Greek Tragedy By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photos: AFP Photo
Life in Athens, Greece came to a halt and violence erupted as a general strike was in full swing as part of a second day of non compromise. Store windows were broken and looting entailed at a mass anti-government rally. Gasoline bombs were thrown at riot police who were trying to keep some semblance of order but instead were forced to respond with tear gas and stun grenades. At least fourteen officers were hospitalized.
Close to 10,000 people could be seen marching through the Greek capital of Athens. This was by far the largest protest in years.
Wednesday’s strike grounded international and domestic flights, disrupted public transportation and shut down schools and places of business. Workers from all sectors of life walked off the job as part of the largest movement to bring about change and better reform. Buses, trolleys and the Athens metro had to keep running for a portion of the day.
At one point, the crowd topped close to 70,000 protestors. Garbage is piled high on street corners as a result of the strike. Not only was Athens the scene of protest but Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece, was also a mad scene.
To complicate matters, International Creditors need to see some evident reform before they will even consider providing the remainder of the bailout package for the economically ailing nation. Without this money, Greece may be out of money within a month. Public debt now totals 162% of the gross domestic product. Greek lawmakers have rushed to initially approve a new measure with tax hikes, further pension and salary cuts and the suspension on reduced pay of 30,000 public servants and the suspension of collective labor contracts. Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos explained the dire necessity of passing this measure to avoid a catastrophic situation.
Protestors converged on the square in front of the Parliament building angrily chanting, banging drums and indignant to accept the new measure. A communist party-backed union is threatening to surround the Parliament building on Thursday so that deputies will not be able to enter the building to vote on the measure.
Protesting civil servants have staged rounds of sit-ins at government buildings. The Finance Minister is hoping for a definitive solution to this ongoing crisis after a European summit meeting scheduled for Sunday in Brussels.
Sadly, the beauty of the city is heavily masked by all this tragedy and economic unrest.
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