Speaker of the House of Greek Parliament, Zoe Konstantopoulou, took the podium at the Forum European des Alternatives taking place in Paris on May 30-31.

“The battle Greece is giving is a battle for all nations of Europe for democracy, freedom and dignity,” she said. “And it is a battle that must be won!”

She underlined that austerity measures and memorandum-styled policies have created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Greece with dizzying unemployment figures, especially young women. She underlined the consequences of policies that have increased the numbers of homeless people, increasing poverty and social exclusion.

“Austerity kills society and democracy,” she said. “We should stop before we kill hope for the younger generation. Each child born in Greece owes 32,500 euros and that is a huge injustice.”