A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words: The Heartbreaking Reality Behind This Picture From Greece

This will bring a tear to your eye.  As the people of Greece headed to the polls this weekend to vote in a referendum on whether or not the country should accept international creditors’ bail-out conditions, a picture of a 77-year-old man has made headlines worldwide. The heartbreaking shot shows Girogis Chatzifotiadis breaking down outside a bank in Greece after he had been told he was unable to withdraw money. He told AFP that he had queued up at three banks in an attempt to withdraw his wife’s pension, before being told at a fourth bank that the withdrawal was not possible. Unable to cope with the situation, he collapsed in tears outside the bank, and was captured on camera with his savings book on the ground beside him. The photograph has since made headlines the world over, as a true representation of the hardship that the Greek people are suffering through. The 77-year-old told AFP that he “cannot stand to see my country in this distress” and added that when he was told that he was unable to withdraw the money he "just collapsed.” “I see my fellow citizens begging for a few cents to buy bread. I see more and more suicides,” Giorgis, who has truly become the face of Greek's despair, continued. Hat tip AFP via RTÉ/Images via SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP/Getty Images