February 13, 2012
Greek political leaders say the nation must accept yet more punishing austerity or face a social explosion, but after a night of violence and destruction in Athens, some people fear this explosion may already be about to begin.
Trade union leader Ilias Iliopoulos condemned the mayhem in which buildings burned across Athens as parliament debated new budget cuts but said the government had to listen to the people.
"People sent a message yesterday: Enough is enough! They can't take it any more," Iliopoulos, general secretary of public sector union ADEDY, told Reuters.
"The social explosion will come one way or another, there is nothing they can do about it any more."
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has repeatedly told his people that however much the budget cuts ordered by Greece's international lenders hurt, the alternative was far worse.
He says Greece must avoid going bankrupt at all costs next month when it has to meet 14.5 billion euros in debt repayments, and the only way to achieve this is to accept the tough terms of the bailout offered by the European Union and IMF.
"A disorderly default would set the country on a disastrous adventure," Papademos told parliament. "It would create conditions of uncontrolled economic chaos and social explosion."
"The country would be drawn into a vortex of recession, instability, unemployment and protracted misery and this would sooner or later lead the country out of the euro," he added.
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