Following massive gatherings across Greece expressing support for the Tsipras government’s efforts to bring an end to the debt crisis, Australia’s largest Hellenic festivals this weekend are carrying the same unequivocal message: ‘Let Greece breathe’

Organisers of the Lonsdale Street and Darling Harbour festivals say Australia’s largest glendis – while celebrating a love of all things Greek – will deliver a powerful Antipodean show of solidarity amongst the revelry.

In Victoria, president of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne, Bill Papastergiadis, said that the 28th Lonsdale Street Festival “exemplifies what makes Melbourne special, as the world’s most liveable city and also as a global multicultural capital” and that Victorians of Greek descent were going through a renaissance period.

“What we’re saying is what we’re experiencing should be replicated in Europe, in terms of allowing Greece to also enter into a renaissance period.

“We support our brothers and sisters there in their journey to renegotiate a fairer bailout agreement.”

Harry Danalis, president of GONSW, told Neos Kosmos that the Greek Festival of Sydney would be both a celebration of identity and an opportunity to explain Greece’s plight to the Australian public.

“We now have a government in Athens that is finally prepared to take a stand against the troika and the EU, and we’re with them,” he said.

“What we want to do is more broadly publicise the plight of the Greek people. The information we get here is often filtered,” added the Community president.

“The message we’ll be promoting is that the plight of the Greek people is serious and severe, and people should support what the new Greek government is trying to do.”

Director of the Australia-Greece Solidarity Campaign, Adam Rorris, who is co-ordinating the ‘Let Greece breathe’ campaign, said the events in Melbourne and Sydney would send a strong message of solidarity to Greece and the Greek world.

“We stand by them in this hour of need and will fight with them against any attempt to trample their dignity and democratic will.”

The festivals follow a week of talks in Brussels between the Greek government and its eurozone creditors, which failed to reach an agreement.

Greece’s proposal to repay 70 per cent of its €240 billion ($348bn) bailout loan has set it on collision course with the EU and in particular Germany. The talks continue on Monday.

The 28th Lonsdale Street Festival in Melbourne and the Greek Festival of Sydney at Tumbalong Park, presented by Delphi Bank, begin today with headline acts Dimitris Basis and Zoe Papadopoulou.