Athens must have come across like a ghost town to German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble during
his visit to the Greek capital on Thursday. The city center was sealed off and protests were banned. There were considerable fears that riots might break out because of the hatred many Greek people harbor
toward the finance minister. The leftist newspaper
Avgi greeted his arrival with a well-known Latin slogan: "Ave, Schäuble, morituri te salutant" -- Hail, Schäuble, those who are about to die salute you. When state visitors in a united Europe are received in that fashion, something has clearly gone terribly wrong