Anti-Austerity Rally in Greece on Eve of EU Crisis Meet
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Thousands of people rallied in front of parliament in Athens, in support of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who presented new proposals to European leaders on Sunday aimed at ending his country's debt crisis.
Greece is set to join summit of Eurpean leaders in Brussels on Monday to help secure a debt deal with its international creditors.
In a telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Tsipras detailed a "mutually beneficial deal", the Greek prime minister's office said in a statement reported by AFP.
The country has until the end of the month to repay a $1.8bn loan or risk leaving the single currency and even the EU.
The Greek government says it's optimistic, but many Greeks are concerned that the country's economy is now well beyond its control.
Sunday's demonstration by supporters of Tsipras's ruling Syriza party and others opposed to the euro, was the second anti-euro rally in a week in the Greek capital.
Protesters called to resist pressure from international creditors to accept more austerity in exchange for unlocking billions of euros in bailout funds.
More than 7,000 people took to the streets carrying banners that read "A different Europe with Tsipras" and "You can't blackmail the people, the country is not for sale".
Singing, waving Greek flags and banners with slogans such as "No to the euro", "The People will not be blackmailed" and "The country's not for sale", several thousand people filled the street in front of parliament.
"They want to humiliate us, why else do they insist on all these measures? We will not tolerate it any more," said 65-year-old former teacher Yiota Kananakari.
Solidarity demonstrations were also held in Brussels as well as Amsterdam.
