Yahoo – AFP,
29 June 2015
Athens
(AFP) - Some 17,000 people took to the streets of Athens and Thessaloniki on
Monday to say 'No' in an upcoming referendum on the latest bailout proposals,
accusing Greece's international creditors of blackmail.
"Our
lives do not belong to the creditors!" read banners held aloft by
demonstrators, many of whom support Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and said they
would heed his call to vote against the latest deal in Sunday's referendum --
despite risks it could send the country crashing out of the eurozone.
"The
people of Greece have made many sacrifices. What interests me is not the euro
but guaranteeing a dignified way of life for the next generations,"
50-year-old Vanguelis Tseres, who has been unemployed since the start of the
debt crisis in 2010, told AFP in Syntagma square in the capital.
European
leaders had earlier Monday pleaded with Greek voters to back the hotly disputed
bailout proposals or face leaving the euro.
European
Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned Greeks they "shouldn't choose
suicide just because you are afraid of death," urging them to vote 'Yes'
as a 'No' vote would be a no to Europe.
But Loula
Bakrina, a petite blonde, said she "will say no because I want my children
to be free."
Police
estimated some 13,000 people were gathered in front of parliament in Athens,
with another 4,000 in Thessaloniki, the country's second largest city.
A counter-demonstration
in favour of the bailout deal was due to be held on Tuesday -- the same day the
country's current bailout deal expires and it is expected to default on a key
debt payment.
"Today,
those who stand tall are here. Tomorrow it will be those on all fours,"
demonstrator Trintafilos said, mocking people expected to gather in Syntagma in
a rally against the government's handling of the crisis.
Tsipras
shocked EU leaders by announcing his intention to put the latest bailout offer
to a popular vote, effectively thrusting a stick in the negotiation wheels
despite a June 30 deadline to repay money to the International Monetary Fund
(IMF).
The radical
left, which came to power in January promising a new bailout deal, insists
Greece has suffered enough austerity, with Tsipras accusing international
creditors of wanting to "humiliate" the country.
Greece has
already endured five years of recession, while unemployment has more than
doubled from since 2009 to 25.6 percent this year and pensions and benefits
have been roughly halved.
"All
these years we've being saying yes, it's about time we say something different,
just to see what happens," said artist Andonia Klogirou, demonstrating in
Athens.
Nearby,
teacher Pinalope Sinodinou said she would vote no at the referendum "so we
can have our dignity back. We want to be able to have our own opinions, not
ones that are forced upon us."
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