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Subscribe to RSSHundreds of anti-austerity protesters in Greece have been remembering one of their own. In front of the parliament in Athens a 77-year-old retired pharmacist killed himself. In a note he said government cuts wiped out his pension and robbed him of his dignity. ITV's Martin Geissler reports.
ATHENS -- An elderly Greek's suicide outside parliament has quickly become a symbol of the pain of austerity and has been seized upon by opponents of the budget cuts imposed by Greece's international lenders.
Dimitris Christoulas, 77, shot himself in the head on Wednesday after declaring that financial troubles pushed him over the edge. A suicide note said the retired pharmacist preferred to die than scavenge for food.
The highly public -- and symbolic -- nature of the suicide prompted an outpouring of sympathy from ordinary Greeks, who held a protest march and set up an impromptu shrine with notes condemning the crisis at the spot where he killed himself.
The BBC reported that violence flared at the demonstration on Wednesday night, with some protesters hurling Molotov cocktails at police. They responded by firing tear gas.
"As you walk around the streets of Athens and beyond you can see the social fabric tearing," the BBC's Mark Lowen said.
The conservative newspaper Eleftheros Typos called the victim a "martyr for Greece" and said his act was filled with "profound political symbolism" that could "shock Greek society and the political world and awaken their conscience" in the weeks before a parliamentary election that will determine Greece's future.
'Family man'
Anger was directed as much at politicians as it was at the austerity medicine prescribed by foreign lenders in return for aid to lift the country out of its worst economic crisis since the Second World War.
"It's horrible. We shouldn't have reached this point. The politicians in parliament who brought us here should be punished for this," said Anastassia Karanika, a 60-year-old retiree.
The head of the Attica Pharmacists' Union, Constantinos Lourantos reportedly told Skai radio that Christoulas was "a calm, family man."
John Kolesidis / Reuters
A mourner cries on Thursday at the spot where 77-year-old Dimitris Christoulas took his own life in Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece.
With the tragedy occurring barely a month before elections are expected in Greece, smaller parties opposed to harsh spending cuts included in the country's second bailout were quick to point the finger at bigger parties backing the rescue.
"Those who should have committed suicide -- who should have committed suicide a long time ago -- are the politicians who knowingly decided to bring this country and its people to this state of affairs," said Panos Kammenos, a conservative lawmaker who recently set up the Independent Greeks anti-austerity party.
Smaller parties like the Independent Greeks have been riding high in opinion polls at the expense of the two main co-ruling parties, the conservative New Democracy and socialist PASOK, backing the bailout.
The two big parties are together expected to take less than 40 percent of the vote. Losing more voters to the smaller parties could put them at risk of not having enough seats in parliament to forge a pro-bailout coalition again.
That in turn would have profound implications for Greece's finances, given continued aid from European partners and the International Montary Fund is contingent on Greece's new government pushing through reforms demanded as part of the bailout.
Yorgos Karahalis / Reuters
A protester throws a stone at police officers during rioting in Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece, on Wednesday night.
Greek police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters taking part in a rally commemorating the death of Dimitris Christoulas.
Sorrow
New Democracy and PASOK, which have ruled Greece for decades, expressed their sorrow for the tragedy. Political opponents attacked them for joining in the mourning.
"Shame on them. The accomplices responsible for the suffering and despair of the Greek people ... should at least keep quiet in the face of the hideous results of the capitalist crisis and their policies, instead of pretending to be saviors and sensitive," the KKE Communist party said.
Resentment is growing in Greece over repeated rounds of wage and pension cuts that have compounded the pain from a slump which has seen the economy shrink by a fifth since 2008.
Unemployment has surged to a record 21 percent -- twice the eurozone average -- with one out of two young people without a job. The number of suicides has surged and many Greeks feel ordinary people like the retired pharmacist are being forced to pay for a crisis that was not of their making.
Economy-related suicides hit Italy
Meanwhile, an Italian man shot himself dead on Wednesday because his company was going bust, following a wave of economy-related suicides in the country which one opposition politician blamed on Prime Minister Mario Monti's reforms.
The 59-year-old Rome-based construction firm owner left a note apologizing to family members and explaining that his business had failed, police said.
A day earlier, a 78-year-old woman in Sicily jumped to her death because her monthly pension payments had been reduced. On Monday, a picture-frame maker hanged himself because of economic difficulties.
And last week, two men set themselves on fire in northern Italy due to financial woes. Both survived, one with severe burns.
