The middle class is now starting to realise that they have been cheated, Tsipras says

"We are now at the stage where the middle class is starting to realise that they have been cheated", main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras said late on Monday in an interview with ANT1 TV, adding that people are still giving the government a period of grace. He said that it is really necessary to have an understanding of the critical issues and that the attitude taken by SYRIZA as the opposition "is totally different to the attitude adopted by Mitsotakis and his party on these issues."

"If New Democracy is now facing enormous difficulties, it has to do with the stance they adopted as an opposition party on issues such as the Prespes Agreement and migration," he explained. In reply to a question on why he urged the government to "freeze" the Greece-US defence agreement, the main opposition leader said "it is extremely critical, even with allies, that they not think us predictable or that we can be taken for granted, and give real support in exchange for things that they ask of the country."

He noted that he had called on the prime minister to put the agreement's signature on hold "until one of our strongest allies has made clear the manner in which it will defend its ally, should Turkey's provocations exceed the limits".