Roundup: New "Resign" movement stages first anti-government protest in Athens

Thousands of Greek citizens took to the streets in Athens on Wednesday in a peaceful anti-government protest that fuelled the tension between the two-partite ruling coalition and the opposition.

According to police estimates, more than 8,000 people joined the first rally staged by the "Resign" movement (Paretithite in Greek) mobilized through social media.

"Resign no colors, no parties, no unions. Only citizens" was the main motto of the campaign which was launched a few weeks ago.

"Resign" was the main slogan people chanted on Syntagma square in front of the parliament building on Wednesday, waving Greek national and EU flags. A similar demonstration was held at Thessaloniki in northern Greece.

"You are destroying the country. Leave now", read banners and placards carried by protesters on Syntagma.

Among them was Yannis Biliouras, a young student and private sector employee, who told Xinhua that he decided to take part in the protest because he was concerned about the course of the country. He was calling for fresh elections.

"I believe that the request may not be strong enough now, that the summer is here, but certainly citizens' disgruntlement is clear in this protest and will become clearer in the following period. It remains to be seen what will happen," he said.

Lawyer Vassilis Pittas explained that the call for the government's resignation was rather symbolic at the moment. He does not expect that the coalition will step down, but he hopes that they will get the message that people cannot bear the new round of austerity measures introduced in exchange of new bailout loans.

"We have to give a message. They need to realize that they must change policy, otherwise they should leave. People cannot stand this anymore," he told Xinhua.

Cabinet ministers has accused the main opposition conservative party New Democracy (ND) of hiding behind the organizers seeking to undermine the government.

ND, as well as centre-left opposition parties, denied any links to the "Resign" movement. However, MPs from opposition parties, were among demonstrators on Wednesday as "ordinary citizens."

Addressing the parliament a few hours before the rally, ND leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused the ruling SYRIZA of reacting disproportionally and adopting double standards in criticizing an anti-government rally.

He noted that SYRIZA in recent years, before assuming office for first time in the January 2015 elections, strongly supported most anti-bailout and anti-government demonstrations.

Organizers of Wednesday's protests have distanced themselves from all parties and rejected parallels with previous anti-government demonstrations staged on the same square.

Roula Kalara, a pensioner teacher and one of the leading members of the "Resign" movement, insisted that it was a "spontaneous initiative" which started in social media two months ago when she was discussing with friends ways to express their frustration with government policies.

"Most of us used to support parties, but now we are not members in any party," she told local MEGA television.

A few hours before Wednesday's mobilization, Ta Nea (The News) daily published the results of a survey conducted for the General Confederation of Greek Workers by Alco polling firm.

It showed that the overwhelming majority of Greek people do not believe that the current government can lead Greece out of the crisis. Eight out of ten respondents expressed this opinion, according to Alco.

Opinion surveys released during the weekend showed that although SYRIZA trails behind the conservatives just ten months after the last general elections, most Greeks do not want to head to polls again soon. Endit