Crying Greek pensioner: The Story Behind the Heartbreaking Photo

[Shotgunner51]

Cyring Greek pensioner: Giorgos Chatzifotiadis shares the story behind the poignant photo | The National

“I see my fellow citizens begging for a few cents to buy bread. I see more and more suicides. I am a sensitive person. I cannot stand to see my country in this situation,” says 77-year-old Giorgos Chatzifotiadis.
Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP Photo


THESSALONIKI, GREECE // Greek retiree Giorgos Chatzifotiadis had queued up at three banks in the city of Thessaloniki on Friday in the hope of withdrawing a pension on behalf of his wife, but all in vain.

When he was told at the fourth that he could not withdraw his 120 euros, it all became too much and he collapsed on the floor in tears.

The 77-year-old says he broke down because he could not stand to see his country in such distress.

“That’s why I feel so beaten, more than for my own personal problems,” Mr Chatzifotiadis said.

“I see my fellow citizens begging for a few cents to buy bread. I see more and more suicides. I am a sensitive person. I cannot stand to see my country in this situation.”

The image of Mr Chatzifotiadis sitting outside a bank, openly crying in despair with his savings book and identity card on the floor, was captured by a photographer illustrating how ordinary Greeks are suffering during the country’s debt crisis.

On Monday, Athens imposed capital controls and shut all banks to stem a haemorrhage of cash, but two days later allowed some branches to reopen for three days so that retirees who have no bank cards could withdraw their pensions – capped at 120 euros.

Recounting how he had gone from bank to bank in a futile attempt to collect his wife’s pension, Mr Chatzifotiadis said that when he was told at the fourth that he could not take out the money, he just collapsed.

Both he and his wife, like many Greeks in the north of the country, spent several years in Germany where Mr Chatzifotiadis says he “worked very hard”, first in a coal mine and later in a foundry.

And it is from Berlin – which is being blamed by many in Greece for its hardline stance in demanding that Athens impose more austerity measures in exchange for fresh international aid – that Mr Chatzifotiadis is receiving his wife’s pension.

“Europe and Greece have made mistakes. We must find a solution,” he said.

But Mr Chatzifotiadis feels that he can do little to change the situation – he is not even sure if he would be able to vote at Sunday’s referendum on whether to accept international creditors’ bailout conditions.

European leaders have warned that a ‘No’ vote would also mean no to the eurozone, and Greece’s subsequent exit.

Pointing out that the polling station is 80 kilometres away, Mr Chatzifotiadis said: “I have no money to go there, unless perhaps if my children would take me in their car.”

* Agence France-Presse

 

[Rusty]

Maybe they should have paid their taxes and avoided all this.

 

[+4vsgorillas-Apebane]

Its unfortunate but most of humanity is suffering.

The people of Greece wont starve, they wont be invaded nor will they be divided up by opportunist foreign vultures.

There is a lesson to be learnt here and if the Greek people are finally awakened to their past follies, they will come out stronger. If they learn nothing from this lesson, they will just develop a culture of defaulting and fiscal irresponsibility.

 

[Audio]

It's pretty sad what is happening to the common folk in Greece, however, noone thought twice to not vote the political parties in the last decades that promised more and more benefits to pensioners and public sector.

Country where i live, Slovenia, has the highest exposure to Greece in gdp percentage terms (3.1%) of all creditors and pensioners here have one third lower pensions than what Greeks had. **** it. They are themselves to blame.

ally awakened to their past follies, they will come out stronger. If they learn nothing from this lesson, they will just develop a culture of defaulting and fiscal irresponsibility.

Go read about Greek history, financial, in the last 200 years. Maybe you'll find some parallels between that and your last sentence.

 

[jamahir]

@Irfan Baloch @waz @Horus @Manticore

please merge thread with ( Greek debt crisis: Photograph of elderly man collapsed outside bank reveals pensioner's despair ).

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

The end game after decades of corruption.

 

[gau8av]

 

[+4vsgorillas-Apebane]

It's pretty sad what is happening to the common folk in Greece, however, noone thought twice to not vote the political parties in the last decades that promised more and more benefits to pensioners and public sector.

