Protests reflect Greek feeling on rescue terms

As dusk settled across Athens on Wednesday the hopes of a bright economic dawn to follow were dismissed by protesters who raised their voices against the spending cuts which are set to be imposed.

Several thousand snaked into central square in front of the national assembly where riot police were braced for a repeat of the riots 10 days ago.

Prime Minister Lucas Papademos went on national television to brief President Karolos Papoulias ahead of a private meeting.

“I would like to stress that the decisions taken in Brussels and those that remain to be taken in Athens will create conditions for growth and the recovery of the Greek economy,” the prime minister told reporters following his meeting with the president.

Pensioners were among those who vented their anger and marched on parliament.

The latest move, following the reform of the system will see supplemental pensions reduced by around 12 percent.

One pensioner, Christos Tsiklias summed up the mood when he said: “The Greek people are suffering. Pensioners and workers are trying to survive, they have nothing left but to come out onto the streets and show their opposition to all these things that are happening.”

Doctors and medical workers have called for a 24 hour strike on Thursday when hospitals will operate with skeleton staffing.

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