Athens sees more anti-austerity protests

April 5th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

Protesters on Thursday gathered outside the headquarters of the Bank of Greece in Athens to protest against the inclusion of bonds held by Greek pension funds and hospitals in the write-down.

The deal forces investors will take a major cut of over 50 percent on their investment.

If exchanged, the swaps will save Greece more than half of its 205-billion euro debt held by banks, pension funds and other private investors.

Athens has extended the deadline for the swap deal to April 20.

The government defends the measure, arguing that the deal needed to bring its debts to around 120 percent of the GDP within eight years.

The protesters, however, say the plan is to rob them of their savings.

Meanwhile, pharmacists embarked on a 24-hour strike in the capital on Thursday, in a move to pressure the country’s Health Ministry to heed their calls regarding the debts owed to them.

They gathered outside the Health Ministry and the building housing the newly formed Health Care Organization, demanding payment of piled-up debts worth about 300 million euros (USD 392 million) from the country’s insurance funds.

Greek pharmacists have suspended credit to their clients from several insurance funds, leaving thousands of insured patients in need of medicine.

The protests come one day after a retired pharmacist shot himself in the head outside parliament over financial troubles blamed on harsh austerity measures.

A note found beside him said he preferred to die than scavenge for food.

In order to receive a EUR 130 billion bailout package, funded mostly by eurozone member states and the International Monetary Fund, Greece had to adopt harsh austerity measures including massive cuts to its private and public sector wages, pensions, health and defense spending.

MRS/JR