Spain: Long live Greece! Barcelona rallies against bailout agreement

Protesters gathered in support of Greece for the fourth time outside the offices of the European Union in Barcelona on Wednesday, as the Greek government voted whether the debt ridden country should accept the terms of the recent bailout agreement. Protesters chanted “Greece yes, troika no!” and held speeches in support of the Greek people, who overwhelmingly voted against the bailout plan in a referendum last week. Worldwide demonstrations saw thousands of people from Copenhagen to Canada taking to the streets on Wednesday in solidarity with the Greek people and in support of democracy in Europe. Critics have condemned the deal, saying the terms Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has accepted are harsher than the ones originally rejected. The creditors’ demands in the new proposal include the full implementation of automatic spending cuts, including pension reforms and other austerity measures. Moreover, they require the Syriza government to align its legislative agenda with the institutions (IMF, ECB, EU), removing legislation that breaks with the strict spending plans.