"Cancellation of the Memorandum of financial support" was the slogan of the civil servants who were again on the streets of Athens and Thessaloniki to protest against the economic policy of the government of PASOK. All state institutions in Greece were closed for 24 hours - tax offices, post offices, schools, social security funds, customs offices, etc. Public hospitals operated with reduced staff and airports were closed for flights between 3 pm to 7 pm. Angry Greeks gathered again to protest against the policy of the government of George Papandreou, but the strikers’ enthusiasm known from the winter of 2010 seemed to vanish.
“I am on strike, because they haven’t paid me the night duties from Easter on," said particularly to GRReporter a nurse of 25 years work experience. She held a small banner in her hands. It pictured the Deputy Prime Minister Thodoris Pangalos, and it read next to his effigy: "Fat man, we did not eat it (the money) – we just pay the bill!" This collage was the response of ordinary Greeks to the statement of the Deputy Prime Minister that the entire nation “ate” the money of bankrupt state, not just the politicians. The nurse said that after the implementation of the stringent economic measures imposed after the signing of the Memorandum for financial support between Greece and the IMF, the ECB and the European Commission, her salary was reduced significantly and overtime hours have not been paid for months.
The protest in the capital began with a rally on Klatmonos Square from where the strikers went on a protest march along the already familiar route to the Parliament on Syntagma Square. Among the discontent citizens there were students from the high schools in the capital. They had posters with slogans as: "Students and workers - in one voice, one fist." The average age of the unruly teenagers was 16 years. To the question "What brought you here today?" they answered that their friends that are already members of various leftist organizations have organized them.
Most of the children at the protest seemed confused and not quite sure in their role in the strike of the civil servants. After some time of searching, GRReporter found a more active youth. He introduced himself as Orestis at the age of 17 who said in the voice of a future leftist leader: "We, the students, support our teachers who suffer from the policies imposed by the government and the International Monetary Fund. We are against redundancies, salary cuts and demand free education for all."
According to data submitted by the school unions, 17,000 teachers have stayed out the lists of teachers in public schools in the new school year. To declare their commitment, the secondary students decided to boycott the system and many public schools were occupied on Thursday, October 7. The Young Orestis said he is fighting for the repeal of the Memorandum for financial support and to the question of what his parents think of the participation of students in the strike, he said: "They support the fight because they themselves are working people. Some also participate in the strike, various reasons prevented others but they all are united against the policy pursued today."
Representatives of all age groups were at the protest. A representative of the Union of Pensioners in Greece spoke from the platform on the Klatmonos square, who said that all should unite together today – today’s workers are tomorrow's pensioners and the future is built today. He opposed the barbaric economic policy and called for rebellion. What he did not mention in his speech was that the elderly who receive monthly over 2000 euros suffered the most of the pension cuts this spring. They were deprived of 13th and 14th pension. The rest who receive a pension lower than this amount were cut the additional benefits - 200 euros for the Easter holidays and the month of August and 400 euros for Christmas.
The protest march passed near the building of the Ministry of Finance, where some strikers shouted "thieves, thieves!" The protesters gathered in front of the parliament, where they stayed for about an hour, but once it started to rain the protesters thinned down and dispersed.
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