This spoof Greek Monopoly board has been making the rounds this month as Greece’s economic crises come to a head. A referendum on a bailout, designed by European leaders and opposed by many Greeks, is scheduled for Sunday.
#SaturdaySatire I see Hasbro have brought out a new Greek version of the classic board game Monopoly.
Europe-led bailouts have provided Greece with the cash it needs to keep its economy afloat since 2011, in return for big spending cuts and higher taxes. That’s why the board is full of squares like the ones on the left, plus the cards on the right.
Many Greeks — including Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, a young left-wing politician who came to power in January — think their country is being unfairly penalized. That’s why the board has 16 “go to jail” squares.
Greece has been locked in talks with eurozone countries all year to sketch out a new bailout deal, with no success. Only few hours remain until the deadline for loan repayment passes. Maybe that’s why the board’s space for “chance” cards looks like this.
This spoof board seems to have first appeared on this Greek Facebook page in 2013, when it was also shared across social media. It’s popped up again in recent days as deadline for Greece to repay its loan loomed.
In an attempt to get things moving, Greece is due to hold a July 5 referendum on the latest bailout proposed by the eurozone, the 19-country bloc that uses the euro. The two sides' failure so far to reach a deal has brought Greece ever closer to a worst-case scenario where it might have to leave the euro, a so-called "Grexit." Other European countries have repeatedly said they want to reach a deal and keep Greece in the bloc.
Greece announced on Monday it had closed its banks until the referendum, in order to stop people withdrawing all their money in a panic.
For some people in Greece, the situation might feel like this even more bleak spoof Monopoly board, which also first started appearing online in 2013.
Greek Monopoly.........NEW Version
The person behind the Greek Facebook page, which carries the name Gerontas Tsiou and describes this as a "fictional" identity, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.