Thousands of people flooded central Athens Sunday evening on the fifth day of protests against government austerity policies after an online campaign.
About 100,000 people assembled in the Greek capital’s central Syntagma Square, responding to calls on social networking sites for gatherings across Europe to demand “real democracy”.
Below the parliament building, protesters held a placard claiming “poverty is the greatest abuse” while others beat empty pots, chanting “thieves”.
Although political parties and trade unions are not involved, they are most certainly aware that the latest, gloomy press reports regarding the country’s fiscal crisis could spark off another new wave of protests. Similar demonstrations, a result of the Facebook internet invitation are taking place in other major cities around the country. They too, are expected to continue over the next few days.
Protesters from all walks of life have crowded the streets around Syntagma square making it impossible for vehicles to enter the area. However, the protest has been until now, a peaceful one. Amongst the crowds, there was a mixed reaction to my question, “What are you expecting to happen here?”. One 68 year old pensioner commented, ‘I feel by coming here today, I’m demonstrating my rights to speak out against the harsh series of measures taken by the government.” “Myself and my wife, have lived through a lot, but today, I’m here for my grandchildren, so that they may grow up in a country to be proud of and not have to suffer a lifetime of insecurities.”
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
