'There's no more left to cut. We can't take anymore'
"That's enough, we can't take it anymore." That was the chant coming from protesters in Athens yesterday during the latest 24-hour general strike against the country's austerity measures.
Teachers and doctors joined bank employees to demonstrate against a new round of expected cuts as the cash-strapped country continued to negotiate new reductions in spending to keep the economy afloat.
Several thousand demonstrators from the public and private-sector unions braved the heavy rainfall, gathering outside parliament to voice their opposition at the latest proposed measures to secure a €130bn bailout package.
Anger
Minor clashes broke out when protesters tried to remove a cordon near the parliament building. Police sprayed tear gas and strikers' anger intensified overnight when a further 15,000 job cuts were announced.
Since the onset of the crisis, the austerity drive has sent unemployment to a record high of 18.2pc and the country's finances into a spiral of recession. Despite the deepening pain, crowds at protests have increasingly dwindled.
"People are scared and haven't really realised what's happening yet," George Pantsios, an electrician for the country's public power corporation, said. He has only been receiving half of his €850 monthly wage since August.
"But once we all lose our jobs and can't feed our kids, that's when it'll go boom and we'll turn into Tahrir Square."
Irish Independent
