Last night as negotiations took place in a meeting of Eurozone finance ministers in Brussels, tens of thousands gathered in Syntagma square in front of the Greek parliament in Athens, braving the freezing weather conditions. Under the slogan, “a breath of dignity for all of Greece”, the demonstrators called on all the people of Europe to show their support to the Greek people and government, for a Europe of democracy and solidarity. Their message came across loud and clear, that the Greek people will not respond to European blackmail. The rally, hot on the heels of a similar event held last week, was organised via social media, and in marked contrast to recent years was peaceful, with a minimal police presence and no unrest reported. Crowds were able to gather right up to the space in front of parliament since the barriers that have been in place in front of parliament since 2010 were removed by the new government in a highly symbolic move during its first days in power.
 
Similar demonstrations took place in cities around Greece, and the call for solidarity across Europe was heeded, with demonstrations having already taken place in countries such as Germany, Ireland, Cyprus, Spain, Great Britain, Italy and Belgium, with more scheduled across the continent in the coming days. 

In Rome protesters gathered under the slogan, “Greece has changed, let's change Europe!”, sending the message that austerity has failed and it's time for Europe to change course. The Greece Solidarity Campaign in Great Britain organised under the banners “Drop the Debt, Let Greece Breathe, Stand with Greece, and End Austerity”, holding an emergency  rally last night in London, with another planned for Saturday. The group have also published an open letter of solidarity with Greece in the Guardian newspaper on 27 January, signed by the likes of film director Ken Loach and several British MPs, among others.
 
The Greek government spokesman, Gabriel Sakellaridis, welcomed the demonstrations, adding that “hope has driven fear away”.