Anti-Austerity Protests in Greece With protest marches and a rally in front of the Greek parliament, thousands of anti-austerity voters celebrated the results of the July 2015 Greek referendum in the streets of Athens. The popular vote soundly rejected a bailout deal proposed by the IMF, the European Common Bank, and the European Union, which would have required the Greek government to implement harsh austerity measures. Just days after the vote, Greek leaders backed down and accepted the plan anyway.