Or fight…

Being on the receiving end of tear gas isn’t a nice experience, I’ll tell you that… Your eyes water, nose runs and mouth gets dry all at once.

Even though places like the metro were closed, it doesn’t stop tonnes of people getting in for protests, though with the fuel hikes, it may be more expensive to do so!

And I was right, the anarchists turned up for some fun and games…

Hopefully, the warzone will be quieter come Monday, but more strikes are due on the 11th March, so it doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon.

Pensions freezes; Cuts in public sector pay; A increase in sales tax from 19% to 21%; Rises in taxes on fuel, cigarettes and alcohol; Rises in taxes on luxury goods.

Good news for the Euro… but this is inevitably followed by hell. 

There will be a massive strike on Friday, tomorrow, ALL public transport will be cut, huge protests in front of parliament will follow (with some anarchists naturally to smash a few windows here and there). I won’t even be able to go to work.

Despite all this madness, civil servants who think that they’re entitled to more pay despite only working until midday or 2pm, without any risk of their losing their jobs for being crap, they are angry because their pittance of a pay won’t be enough to cover their endless coffee trips.

*sighs* I’m being a bit mean, I know that they have a right to their pay, but when you see loads of people not really bothered about working, it really gets on your nerves when you try and complete a form (namely my residence permit), only to see 4 women chatting about their summer holiday, for 20 minutes without even looking at you.

Regardless, the strikes will not last long. I can even see difficult new laws, such as no more striking for one year, losing your job if you join in the strike. Of course, there are laws against this, but I feel that one small change can scare anyone into not striking or protesting:

If someone joins a strike or protest, the government will prioritise analysing that person’s finances.

Imagine this, the government checking to see how you can afford that mansion in Voula or Kifissia, when you only earn 700 euros a week? That would terrify anyone.

I hope things turn out better for the country soon, these protests just make us look like whiners…

Here’s the image of the PASOK parliament, moody lighting, a bit depressed, but still much better than the previous government:

Also, I really hate the acronym PIGS.