The global economical domino effect provoked by the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers on September 15,2008 ,reached Greece in the first weeks of 2010 with rumors of an excessive national debt. The rumors were not denied and on April 23 , the Greek government requested the activation of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund bailout package, made of relatively high-interest loans. A series of harsh austerity measures, the toughest since the end of WW2, were proposed in order to save Greek economy from bankruptcy. Massive protests were organized daily in central Athens and other major Greek cities against government plans that targeted mostly the working middle class. Violence made its appearance in the streets of Athens and on May 5 three bank employees, one of them pregnant, died on a fire in a bank branch. Riot police tries to enforce order with tear gas,stun grenades, arrests and an excessive violence that led to the injury of many protesters. As the year comes to an end, the efforts to recover the Greek economy in global markets continues, with no signs of a clear and optimistic future and a social unrest that does nοt seem to calm down.
Alkis Konstantinidis
(b.1984) is a freelance photojournalist based in Athens, Greece. He has worked for many of the main news agencies such as The Associated Press and the European Pressphoto Agency. His work has been published in magazines and newspapers worldwide.
