Greece protests
March 12, 2010
A general strike in Greece, called to protest against a series of unpopular government austerity measures, descended into violence on Thursday.
In one central square hundreds of protesters threw stones and firebombs at riot police, who used baton-charges and tear gas in a bid to restrain the crowd. Police said two protesters and 13 police officers were injured, 16 demonstrators were also detained, nine of whom were later arrested.
Police say that over 20,000 people lined the streets of Athens for the demonstrations against severe government cost-cutting measures designed to help reduce Greece's runaway budget deficit.
Chants and banners on the streets of the capital included messages like "plutocrats must pay for the crisis," "we are men, not numbers," and "Europe must change, or it will sink."
Unions representing almost half of Greece's five-million-strong workforce had called for Thursday's general strike, which grounded flights, stopped public transport and closed schools and museums.
Pressure from all sides
While the Greek public calls on the government to soften its cost-cutting plans, the European Union argues they don't go far enough.
Greece's budget deficit in 2009 stood at 12.7 per cent of the country's gross domestic product, more than four times the prescribed euro-zone limit of three per cent of GDP.
The government's latest austerity measures - which include a rise in consumer tax, cuts in civil servant wages, and a pension freeze - are meant to save the country 4.8 billion euros ($6.5 billion).
The European Commission welcomed Greece's latest budgetary plans, but also reserved the right to intervene if it feels that the country is not making sufficient progress improving the financial situation.
As Greece struggles to rein in a national debt that is approaching 300 billion euros ($17.8 billion), no one disputes that the country needs to tighten its belt, however polls show that a large majority of Greeks believe that the rich should be made to pay for the crisis.
Prime Minister George Papandreou has said he has "sympathy" for the strikers, but insists there is simply "no money" for any other course of action.
msh/dpa/Reuters/AFP
Editor: Chuck Penfold