Greek parliament endorses EU-dictated austerity programme
By Chris Marsden of WSWS
Greek Prime Minister and Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras secured the backing of parliament early Thursday for the savage programme of austerity he agreed with eurozone officials last weekend.
Obtaining passage of the programme was never in doubt. The legislation was overwhelmingly approved by a vote of 229 to 64. There were six abstentions. Three openly pro-austerity parties—New Democracy, PASOK and To Potami—supported the Syriza government’s bill. The “no” vote included MPs from the Communist Party (KKE) and the fascist Golden Dawn, along with 32 Syriza MPs.
Outside parliament, there was growing anger over Tsipras’ treacherous deal. The public-sector union Adedy held a four-hour strike Wednesday morning. That evening there were several protests in Athens and Thessaloniki. The Communist Party (KKE)-affiliated union federation PAME held a fairly large protest as the parliamentary debate got underway. Demonstrations were also staged by ANTARSYA and anarchists.
The government deployed riot police, who fired tear gas as Molotov cocktails were thrown. Those attacked by the police included members of Syriza’s youth organisation.
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