The key purpose of this rally was to bring together Greeks and Philhellenes of Melbourne in a peaceful demonstration of love, support and solidarity towards the Greek people who are going through a very difficult time. Our goal was to show the world that we “Stand with Greece” no matter the outcome of the referendum. Importantly, we wanted the Greek people to know that they were not alone in this critical and historic juncture.

We can confidently say that the rally was a success as it achieved all of the aims that it set out to achieve. Up to 1000 people from both Greek and non-Greek backgrounds braved the cold and rainy Melbourne weather to attend and show their support to the Greek people. Most were from the younger Greek generation.

Whilst, this was an open and apolitical rally, many people who attended supported a “No” outcome in the referendum. The voice of “no” to further austerity was clearly heard. Similar turnouts occurred in rallies throughout the country over the weekend, where most people who attended those rallies also supported this notion.

It’s important to emphasise that at the core of these rallies were individuals who took the initiative to show their support to Greece, and to also show their unity with other Greek-Australian communities for this common purpose. These were truly rallies organised by the people and for the people. No organisations were responsible for organising any of them, although the Greek Ambassadors did support the event in Melbourne. For individuals to mobilise gatherings of more than 1500 people around Australia in only 4 days, and with no formal advertising, is no mean feat!

The rallies were reported in major Greek media outlets and hundreds of thank you messages were received from grateful Greeks back in Greece. The events were also congratulated by the Ambassador of Greece to Australia, the honourable Mr Dafaranos who applauded the collective effort around Australia.

The Greek Ambassadors have been very active in supporting Greece and the Greek people during the financial and social crisis since their inception in 2012, and will continue to do so in the future.