Opposition politician Antonio Di Pietro, leader of the Italy of Values (IDV) party, criticized the government's reform agenda in parliament, and said Monti had the suicides of people who can't make it to the end of the month "on his conscience".
At a news conference on Wednesday, Monti refused to reply to the comments from Di Pietro, a fiery former anti-corruption magistrate, who was one of the harshest critics of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Italy is struggling with a recession, rising unemployment and increasingly severe austerity measures.
Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
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Waste not..I tell you what our country will be expected to dig deeper into our pockets to save the EU the problem is they never stop wanting more and more and we do not have enough. Kind of like saying we have enough for us but not for you. We have America which is still half full of resources over there they are finished the only place to go is here. In a dog eat dog world their is only one cure. The writing is on the wall. Instead of Obama trying to save the world he better get a clue and save us first. The inevitable is coming and they will see us as the problem. The problem is their system, they are the problem since they are old and we are a young country trying to fit in and they have been screwing with us too. Grab a number is begining to sound not so good ehh. Obamacare and all.
We're headed on the same course as Greece with a debt too large paying interest on it only and still borrowing and spending more. It's similar to a high speed train out of control and no brakes, eventually it will crash and burn which is what happened with the Greeks.
Obama's budget proposal projects $47 trillion in spending over 10 years, Ryan's budget projects $40 trillion over the same period. Both budgets do not reduce the overall debt at all and only increases the chance of a financial collapse sooner or later. It's still kicking the can further. We cannot continue being in denial or led to be fooled that either of these proposals will fix our financial dilemma.
Like Greece, our real solution is going to hurt like hell maybe even causing riots and civil disarray as well. There are no easy fixes, only tough ones that no politician wants to tackle for fear of public backlash.
Yet ANOTHER senseless death that could have been prevented by the abolition of banks and money. It's an antiquated and TOTALLY corrupt system that now basically owns just about every government on Earth. I live in Greece and can tell you all for sure that whatever is happening in Europe will eventually happen in the U.S. - maybe even worse. You know, "the bigger they are, the harder they FALL!". The bankers have no boundaries when it comes to countries AND when it comes to what they will do for their so-called profit which is only actually profitable in terms of human suffering! REAL profit is measured in planetary benefit and advancement, not little pieces of paper and metal. Your (you, meaning every citizen of the planet!) government wants to chew you up and spit you out! Get it through your heads!
LOL!
Can't you feel the Love Here?
Easy Change!
Purerocker: what has happened in Greece is due to years of socialist policies where the population has come to expect unfunded entitlements. Greece got itself into 180% of GDP in debt and now must raise taxes and reduce government salaries and it is painful. Same story in Italy, I live in Italy, and here the taxes are insanely high and on everything. Italy is 120% to GDP in debt. All this austerity is driving Europe back into recession and these socialist minded governments will raise taxes again when the revenues fall short, thereby driving the country deeper into recession. Obama and the progressive socialist minded democrats are doing the same here. Saddling the country with unfunded entitlements, borrowing money to pay for them, and the debt is now 100% of GDP and growing. We'll see you in the bankruptcy line.
Greece was at 140% Public Debt of GDP.
America is at 69% of Public Debt of GDP.
Source;
C.I.A. World Fact Book.
Go to their Web Site and see for your self. You won't get in Trouble.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Ted..... from CNBC.com as of March 12, 2012, United States national debt:
External debt (as % of GDP): 99.46%
Gross external debt: $14.959 trillion
2011 GDP (est.): $15.040 trillion
External debt per capita: $47,664
Italy national debt (worse than I thought):
External debt (as % of GDP): 136.6%
Gross external debt: $2.494 trillion
2011 GDP (est.): $1.826 trillion
External debt per capita: $40,724
Greece national debt:
External debt (as % of GDP): 178.9%
Gross external debt: $546.92 billion
2011 GDP (est.): $305.6 billion
External debt per capita: $50,792
The US is on the same path as Greece - spend far beyond what the tax base can afford, until the nation is bankrupt. It is not a question of IF but only of WHEN the US will reach the same point. Neither party is willing to address the basic problem. The Republicans only want to cut expenses and taxes, but the expense side less than the tax side. The Democrats want to maintain or increase spending, with some tax increases, but again not enough to cover the expenses. About 40% of the Federal budget is now above the amount of collected taxes. It is NOT sustainable. Cut expenses substantially (and that means Social Security and Medicare) and raise taxes on those that can afford it (any individual making over $100,000, any couple above $200,000) to balance the budget now, or have the entire system collapse in a few years on the present course.
