Over 15,000 rally to reject Greece's bailout terms
Two polls this week showed that over three-quarters of Greeks support Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's motions to cancel Greece's bailout program, which had stipulated harsh cuts to the country's social programs in exchange for aid from wealthier neighbors.
A Pro-government protester holds a placard in front of Greece's parliament to support the newly elected government’s push for a better deal on Greece’s debt, in central Athens, on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015. The protests held in Athens by around fifteen thousands supporters of the left-wing Syriza party as the new Greek government on Monday, Feb. 16 presented its proposals to skeptical rescue lenders at a euro zone finance ministers' meeting in Brussels.
Petros Giannakouris
Athens
About 15,000 people have gathered in central Athens to support the newly elected government's push for a better deal on Greece's debt.
Protesters are carrying banners denouncing economic austerity and Greece's creditors.
Similar rallies are taking place in several Greek cities and about forty other solidarity gatherings are planned across Europe and in Australia, Brazil and the US.
The Greek government has enthusiastically welcomed these rallies while insisting that they are spontaneous affairs, organized through social media.
On Monday, a gathering of Eurozone finance ministers will consider Greece's proposal for short-term "bridge financing" without the onerous terms previously imposed on the country, until a longer-term solution to Greece's crushing debt is found.
So-called technical level talks with creditor representatives ended Saturday, Greek officials say.