Thousands hold rallies in Athens after suicide

On Wednesday morning, the 77-year-old retired pharmacist shot himself dead near the parliament in the capital to protest the country’s economic crisis. Witnesses said the man put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger after crying "I have debts, I can't stand this anymore." "[The government had] annihilated any hope for my survival and I could not get any justice. I cannot find any other form of struggle except a dignified end before I have to start scrounging for food from the rubbish," read a suicide note found in his pocket. By nightfall, thousands of demonstrators gathered at the central Syntagma Square where the suicide had taken place to protest extreme poverty and financial desperation. They carried candles, flowers, and hand-written notes, condemning the economic crisis and chanted slogans such as, "This was not suicide - it was murder committed by the state." "This is the point, to which they've brought us. Do they really expect a pensioner to live on 300 euros?" said a 54-year-old protester. Clashes broke out near the parliament when the police fired teargas canisters at a group of protesters throwing Molotov cocktail at them. Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos expressed his regret about the suicide in a statement issued by his office. "It is tragic when a fellow human being takes his own life. In those difficult times for our society we must all -- state and citizens -- support those next to us, who stand in despair," the statement said. Greece has been in a financial crisis since 2010 and has relied on international bailout loans ever since. To secure them, Athens has implemented heavy austerity measures, including slashing pensions and salaries, which have worsened the economic recession, leading to thousands of job losses. According to Eurostat, the European Union statistics office, unemployment rate in the country was 21 percent as of December 2011.