Greece was at 140% Public Debt of GDP.
America is at 69% of Public Debt of GDP.
Source;
C.I.A. World Fact Book.
Go to their Web Site and see for your self. You won't get in Trouble.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
The US also has the largest economy on earth still... And is still the leader in many fields such as computer technology and aerospace.
oh no, Henny Penny, the sky is falling......
The bank THE BANK wants to run the world they think they can play Monopoly and run it this way. Once the bank owns it all the game is over. By the time you land on Board Walk the utility company is ready for their share they want more too. And then the banker needs a 10 million dollar bonus uhuh. Chinese checkers is a much better game.
Yea spend and borrow, give the lack of public service workers whatever they want, and this is what you get. Hey and guess what all you progressive, liberal Dumbocrats the US of A will be in the same financial spot in about 3 or 4 years. With debt to GDP ratio of 140%, and then we will have the lovely riots here. As the pampered lack of public service union nonworker cry and roll around like babies, because the taxpayers can't afford them any longer. Hope and Change, it turning out to be a real bitch!
Greece was at 140% Public Debt of GDP.
America is at 69% of Public Debt of GDP.
Source;
C.I.A. World Fact Book.
Go to their Web Site and see for your self. You won't get in Trouble.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
It aint ainnnttt,,, gonna happen here too , we kinow how to play the game or at least our forefathers knew. Why do you think we have the second and first ehh ? Because YOU live in denial ehh TO THE END----> The EU system does not allow for equal rights so big business takes over. They are taking over America soooo it is time to hit the reset button. Yeah right when WAL MART storers take over ma and pop we know big business and government are joined at the hip. The small business concept with equal rights ehh. You give a bail out to the auto giants and big oil you better grease all of our palms .
The problem is not Capitalism or Socialism, it is human nature! We need to create a new system that checks human nature.
Also, MSNBC engages in CENSORSHIP; if a sponsors product is involved there will be no discussion!
Yes, MSNBC is a big corporation and IT is powered by outsourcing and it engages in censorship.
It seems ,currently, in Greece, if someone burned your toast, it's time to riot.
TANSTAAFL !
Its the same thing here with OBAMA saying all we have to do is keep spending and borrowing to get out of debt!
ADD to the the POLITICIANS who make policy and law requiring banks and FREDDIE MAC and FANNIE MAE to grant MORTAGES to low incomer who mostly were kicked out of the projects so politicians friends could develope the extremely valuable lands located in the middle of the cities. like in CHICAGO with 100s of millions of dollars slated to practically GIVE these low incomers single family and duplex housing. As the county GORVERNMENT over-inflated home values to RAISE property taxes the low incomers took all the equity out and spent wildly while middle class America who had slaved for 30 years and paid off their 1st mortage and were using that 1st house as an investment and WATCHING the equity grow! After many LOW INCOMERS who had no sweat equity in the houses that they were practically given and because they hadn't worked for it they stopped making even the MEAGER payments that the POLITICIANS had set as guidelines mostly through FREDDIE MAC and FANNIE MAE. Anyone associated with these two companies knows they CATERED to LOW INCOMERS not your typical homeowner. NOTHING IS FOR FREE and USUAL as the DEMONCRATS are concerned TAXPAYERS end up footing the bills for those who did no work and those who make such bad decisions and live very loose lifestyles. So in addition to taxpayers and now homeowners end up paying for someone elses housing, food children, childcare, healthcare, cell phones, internet, transportation, legal expenses, incarceration, vices and all the little illegitimate kids running around. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY most of the LOW INCOMERS and MANY ILLEGALS end up getting bailed out as middle class Americans who don't qualify for the bailouts because they made more than the GOV guidelines end up losing thier homes or owing significantly more on them than they are worth even though though the have already slaved 30 years and more for them. NOW the same one who wants to give the low incomers or no incomers a bailout says: giving 25 million illegal mexicans the jobs here that haven't been deported down to Mexico yet HE feels IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO TO GIVE these law-breaking, border-invading job stealing citizens of a foreign country jobs of American citizen HERE SO OBAMA FEELS its the right thing to IMPORT illegal workers because why? we didn't DEPORT enough factories to Mexico???? WHO in their RIGHT mind would say IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO