Students, pupils, teachers and civil servants took to the streets on Wednesday in Greece to protest against the high cost of living, pointing out the similarity with the situation in France. Rallies are expected in the middle of the day in Athens and Thessaloniki, the country’s second city.
“In Greece as in France, we are demanding free public education,” Katia Koubousidou, president of the philosophy and pedagogy students at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told AFP. “This will not be an isolated mobilization. We have a plan to continue our protests,” she also promised.
“Greece and France, revolt everywhere, same problems, same enemy”
As of Tuesday evening, dozens of students set up tents on Syntagma Square, opposite the Parliament, in Athens, and in a pedestrian street in Thessaloniki, AFP noted. This is the second mobilization in a week to denounce the high costs of housing, particularly for students.
The Adedy civil servants confederation also called for a work stoppage from 11 a.m. local time (10 a.m. in Luxembourg) and a rally in Athens. “Greece and France, revolt everywhere, same problems, same enemy”, “From Greece to France, we are fighting for free public education”, declared banners displayed in Thessaloniki, a large student city.
Conservative government
“The situation has become unbearable for us” due to the “crushing cost of studies”, also denounced Katia Koubousidou. Despite increases in the minimum wage in Greece since the financial crisis, it does not exceed 920 euros net. Secondary school students and teachers are protesting against the lack of infrastructure, a shortage of staff and for an increase in public spending on education.
According to the secondary teachers’ union, Olme, there is a shortage of 15,000 teachers in schools. In 2023, Greece would spend 3.3% of its GDP on education, compared to an EU average of 4.7%, according to Eurostat. Also welcoming the “massive demonstrations of the people and youth in France”, Adedy calls in particular for “salary increases” and “substantial support for teachers”.
The conservative Greek government has sought in recent days to avoid any parallel with the demonstrations and violence in France. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis assured Monday that Greece would “never return to the era of great social unrest” during the financial crisis marked by very unpopular austerity measures which heavily affected the population.
