Greek Parliament Approves European Austerity and Reform Plan

The Greek people are fully aware and can understand the difference between those who fight an unfair battle and those who simply lay down their arms - Alexis Tsipras told the Greek parliament in a very emotional speech before the MPs, by a majority of 229 votes, approved the agreement on the third bailout, imposed by the eurozone leaders led by Germany.

After several hours of unrest in the center of Athens, Greek parliamentarians adopted austerity measures, and a similar plan was rejected by the same parliament just a few days ago, thus representing a defeat for the populists who had been promoting seemingly alternative solutions for months that actually had no basis in realpolitik.

At the same time, while the MPs were making the decision, protests involving about 12,000 people were taking place on the streets of Athens. Say "no" to austerity, the protesters called on Greek lawmakers, and scenes that we regularly saw in the early years of the Greek debt crisis, although they had become rarer recently, were not absent.