Tears as Greek state TV returns to air after austerity shutdown

Employees at Greece’s state television ERT hugged each other and cried on Thursday as the channel aired its first broadcast in two years, after it was shut down under one of the previous government’s most drastic austerity measures. Leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who is racing to reach a cash-for-reforms deal with the European Union and IMF, had called ERT’s closure “a great wound” of his country’s bailout. He made its reopening one of his priorities as part of efforts to roll back cuts demanded by the lenders. Employees gathered on set in tears as anchors prepared to present the first early-morning talk show. Before the programme, the channel played out footage of some of Greece’s most famous landmarks and scenery, as the national anthem blared out.

It’s a special day for all Greeks, for philhellenes, for those who love Greece and for those who love freedom of information.

anchor Nikos Aggelidis said at the start of the show

Tsipras’s Syriza party called its reopening “a great victory for democracy.” A concert to celebrate its relaunch was held in the evening. Tsipras, and government ministers, visited the headquarters on Thursday on his return from Brussels where he held difficult talks with the country’s European creditors. The closure of ERT on June 11, 2013, with newscasters cut-off mid-sentence, set off a firestorm of protests, brought thousands to the streets and led to the withdrawal of a partner from the coalition government at the time. The move divided Greeks, many of whom regarded it as a wasteful source of patronage jobs for political parties but were shocked by the abruptness with which the government pulled the plug.

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