to give ILLEGAL foreigners here in OUR COUNTRY OUR JOBS when over 25% of AMERICANS are UNEMPLOYED. to quote the president as he promoted ANARCHY here when his racist professor friend harrassed, taunted, provoked and refused legal and reasonable police orders. well what OBAMA FEELS in reference to ILLEGALS well I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT HE IS JUST ACTING STUPIDLY. Unless he is bent on completing the financial and social destruction that OSAMA BIN LADEN BEGAN....Maybe OSAMA had become OBSOLETE and a LIABILITY especially since someone was now in place who could DESTROY AMERICA from within the highest levels of the government. OBAMA is a failed experiment that is destroying our country and ITS TIME WE VOTE OBAMA OUT OF OFFICE really he has been a joke and an embarrassment tyo America. ANOTHER 4 YEARS AND WE WILL BE MUCH WORST OFF THAN GREECE and IT WILL COST ALL OF WHAT ONCE WAS MIDDLE CLASS AMERICA A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD... POLITICIANS caused the HEALTHCARE CRISIS by giving every low-incomer, every child and illegal border invaders free healthcare and give themselves EXTREMELY costly healthcare BUT IT AIN'T FREE other patients and TAXPAYERS have to pay for it. OBAMA says HE will save us from the CRISIS THEY have made once again. WHAT HAS the GOV ever done that works right? THEY put Sadam Hussein in foffice and gave him tens of billions of TAXPAYERS MONEY then when he doesn't do what they want suddenly he's the devil and they spend HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS of TAXPAYER MONEY and cost many of AMERICA's youths their lives....They promise to fix the problems they created buy they only make it WORST and WE always BLEED more.....in my opinion
Greece was at 140% Public Debt of GDP.
America is at 69% of Public Debt of GDP.
Source;
C.I.A. World Fact Book.
Go to their Web Site and see for your self. You won't get in Trouble.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
you mean our so honest and incorrupt elected officials, CONGRESS?
the President does NOT make laws, he can only sign them or veto them
How conservative or liberal can it get when equal rights are ignored. Individual rights is a necessity and our governemt should honor this rule. No bail outs no deregulation just good old fashion hard work and honesty. Problem is we are human ehh. We all know usury will become a crime when left unregulated. Funny how the FED took our equity and jobs to try and spread the wealth by deregulating our lives. They thought since it worked so well for us that they could run the world the same way. It now boils down to they can't change and we do not want to be like them. WW#3 will be a hard fought war. Fighting for freedom winner takes all.
hey the worthless mooches in greece are just like we have here in america....isn't dependancy great??? thank you prof obozo
Yep. Greece failing is Obama's fault.
Greece was at 140% Public Debt of GDP.
America is at 69% of Public Debt of GDP.
Source;
C.I.A. World Fact Book.
Go to their Web Site and see for your self. You won't get in Trouble.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
you missed the point, obozo is doing the same thing to america as ia happening in greece, and the animals who were once people can be seen at any occupy rally...thanks to dependancy
What tragedy? Suicide is among the top 20 causes of death.
I fear that the GOP here in America will bring such desperation to our shores. Romney must lose this fall or bodies will fly from windows like a ticker-tape parade.
We've been hoping some of the parasites ans psychopaths up on Wall Street and at the head of many of our corporations would jump out the @!$%#ing window, but alas it hasn't happened yet.
If Romney is elected don't look for anything radical economically.
Oh, there may be some cuts to the Federal Budget, but don't look for it to be balanced, or for the debt to drop substantially.
Dropping the debt by cutting programs will decrease the flow of money in this country, hurting the US economy, and slowing down consumption. This will create a drop in imports from Asia, hurting the Asian economies. That will cause the Central Asian Banks to increase their interest demands at the threat of not renewing their loans. The US will once again give in to the demands for higher interest, which will in turn increase the budget deficit.
So, no ground will be gained by austerity measures, as the Central Asian Banks have a target for how much of the cash needs to be returned to them, so they can reloan it back to the US.
It's a balanced circle of cashflow.
And yet America, with all our financial gov't problems, continues to throw billions of dollars in foreign aid. That is our money and it should stay in the U.S. to aid our people. Do you give your friends money when you are broke? We would have plenty here if we did not act like Santa Claus to every one else in the world.
Greece was at 140% Public Debt of GDP.
America is at 69% of Public Debt of GDP.
Source;
C.I.A. World Fact Book.
