In Germany the news of the Greek referendum was greeted with a mix of frustration, bewilderment and solidarity. After Greeks answered with a
ADVERTISEMENTIn Germany the news of the Greek referendum was greeted with a mix of frustration, bewilderment and solidarity.
After Greeks answered with a resounding No it has left some Germans with many more questions.
In the town of Aachen one woman expressed her astonishment at the result saying, “I have the feeling that Greece wants to leave the EU. I don’t know the reasons for this. I don’t understand why is must be like this. And why they need to celebrate. I don’t understand it at all.”
A survey conducted in March showed how German attitudes had hardened towards Greece, with more than 52% of people saying Athens should leave the eurozone. Another Aachen resident exclaims, “They need to grow up and take responsibility for themselves. They should not rely on others.”
However, not everyone was of the same opinion. The left-wing Die Linke party welcomed the No as a victory for democracy. Euronews reporter Sandor Zsiros in Aachen concluded:
“My impression today filming in Germany was that the locals were not happy to speak about the Greek referendum results. But it might represent the views of the country’s Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schauble, who is taking a hard line on Greece and who has an approval rating of around 70 percent.”