Clashes erupt in streets of Athens
- 12 years ago
A large rally in Athens erupts into chaos Thursday afternoon.
Demonstrators took to the city's streets to protest plans by the government to change working conditions and cut wages in a new wave of austerity measures to be imposed on the debt-stricken country.
There was fierce fighting as police used pepper spray and tear gas on protesters hurling home-made petrol bombs and stones at officers.
The unions also called for a second nation-wide general strike in just three weeks, disrupting transport and closing public facilities and services.
Mired in its worst downturn since World War II, Greece is readying 11.5 billion euros of cuts in order to appease EU and international lenders ahead of a proposed 130-billion-euro bailout.
But Greece's unions are hoping to send a message to EU leaders meeting in Brussels that the cuts will only worsen the plight of a populace worn down by five years of recession.
Demonstrators took to the city's streets to protest plans by the government to change working conditions and cut wages in a new wave of austerity measures to be imposed on the debt-stricken country.
There was fierce fighting as police used pepper spray and tear gas on protesters hurling home-made petrol bombs and stones at officers.
The unions also called for a second nation-wide general strike in just three weeks, disrupting transport and closing public facilities and services.
Mired in its worst downturn since World War II, Greece is readying 11.5 billion euros of cuts in order to appease EU and international lenders ahead of a proposed 130-billion-euro bailout.
But Greece's unions are hoping to send a message to EU leaders meeting in Brussels that the cuts will only worsen the plight of a populace worn down by five years of recession.