Go to their Web Site and see for your self. You won't get in Trouble.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Good info Ted. I also saw the unemployment rate list on that site for all countries and it is eye popping.
What a valiant man that old Greek fellow is. A man, who I'm sure, loves his country more than others do. How I wish the entire Tea and Republican party would do the same and show their love for their country by blowing their brains out.
Trust me, you will be remembered with fondness and be celebrated with a lot of beer and BBQ.
Damn!
yea greece, like any occupy rally...just nasty mooches. gimme gimme gimme..
yea but if they did that, no one would be left to pay your welfare check, foodstamps etc.
Yep and your utopia is well on its way to being here - we just need to spend more money and if not for you and I, let's do it for the children. I bet you didn't know that when you add the US debt with its unfunded liabilities you come to a total of $117 Trillion dollars - I also bet you you didn't know that the dollar has been decimated and our comrades in China, Russia, Iran, France, and Germany don't want it as the reserve currency and if and when the dollar loses that status - it will be virtually worthless - so do yourself a favor and borrow your daddy's revolver and pull the trigger now
To be a communist or a capitalist or both this is the question. In order for democracy to work we must seperate powers. This is something they need to work on. The Brits do not understand Monopoly ! The problem is the pie is only so big so they all fight for Board Walk and Park Place the problem is once they monopolize noone can afford to stay there anymore. One big Hotel is not enough room for all of us and we do not have enough cash to pay, our time is running out and there are no more properties to buy to get ahead with, we must wait for a miracle to win.. Inflation is our friend ehh. Raise minimum wages across the globe then it might work.Otherwise lock and load. LOL...
The people of Greece are demanding that the rest of Europe support them.
Kind of reminds me of the libs here in the US.
Yeppers!
You the Man!
You got it!
All those people who financed homes and then were foreclosed on when Interest Rates were increased by the Banks were all "Libs" including all the Troops who were fighting and Dieing overseas and being foreclosed on. they were "Libs"too. Right?
The Sub Prime Melt Down is the cause for the current economic Mess.
There is nothing Mysterious about that.
It is what it is...
ted, People lost their homes because they thought the real estate bubble would never burst and they could continue to pull equity out of their house.
Please give a link to your statement "Troops who were fighting and Dieing overseas and being foreclosed on".
the riots on greece, or any occupy rally. Just dirty stinky dependants. Brought to you by obozo the the forces of tolerance
I can see the same thing happen to the American people in the future. What I would like to know is what happens to social security money, what is it used for, it goes into the general fund for everyone to dip into. When social security first began our congress didn't expect us to live long enough to collect. It was such a scam, we would pay in for years and were suppose to die before we were able to collect.
Ted......, you posted inaccurate data multiple times so i will post this at least once more:
Ted..... from CNBC.com as of March 12, 2012, United States national debt:
External debt (as % of GDP): 99.46%
Gross external debt: $14.959 trillion
2011 GDP (est.): $15.040 trillion
External debt per capita: $47,664
Italy national debt (worse than I thought):
External debt (as % of GDP): 136.6%
Gross external debt: $2.494 trillion
2011 GDP (est.): $1.826 trillion
External debt per capita: $40,724
Greece national debt:
External debt (as % of GDP): 178.9%
Gross external debt: $546.92 billion
2011 GDP (est.): $305.6 billion
External debt per capita: $50,792
So for the Folks that Say the U.S. has the same Debt as Greece, they were telling the Truth?
Do you blame this debt on Obama alone?
U.S.
69.4% of GDP (2011 est.)
Greece
165.4% of GDP (2011 est.)
Steve, that's right off the C.I.A. World Fact Book, copy and pasted.
omg, its not that hard...total debt is about 15 trillion, the economy or gdp is about 13 trillion....whats a couple hundred bill either way, you stooge. And thats if the gov. is telling the truth
Clinton why doesn't she promise them 3 billion dollars
Once government bows down to big businesses they feel compelled to support them at any cost. They will even go as far as making us all starve to death in order to save their pets. Government needs to be faceless and do thier job, they have been so far to the right or left all the time they forgot how to do their jobs in the middle.
This is exactly what Obama has in store for America. Greece (Europe) is just further down the path than we are right now. But, if Obama and the DNC have their way, we'll catch up to them very soon. It is pathetic that this guy killed himself instead of "scavenge" for food. OMG! are you kidding me? It was his choice, and people should be free to make their own choices. What an eternal act of stupidity!