This is something we normally know from war situations when refugees fight for a loaf of bread or a sack of flour. But these scenes occurred in European Union of salvation year 2012, and thus in Euro-Zone member state, Greece.
A situation of an unbelievable impenetrability occurred Monday morning at the premises of Greek Red Cross in the city of Xanthi, north-eastern Greece, where poor and needy had gathered to receive free aid packages. More than 170 beneficiaries were waiting in line to receive the aid, but when the distribution started they ‘trampled’ each other out of fear the food packages would run out before they get one.
The intervention of police was needed in order to avoid that the situation would get totally out of control.
When the situation stabilized, Red Cross employees distributed the packages, as they do every year before Christmas. ( ThrakiToday)
But Christmas 2012 with recession, unemployment and reduced incomes to have reached their peak, the struggle for a dish of food is getting wilder.
Last night I saw again a bag hanging out our (former)middle-class neighborhood garbage bin. Inside the bag, a package of rice, a loaf of bread and some sausages. The bag had disappeared one hour later…
According to data, almost 3 million Greeks live below the poverty line. Oh, yes, these are the Greeks the Finance Ministry wants to tax as of 1.1.2013.
How much aid is being sent to countries outside the EU from the EU and the member countries? Some these countries will be spending their money on arms,lavish parties for visiting diplomats of the donor countries and some will be spending it on Nuclear research & space technolgy.Maybe the principle of ” Charity should start at home” should be revisited.
charity started already at home otherwise for many families and low income pensioners the situation would be devastating. Charities and civic movements join hands to fill the hazzard left by the government and the troika. otherwise a revolution would have taken place.
You are mixing 2 things up and end up throwing the baby away with the bath water.
The fact that the Charity money may be abuse by corrupt local politicians a a problem called corruption, and it is not solved by withholding the charity. All that does is punish those that are at the constant mercy of the same corrupt authorities.
Taking your reasoning to it’s logical conclusion, and knowing the widespread corruption involving tax money collected “at home”, should we withold taxes and run the country into the ground, or should be fix the corrupt system?