Wherever German Chancellor Angela Merkel goes, protests follow. So when she landed in Lisbon two days before the Southern European general strike on November 14, 2012, the international press expected similar scenes to that which took place in Athens when tens of thousands demonstrated against her visit to the Greek capital.
Unfortunately, the demonstration on that Monday afternoon only attracted a couple of hundred leftists under the banner “Fora Merkel!” – Merkel must go. Riot police and metal fences separated protesters from the Presidential Palace where Merkel met with members of the Portuguese cabinet.
In Athens, placards and posters read, “Merkel in Athens is like Hitler in Paris.” These would be echoed later in Cyprus where teenagers took to the streets earlier in 2013.
Outside the Presidential Palace in Lisbon, a small group of rebel clowns carried a Merkel effigy with a large swastika covering her torso. When protesters couldn’t break through the lines of riot police, they burnt the effigy. Interestingly, there were actually more police present at this small demonstration than on the day of the general strike itself, when protesters laid siege on parliament and even attempted to storm it. The message was clear: Merkel is worth protecting more than the institutions of Portuguese democracy.
The world’s most powerful woman – if one is to believe Forbes – is a figure of deep-seated hatred in Southern Europe. Yet, she can rely on subservient heads of states. In the Greek press, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Deputy PM Evangelos Venizelos have been aptly labelled “Merkelitses” – Merkel’s followers