Courtesy of Mish.
I am not sure what German Chancellor Angela Merkel expected to accomplish in Greece, but whatever it was, it does not seem to have worked.
The Financial Times reports on the Hostile reception for Merkel in Athens
Angela Merkel flew in to a hostile reception from angry Greeks on Tuesday as security forces took tough measures to restrict or eliminate protests in central Athens, firing tear gas at demonstrators who tried to break through a police barrier.
Ms Merkel was given the red carpet treatment and full military honours at Athens airport. But on the streets it was a different matter, with more than 7,000 police officers deployed to keep demonstrators away from the German leader.
Sections of the capital were cordoned off and public gatherings in certain areas, including outside the German embassy, were banned.
Thousands of Greeks gathered in Syntagma Square in central Athens as Ms Merkel arrived. The demonstration – while vocal – was mostly peaceful but the mood was angry.
Giant banners declared: “Angela, you are not welcome,” and “Out with the Fourth Reich”. One caricature showed the chancellor in a swastika armband, being kicked from behind by Karagiozis, a Greek puppet representing the country’s impoverished past.
Public sector unionists holding their second demonstration against the visit in as many days voiced resentment of what many Greeks see as excessive austerity policies imposed by Germany.
“She [Ms Merkel] came to tell us that we have to swallow more measures . . . It’s unacceptable, she has no idea at all what Greeks are going through,” said Lakis Papazoglou, a former local government worker unemployed since his contract ended this year. “She has no idea at all what Greeks are going through”
A jeep carrying men dressed in full Nazi regalia, and giving the familiar salute, drew huge cheers when it rolled down Stadiou Street towards the main square.
Alexis Tsipras, leader of the radical leftwing Syriza coalition, the main parliamentary opposition, spoke to the defiant mood in Syntagma Square, saying: “The democratic tradition of Europe won’t allow a European people, the Greeks, to become a guinea pig [for harsh reforms] and a giant graveyard.”
Anti-Fascist Protesters ‘Tortured by Police’
Meanwhile Greek anti-fascist protesters ‘tortured by police’ after Golden Dawn clash….
