"I want a Grexit"

anti austerity protests athens
  • Name: Manolis Spathis
  • Age: 29
  • Occupation: Unemployed

"I have been unemployed for six months. I am now a full-time activist, but I am looking for work. When I had a job, I was an economy analyst in a construction firm. But I was never paid on time and the company wouldn't even buy the software we needed. I went four months without getting paid.

It is unbelievably difficult to get a job. I have applied to many. But the problem is that most businesses in Greece are family-run companies. With the unemployment being this high, everyone knows someone who needs a job. And people prefer to hire people they know.

I get unemployment benefits, 360 euros a month. It's not much, but it's better than when I was working and didn't get paid anything for four months.

I want a Grexit [from the eurozone]. I believe that is the only solution. To cancel the debt, the whole debt. The ECB wouldn't support us anyway. We have to take the first step, cross the line. I think we should nationalize the banking system.

Related: Grexit 101: How Greece could drop out of the euro

I am quite radical. I am not worried about drachma devaluation. I believe that canceling the debt and nationalization of big companies -- like energy companies or ports -- would push the currency up."

First published June 28, 2015: 2:09 PM ET

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