Politicians feeling wrath of public
Defense Minister Panos Beglitis cancelled his appearance at Friday?s annual military parade in Thessaloniki, marking Greece?s entry into World War II, after being harangued on Wednesday at a public event in the northern city — the latest in a series of increasingly agressive attacks on politicians.
Beglitis and several other MPs and local politicians were attending a service at Aghios Dimitrios Church, named after the city?s patron saint who was celebrated Wednesday, when dozens of protesters began to jeer and swear at them.
The bulk of the demonstrators were former employees of the ?help at home? scheme that provided assistance for the disabled and elderly.
The protest prompted Beglitis to withdraw from Friday?s military parade in Thessaloniki but it is expected that abuse will be directed at politicians in other cities, where high school pupils will be parading.
Coalition of the Radical Left leader Alexis Tsipras likened the mood among citizens to the same discontent that was felt during the military dictatorship between 1967 and 1974.
?You can see some symptoms in terms of people?s reaction that are similar to what we saw during that seven-year period,? he said.
Dozens of MPs have been physically and verbally attacked this year as a result of growing public anger at the austerity measures and due to the perception that politicians are not paying for their part in causing the crisis.
MPs have been criticized for holding on to benefits and generous pensions for serving in Parliament, although their salaries have been slashed since last year. Parliament?s budget for 2012 was unveiled yesterday and showed cuts of 27 million euros compared to this year.
About 8 million is being saved from operational cots and the rest is attributed to wage cuts, bringing the budget down to 171 million euros.
