Birthplace of democracy: Greek government bans demonstrations in central Athens
The Greek government has used the visit on Thursday by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble to impose a blanket ban on demonstrations in central Athens. - In order to enforce the ban, 4,000 police officers were mobilized to turn central Athens into a closed-off fortress. Roads and subway stations were blocked all the way from the airport to the city center. The ban on demonstrations was extended to include Syntagma Square, the central square in front of the Greek parliament building which has been the scene of regular protests and demonstrations during the past five years. Despite these measures, there were numerous protests. After Schäuble had entered the Treasury, some young women gathered in front of the building and shouted “get out” and “Hitler out of here.”