Country where i live, Slovenia, has the highest exposure to Greece in gdp percentage terms (3.1%) of all creditors and pensioners here have one third lower pensions than what Greeks had. **** it. They are themselves to blame.



Go read about Greek history, financial, in the last 200 years. Maybe you'll find some parallels between that and your last sentence.

Yes, its been mentioned many times on this forum how many times the Greeks have defaulted.

The sight of the old man in despair makes me not want to kick them while they are down.

 

[flamer84]

It's pretty sad what is happening to the common folk in Greece, however, noone thought twice to not vote the political parties in the last decades that promised more and more benefits to pensioners and public sector.

Country where i live, Slovenia, has the highest exposure to Greece in gdp percentage terms (3.1%) of all creditors and pensioners here have one third lower pensions than what Greeks had. **** it. They are themselves to blame.



Go read about Greek history, financial, in the last 200 years. Maybe you'll find some parallels between that and your last sentence.

Unfortunately when they talk about "European solidarity,evil ECB,evil IMF" many Greeks don't realise that citizens from countries with a lower living standard than Greece today like Slovenia,Slovakia are shouldering their debts to.Their money have been wasted on the Greek bailout to.

 

[Matrixx]

too much debt is not good for health

 

[Providence]

Living a life on debt is something which never made sense to me.. Something which US people also need to learn.

 

[Audio]

The sight of the old man in despair makes me not want to kick them while they are down.

i share the sentiment, but at the same time, i also know Greeks have done very little of what needs to be done to remedy the madness of the past few decades.
I'd start with opening criminal procedures against the Greek government clique (two families on the top spot, rotating every few years-Papandreu and i forgot the other name, maybe Venizelos can't be sure) and Goldman Sachs senior employees who made Greek books look healthier than they really were.
But here we stumble against the question who really wanted Greece in €urozone. I have no doubts, EU and US (NATO connection) bureaucratic elites also have their hands dirty, however, Greeks were the ones who kept riding this gravy train until it literally ran out of gravy.

We will see tomorrow.
Conditions are pretty apalling though.....i listened to the news yesterday, an expat married in Greece, says children are required to bring their own toilet paper to school. Not to mention pooling resources for the kids to have a school meal at all.

 

[flamer84]

i share the sentiment, but at the same time, i also know Greeks have done very little of what needs to be done to remedy the madness of the past few decades.
I'd start with opening criminal procedures against the Greek government clique (two families on the top spot, rotating every few years-Papandreu and i forgot the other name, maybe Venizelos can't be sure) and Goldman Sachs senior employees who made Greek books look healthier than they really were.
But here we stumble against the question who really wanted Greece in €urozone. I have no doubts, EU and US (NATO connection) bureaucratic elites also have their hands dirty, however, Greeks were the ones who kept riding this gravy train until it literally ran out of gravy.

We will see tomorrow.
Conditions are pretty apalling though.....i listened to the news yesterday, an expat married in Greece, says children are required to bring their own toilet paper to school. Not to mention pooling resources for the kids to have a school meal at all.

Germany won big time out of Greece.German firms collected a lot of contracts with Greek borrowed money at ridiculous high prices.They've supplied the addict with cocaine on credit only to ask the money with interest now.There's a dual blame in all of this.

 

[Audio]

Germany won big time out of Greece.German firms collected a lot of contracts with Greek borrowed money at ridiculous high prices.They've supplied the addict with cocaine on credit only to ask the money with interest now.There's a dual blame in all of this.

I am well aware of that. Probably Greece buying Leopard 2's was a part of the price for the loans. However, bottom line, Greeks needed money first, no German bank came and shoveled debt down their throats. France just the same. Up until as late as 2010 or '11 Greece was still buying weapons.

"No one has explicitly tied the EU payments to arms deals but there is an understanding with Greece that support will be more palatable if present, and future, sales go ahead," said a European diplomat.

EU accused of hypocrisy for £1 billion in arms sales to Greece - Telegraph

Dirty world we live in.

 

[Aepsilons]

The end game after decades of corruption.

Not just that, poor fiscal management. The Greek government's revenue is about 42 percent of GDP. What they need to do (and do it soon) is raise tax rates.