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Greek anti-austerity protesters join pan-European action day
Greek protesters took to the streets of Athens on Wednesday, joining the pan-European action day of strikes and protestsagainst austerity policies imposed by governments to tacklethe international debt crisis.
The latest rally in Athens was held a week after the Greekparliament ratified a third round of spending cuts and tax hikes since 2010 aimed at slashingdeficits and putting government finances back on track.
After a Euro Group meeting on Monday, officials granted Greece a two-year extension to carry outits fiscal adjustment program but withheld the disbursement of 31.5 billion euros (40 billion U.S. dollars) tranche of loans from European Union and International Monetary Fund creditors, causinggrowing frustration in Athens.
With the country's cash reserves almost dry, the government took emergency steps such asissuing short-term treasury bills to bridge financing gaps and avert a chaotic bankruptcy.
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Greek protesters at Syntagma square called for different approaches to resolve the crisis, sayingausterity had dragged Greece deep into recession and poverty.
"We say change will not come from governments, but from people on the streets, from workers. That's why we are here again today -- to resist the barbaric measures promoted by the EuropeanUnion, troika, the government, capitalists, in the framework of solidarity with peoples acrossEurope who are on strike today," said Iakovos Paraskeyopoulos, a university student.
希腊民众１４日走上街头，抗议政府为解决债务危机而实施的紧缩措施。
数千人当天挥舞着国旗，到雅典市中心议会大楼前的宪法广场举行和平示威。作为“泛欧洲行动日”反紧缩措施抗议活动的一部分，希腊公务员工会和私营部门工会号召民众举行全国范围内的停工和游行。
抗议者告诉新华社记者，过去两年，在持续的紧缩和改革措施下，希腊人民已经作出了足够的牺牲，不可能承受更多。紧缩措施已经将希腊拖进经济衰退和生活贫困的深渊，他们不相信现政府的策略会带来奇迹，呼吁用新方法解决债务危机。
债务危机爆发以来，欧盟和国际货币基金组织同意向希腊提供两轮共２４００亿欧元的救助贷款，同时要求希腊实施一系列紧缩和改革措施。这些措施降低了希腊的财政赤字，同时也导致经济衰退、居民收入下降、失业率上升等负面后果，希腊国内反对紧缩措施的呼声一直没有停止。 |
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发表于 2016-7-11 09:55:41