Thousands hold anti-austerity protest in Greece
Thousands of people have held a demonstration in Greece against the country’s international creditors which demand that the Greek government impose austerity measures in return for bailouts.
The protesters gathered in the Greek capital, Athens, on Wednesday ahead of a meeting between the country’s leaders and eurozone finance ministers in Luxembourg.
They called on the anti-austerity leftist government in Greece to reject the demands made by the troika of lenders – the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Commission.
The demonstrators also held banners accusing the European Union (EU) of being “blackmailers.”
The protests come shortly after the Greek Central Bank warned that the country could possibly be forced to exit the eurozone and the EU over its failure to strike a deal with creditors.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has criticized the reform proposals presented by the lenders as being “irrational.” The creditors have also so far rejected the proposals made by Greece.
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said earlier that Athens would not present new proposals during the upcoming meeting in Luxembourg, which is being viewed as a last push for a deal.
Athens has been in negotiations with the troika for five months, but has so far failed to reach a deal to unlock the final €7.2 billion ($8.1 billion) of the country’s promised bailout.
Similar protests were held last week when demonstrators occupied the Finance Ministry building in Athens in protest at the new austerity measures dictated by international creditors.
If Athens fails to repay some €1.5bn to the IMF by the end of the month, it will have no choice but to default on its loans.
Greece received two bailouts worth a total of €240 billion ($272 billion) from the troika in 2010 and 2012, following its 2009 economic crisis.
SZH/HJL/GHN
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