Tsipras in Trikala: We are through with the policies of austerity

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras launched a verbal critique on main opposition party New Democracy and praised the Roma people who attended his Friday evening speech at a public gathering in the city of Trikala in central Greece.

Tsipras began by praising attendees as "not just a victorious stream of people, but a genuinely popular outburst, a democratic outburst, an outbreak of dignity," and said this was reminniscent of the 2015 SYRIZA referendum rallies, "when we won against everyone who was saying we wouldn't," he added.

"Some have called Mitsotakis 'prime minister' from the day he was elected New Democracy's leader, regardless of whether he really posseses the stature of a prime minister or deserves being the president of a historic party," Tsipras observed.

Commenting on Mitsotakis' criticism against the benefits legilated by Syriza recently, Tsipras said "Mitsotakis does not know the real value of 100 or 200 euros, what it means to to be on a 300-euro monthly wage."

The Greek premier then referred to the disbursement of the so-called '13th pension', namely a bonus pension wage paid out to pensioners as part of the relief measures bill, saying that "we are proud of this, it was a breath of dignity for pensioners." He also underlined how his government stuggled to protect and sustain farmers' compensations, one of the region's main source of income.

Converning the NSRF and the Public Investments Programme in Trikala prefecture, Tsipras said the 151 million euros spent in the region since 2015 - when Syriza came to power - is far more significant an amount compared to the 51 million euros spent between 2010-2014.

"We were once called amateurs," he said, "but the others are professionals in bribery, corruption, and generally being implicit."

Tsipras said he envisages that "the big victory in the May 26 elections will send a signal both to Greece and to Europe that we are through with the policies of austerity, off with the technocrats determing policy over our heads and how we should redistribute wealth."

The Greek prime minister went on to conclude by saying that "from now on, we are a sovereign government, with the people's support, and we will proceed to other deep anti-austerity measures, from the first day after the elections (national elections in Oct.) and through the next four years of our term as government."