Greek elderly demand return of their slashed pensions
Thousands of elderly Greeks have staged a protest against more pension cuts in Greece, demanding the return of their slashed pensions.
Retirees from across the country took to the streets of the capital Athens on Saturday, blocking central avenues.
Using shepherd's crooks and zimmer frames, the pensioners said they would continue protesting until their pensions are restored to what they were before the cuts.
"The money they stole from us that we worked for with blood and sweat all these years they have to give it back. It's not possible that people who worked with dignity for so many years to reach a point where they don't have one euro to go to the cafe and have a cup of coffee. It's inhuman, it's grotesque," said Kostas Chorianopoulos, a pensioner from Naxos island.
Another retiree, Dimos Koubouris, said, “We are totally against this and all previous government policies that have caused our pensions to evaporate. We are on the streets because we have paid for these pensions and all we get in return are crumbs.”
Pensioners have seen earnings shrink by up to 40 percent cumulatively since Greece first sought a financial lifeline from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund in 2010.
From early 2010 to mid-2018, Greece relied on more than 260 billion euros (about 300 billion dollars) lent by its eurozone partners and the IMF.
Athens has agreed to cut pension spending after its current bailout expires in 2018. It has sought to implement the cuts gradually, over two or three years.
The protest comes despite Greece's parliament voting on a motion to scrap plans to further cut state pensions.
The protesters described as “crumbs” the Tuesday voting on the motion led by the leftist governing coalition, which is said to be attempting to shore up its flagging support ahead of general elections next year.
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