Greece: Greek Police Fire Tear Gas, Use Pepper Spray On Protesting Pensioners

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Greece

Greek Police Fire Tear Gas, Use Pepper Spray On Protesting Pensioners

Familiar scenes returned to Athens today,
when Greek police fired teargas at a demonstration of pensioners
protesting over cutbacks to their benefits,
part of an austerity drive dictated by the Troika (or was it Quadriga).

Between 1,500 and 2,0000 pensioners
attempted to march to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's office,
however they were blocked when riot police blocked their path,
intercepting them with pepper spray and tear gas.

The government has approved several reforms since August 2015,
including benefits cuts and tax hikes as part of its July 2015 deal
with the International Monetary Fund and EU financial institutions
that unlocked a third bailout package worth 86 billion euros ($96 billion).

The left-led government is expected to submit
its budget for 2017 in parliament on Monday evening.