According to Greek Premier Antonio Samaras the country’s economic situation is now so dire that society could collapse and pleaded to international lenders to grant the desperately needed bailout to ease some of the pain.
Greece will run out of cash at the end of November if it doesn’t receive the next round of bailout money. Rioting has become an everyday occurrence across the land and there are troubling signs that the far-right Golden Dawn Party are gaining popular support.
In an interview with a German newspaper Samaras said; “Greek democracy is facing perhaps its greatest challenge. There is a real risk of the social order collapsing, the rise of the right-wing extremist, one might say fascist, and neo-Nazi party could see the country face the same fate as the German Weimar Republic.”
The Weimar republic was the failed government that saw the rise of Hitler and the Nazis during its collapse amidst economic chaos. The number of attacks carried out on foreigners has increased and the far-right has been blamed for the climate of fear that pervades over certain areas of the country.
Asked how long he believes Greece can hold on without the bailout payment Mr Samaras said; “Until the end of November. Then the till will be empty. The troika is demanding above all further cuts to pensions and wages. That is very difficult, because we are already bleeding,” he said.
“The existing cuts already go to the bone. We are at the limit of what we can expect of our population.”
Ominously he warned; “People know that this government means Greece’s last chance,” the prime minister was quoted as saying. “We will make it. We have to. If we fail, chaos awaits us.”
Chaos has already seemingly gripped Greece with further protests and rioting taking place. Over the past few days the police have clashed with dock workers and farmers. An investigation into corruption has struck deep into the heart of Greek politics with Leonidas Tzanis, a former Pasok deputy interior minister in Costas Simitis’ government, taking his own life at his home in Volos.
As the Greek government tries to secure the new bailout the children’s charity SOS Children’s village reported that the number of children in need of assistance has soared due to the economic troubles.
Austerity is biting increasingly hard, with increasing numbers of children being offloaded by parents into orphanages.
“During the past two years we have seen a large rise in the number of children coming to us because their families can’t support them. As taxes and prices have risen, things like food, clothing, schooling and housing have become too expensive,” Akis Drepanidis, director of SOS Children’s Village in Plagiari said. He added that there has been a 70 per cent increase for help in 2012.
Greece began receiving bailouts in May 2010 and has so far been unable to pull itself out of the economic quagmire, even with billions of euro of EU funds.
The end of the nations troubles is far from sight.
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