Greek protests against economic struggles turn violent

Greek protests against economic struggles turn violent

2011-02-24 07:02:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

ATHENS, GREECE (BNO NEWS) -- Protests against austerity policies revolving around the financial problems in Greece turned violent as thousands of workers and civil servants clashed with police, local media reported Wednesday.

While a 24-hour strike against cost cuts closed out schools and shut down transportation routes and flights, riot police began using tear gas and flash bombs as several of the 35,000 protesters on the streets of Athens threw petrol bombs, stones, and bottles.

With chants of 'we are not paying' and 'no sacrifice for plutocracy,' clashes broke out in four different areas, where police used tear gas to fight off rocks and bottles being thrown, balkans.com reported, adding that a journalist was injured during the riots.

Protesters smashed sidewalks to gather stones, set garbage cans on fire, and damaged bus stops.

Last year, Greece cut salaries and pensions, while raising taxes, as the country received a bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund worth 110 billion euros ($150 billion) to avoid national bankruptcy.

Furthermore, in the past weeks, another hefty loan of 15 billion euros was approved by international lenders, setting up a tough privatization process and further structural reforms.

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