was also born out of need, the Greek people's need to get rid of politics that make "money holy and blessed."
In the name of balance sheets, the previous government threw away, like needless numbers, people and their needs.
The current government was born by the need for more democracy, by the need for politics in which 'people are the measure.'
In need of democratic expression, the government announced a referendum for July 5th. At a critical time, the government did the obvious: It requested that the Greek people judge the government, give direction to the government, and reward or criticize the government.
Unfortunately, we have heard from creditor-serving politicians who call the referendum a coup.
The choice has been given to the people, yet critics call it "division." The referendum is an option that they themselves never dared offer. For them a vote based on blackmail was enough, so that they could decide for everyone and for everything.
"We are Europe," they yell. Yes, Europe is the one that carries out referendums sometimes even for simple issues, so simple that in post-dictatorship Greece they don't even make headlines.
The Greek people spoke many times during the five years of the memorandum. They bled, they inhaled chemicals, they were faced with violence and mockery from the political personnel that for four decades now has used power in many ways, but never according to the principle "the measure of all money is people."
In these past five years, the Greeks felt neglected from this particular political system and expressed the need to breathe freely. They've finally decided to do so. And they see now that their decision is not accepted by the same political system. What does it matter if the European people revolt? Everything, depending on your traditions and values.
The contempt levied from opposition parties and the private sector towards the Greek people is intense and degrading on a daily basis. In this hour of the most crucial battle, this contempt is against the interests of the country and the interests of its people. It unleashes an attack meant to terrorize the people. It invokes the interventions of foreigners, it tries to create fear and panic, and to shift the problem to new levels.
In response, we didn't hear a word on austerity, on unemployment, on malnutrition, on the migration of young people abroad, on the thousands of suicides related to economic reasons. Instead, the only thing we hear is that the banking system remains unprotected.
The supporters of Troika have revealed themselves. They are not interested in the Greek people; they are interested in the banking system. We hear views like, "Banks are the backbone of the national economy." But we don't hear anything concerning the Greek people who suffer.
The Greek people, however, know what they will do.
This post originally appeared on HuffPost Greece and was translated into English.