Riot Police Clash With Protesters in Athens
Riot Police Clash With Protesters in Athens (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Riot police in Athens have clashed with anti-austerity protesters who hurled stones and petrol bombs on another day of general strikes that brought much of Greece to a standstill.
Almost 40,000 demonstrators took to the streets in Athens during the 20th national strike in Greece since the euro crisis began.
Riot police fired tear gas at protesters who threw projectiles and Molotov cocktails.
A 65-year-old man died from a heart attack not far from the clashes, while another three people were injured.
Police detained about 50 protesters.
Most business and public sector activity ground to a halt at the start of the 24-hour strike, which was called by the country’s two biggest labour unions, ADEDY and GSEE.
“Enough is enough. They’ve dug our graves, shoved us in and we are waiting for the priest to read the last words,” said Konstantinos Balomenos, a 58-year-old worker at a water utility whose wage has been halved to 900 euros and who has two unemployed sons.