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Europe
Fears Of Army Coup As Greece Hits Meltdown
2012-02-17
FEARS of a military coup were mounting last night as Greece grappled with financial meltdown.

The crisis saw shares in London fall yesterday and the euro hit a three-week low as banks, including RBS and Barclays, were threatened with having their credit ratings downgraded.

Former Chancellor Lord Lamont warned that Greece was "the canary in the mine...a warning of dangers to come." The appearance of several high-ranking army officers sitting next to Greek president Karolos Papoulias at a meeting on Wednesday, when he criticised Germany, fuelled speculation of a military takeover.

Mr Papoulias said ominously: "The politicians should take an example from our soldiers. They always stayed true to the native country." It would not be the first time Greece has succumbed to military rule. A brutal junta led the country from 1967 to 1974.

Former German general Harald Kujat yesterday expressed his fears of a coup. And after the riots in Athens earlier this week, there were calls for tanks to be deployed to protect banks.
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#6  FOX NEWS AM showed video news footage of many homeless kitchens + vendors being set up outside in Greek streets - IIRC, it was repor that 1-in-4 Greeks are unemployed now???

Not many Vehicles, Private or Govt., seen driving around in the video segment - LOTS OF UNCOLLECTED TRASH, THOUGH.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2012-02-17 22:47  

#5  A good way to bring on a coup would be to threaten military pay or pensions. A good rule of thumb for the Greek government: mess with the military last - they have guns.
Posted by: Super Hose   2012-02-17 22:26  

#4  In December the PM asked for and recieved resignations from several senior officers. The current military leadership is personally beholden to the PM for their positions. Presumably to defuse any potential issues
Posted by: Pancho Angise6853   2012-02-17 15:00  

#3  Brutal or not, the coup of the Colonels was blamed on the US - you'd have gone deaf, listening to the Greeks go on and on and on and on and on about the brutality of the Colonels and how the US government was behind it all.
IIRC, I think we just sat back and watched it happen, but apparently that was just exactly the same as issuing detailed marching orders.
Posted by: Sgt. Mom   2012-02-17 13:27  

#2  I remember the junta but didn't really pay that much attention do to my own personal concerns.

One thing I don't recall is that it was what I would call brutal. Daffy and Pencilneck are brutal but I don't remember citizens being machine gunned in the streets whole sale.

Authoritarian sure, undemocratic, definitely, but brutal? I'm just not sure.

Is this a faulty memory on my part or lefty/communist propaganda?
Posted by: AlanC   2012-02-17 13:00  

#1  It's going to need more than the army.
Greece Govt Bond 1Year Yield 629.40300%
Posted by: tipper   2012-02-17 12:18  

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