ATHENS, Greece — Tens of thousands of protesters angry about the government’s austerity policies demanded Sunday that the heavily indebted country stop paying its creditors.
Many protesters carried signs and wore stickers reading, “We don’t owe; we won’t sell; we won’t pay” in the demonstration outside parliament. The signs referred to planned privatizations that the government has agreed to speed up in order to make up for a shortfall in projected revenue.
Greece was saved from default in May 2010 with a $160 billion package of loans from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. In return, it set strict austerity measures, including public salary cuts, pension reductions and tax hikes.
The measures have angered ordinary Greeks.
In the latest protest, demonstrators chanted “thieves, thieves” while pointing at the parliament building. The protest was the 12th in as many days and was modeled after the demonstrations that took place in Spain last month.
Police officials said there were an estimated 60,000 protesters, while participants said there were many more. There is no central organization to the protests, which rely on social media to spread the word.
People at recent protests have steered clear of partisan affiliations, and at one, the protesters booed union members from the state electricity company who tried to raise their own banners. In general, the protests have been peaceful.
