Thousands of people are protesting in Athens as part of a 24-hour strike that has brought Greece to a standstill. Public transport has been severely disrupted, and more than a dozen domestic flights were canceled. Though most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, a small group of young protesters threw Molotov cocktails, and police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
The general strike is the first since the country's left-led government initially came into power this January. Workers are protesting the austerity measures that are part of the country's third bailout — a three-year deal under which Greece will gradually receive up to $92 billion in rescue loans from the 19-country eurozone in return for spending cuts and tax hikes.
Around 24,000 people marched in three separate demonstrations in Athens, according to police. The protests are centered around a new round of bailout-related tax hikes and spending cuts in a country already struggling to come to grips with significant austerity measures.
Police figures: About 24,000 people in 3 separate protest marches in Athens as part of general #strike. #Greece pic.twitter.com/u0FODaAXJl— Elena Becatoros (@ElenaBec) November 12, 2015
Journalists also walked off the job, pulling news bulletins off the air, except to report on the strike. News websites were static, and Friday newspapers won't be printed. Lawyers, too, scaled back their work.
Same woman, same sign at #Athens protests for years https://t.co/VGwQVn911r— Anthony Verias (@VeriasA) November 12, 2015
The clashes in Athens were short-lived and caused demonstrators to scatter, but calm soon returned. Officials said one policeman was slightly injured before the clashes when three men attacked him. He was treated in a hospital for light head injuries and released.
Σβηνουν φωτιες στην Πανεπιστημιου pic.twitter.com/SlJIp50F5P— Dionisis Vithoulkas (@dionisisath) November 12, 2015
Another 10,000 marched without incident through the country's second-largest city of Thessaloniki.
The main party in the governing coalition — Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' left-wing Syriza — has shown sympathy for the strike. The party's department that deals with labor policy called for mass participation in the walkout to protest "the neoliberal policies and the blackmail from financial and political centers within and outside Greece."
Σύνταγμα τώρα #12ngr pic.twitter.com/6epZFqDxN7— Makis Sinodinos (@MakisSinodinos) November 12, 2015
Tsipras, who won re-election in September, signed up to the bailout in a dramatic policy change despite initially campaigning vigorously against bailouts and their accompanying austerity conditions. He has said he had no choice but to agree to the deal to prevent Greece from defaulting on its debts and being forced out of Europe's joint currency.
"I believe strikes can turn into a boomerang for the worker, but there are times when people need to react," said 61-year-old Yannis Nikolaidis as he marched in the protest near parliament. "This is the time when people need to react. Enough already with the taxes, enough with the double talk. They need to let us breathe."
Additional reporting from the Associated Press.