GERRY ADAMS HAS said that the Government isn’t supporting a European debt conference because it’s “in bed with the elites”.

The Sinn Féin leader was speaking at a demonstration the party held outside Leinster House this afternoon to show their solidarity with Greece and its newly-elected anti-austerity government led by Syriza.

“It’s obvious that the Government know who they’re in bed with – the elites, and they’re not going to get out of that bed.”

Adams claimed Fine Gael and Labour would feel “undermined” if Greece gets a better debt deal than Ireland.

Yesterday, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he was “pessimistic” about a solution being found for Greece ahead of today’s emergency meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Brussels.

Noonan told the Oireachtas Finance Committee he wants Greece to stay in the eurozone and renegotiate its debt repayment programme, rather than receive a debt write-off.

Mary Lou McDonald told TheJournal.ie that people in Greece are facing “abject poverty”.

“They have a mighty, mighty task ahead of them and we wish them well.”

Sinn Féin’s deputy leader said it is “entirely predictable” that the European Central Bank is playing “hardball” but said Syriza’s members are “steely” and “determined”.

Costas Moutskos, a Greek member of Sinn Féin, said the country’s debt repayment plan needs to be changed as it simply isn’t sustainable.

The original agreement will impoverish the European people even more and eventually they’re not going to get their money back anyway.

Moutskos has been living in Ireland for 13 years, but said he returns home regularly and recently noticed ” a wind of change” in the country.