Greeks raging at Angela Merkel for her handling of the eurozone crisis have seen her dressed her as a Nazi soldier in Greek street posters, a swastika surrounded by the euro stars logo on her sleeve.
The letters next to her spell out “Public Nuisance”. Germany occupied Greece during the Second World War and some Greeks believe that Germany still owes them money. In the wake of the EU summit, Greeks are ready to reopen old wounds.
Posters and cartoons showed Greek officials who supported the measures performing a “Sieg Heil” Hitler salute. Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos has been a regular target for Nazi comparisons in daily newspapers
Anger was directed at the German Chancellor, despite Merkel and other European leaders deciding to slash Greece’s debt by half. Desperate Greeks fear this is not enough, already feeling the effects of a financial crisis.
Strict austerity measures are bubbling over into satirical attacks on Germany, one of the largest economies in the eurozone and one with which the Greeks have a troubled history. It’s certainly not the first time Merkel has faced public criticism but with the bitter renewing of battles that had almost slipped from sight, the eurozone crisis is not yet over.