Greek riot police clash with demonstrators during nationwide strike

Greek riot police clash with demonstrators during nationwide strike

2011-10-06 02:22:39 GMT+7 (ICT)

ATHENS (BNO NEWS) -- Greek riot police clashed with protesters in central Athens on Wednesday during a nationwide strike over the government's austerity measures, local media reported.

According to reports, police forces used tear gas and batons against the stone-throwing youths. Two people were injured following the clashes, the Kathimerini newspaper reported on its website.

The national strike brought air and train traffic to a halt throughout the country. In addition, tax offices were closed as state workers walked off the job, hospitals ran on emergency staff and some state schools were closed. Workers protested salary cuts prescribed by the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), layoffs and tax increases.

Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to join the strike and thousands to take to the streets, while EU and IMF auditors continue to review the country's finances to see if Athens qualifies to receive another bailout.

The Greek government announced this week that it would miss 2011 deficit targets set as conditions of a bailout aimed at staving off bankruptcy, despite the austerity measures. On Monday, it announced that it will be cutting the jobs of up to 27,000 civil servant employees by the end of the year as part of its cost-cutting measures.

The country's main labour unions have staged repeated strikes since Athens asked the EU and the IMF for a bailout last year. In June, at least 100 were injured during clashes with riot police.

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