Greece

Riots continue ahead of general strike

Article published on the 2008-12-10 Latest update 2008-12-10 14:30 TU

People holding posters featuring pistols gather in front Greece's parliament during a peaceful protest in Athens on Tuesday
(Photo: Reuters)

Violence continued in several Greek cities overnight as the country prepares for a large general strike Wednesday. In Athens fighting continued until three in the morning between police and 100 young people who had been occupying university faculties.

Protesters occupied Athens' Polytechnic University for a third night on Tuesday.

In Salonika, police fought with 20 people and in the port of Patras, 500 young people attacked police headquarters.

The violence continues after auxiliary police shot dead a 15-year-old boy, Alexis Grigoropoulos last weekend.

RFI reporter Maud Czaja in Athens says a bank, a travel agent and a post office were damaged by violence overnight.

She says there has been no public transport since five in the morning today ahead of a major strike and that the capital is calm again.

Cities were calm Wednesday morning as the country prepared to stop work. Public transport, media and airlines are expected to bring the country to a standstill as a rally is held in Athens.

The strike, Czaja says, was planned before Grigoropoulos' death and is being backed by the major unions in Greece. They are calling for protests against privatisations and against a drop in purchasing power.

The opposition has said public confidence in the government has been lost and has called for it "to depart". The government currently only holds a one seat majority in the Greek parliament.

"The reason why Greeks are out on the street, it is not just today, it has been for months," said correspondent Christina Pirovolakis in Athens.

"It is because of the government's labour reforms and social reforms. The Greeks are amongst the lowest paid in Europe," Pirovolakis told RFI. "The average Greek makes between 600-700 euros per month, people find it very hard to even survive," she said.

The recent violence has left 29 people in hospital suffering the effects of tear-gas while 108 people have been arrested. Fire services have fought over 100 fires and the government says that "over 370 shops may have been attacked".