Greek premier warns against descent into lawlessness

Reuters
July 6, 2011

Prime Minister George Papandreou warned on Tuesday that violent protests against spending cuts to satisfy international lenders threatened to lead to the kind of barbarism that in the past had derailed democracy in Greece.

The austerity required in exchange for a bailout for debt-ridden Greece has sparked attacks on politicians and bloody demonstrations on the streets of Athens, where hooded youths have fought running battles with riot police.

In a reference to the installation of the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974, Papandreou told a cabinet meeting that undermining democratic institutions in the past had led to a "derailment of democracy."

"We must all learn from history," he said.

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