An excerpt from Alexis Tsipras’ final election rally speech at Heraklion, in Crete

“Greece is before everything else, the men and women who give it life. As our dear Manolis Glezos [the legendary man who in 1941 climbed the Acropolis to tear down the German Swastika flag and who today is MEP and MP for Syriza] has often told us:

“Do you hear the noise? It is history knocking on our door!” I call you all today to open that door through which comes our struggles, our dreams, justice, dignity. A people which have battled during five years against wild beasts, a people which has passed through iron and through iron at many times in its history, a people which has not buckled or bent is a people who know how to fight and who know how to win. And it will win!

I call you to struggle together to the end! I am certain that we will prevail, with courage and confidence in ourselves.

“Liberty demands virtue and audacity” [the words of the poet Andreas Kalvos, 1792-1869], we are going to conquer! We will win! On Sunday we will make history!”

Translated by Stathis Kouvelakis (into French) and Richard Drayton (into English).