Queen’s University political studies professor Grant Amyot is available to talk about the elderly Greek man who committed suicide in Athen’s busiest public square across from the Greek Parliament saying he couldn’t cope with the country’s tough austerity measures.

The 77-year old retiree wrote in a suicide note that the government had made it impossible for him to survive on his pension, saying he’d rather kill himself than start digging through the trash for food. The suicide has sparked outrage and riots by Greeks who have been facing massive cutbacks due to the country’s debt crisis.

“This suicide highlights how painful and dramatic these cutbacks are for the Greek people. They are being force to endure a massive cut in the standard of living,” says Dr. Amyot, who specializes in European politics, European Union, political economy and economic policy and has been commenting in the media about the Greek and Italian financial crises.

Please note Dr. Amyot will be in a meeting between 3-4 pm on Thursday, April 5.

To arrange an interview, please contact communication officers Michael Onesi (office: 613.533.6000 ext. 77513,michael.onesi@queensu.ca) or Anne Craig (office: 613-533-2877, Anne.Craig@queensu.ca) at Queen’s University News and Media Services Department in Kingston, Ont., Canada.

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