Greek Police, Protesters Clash in Athens

VOA News
11 March 2010

Photo: AP

A passenger is seen during a strike at the Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos in Spata, 11 Mar 2010

Greek riot police clashed with demonstrators Thursday in Athens, as tens of thousands of striking workers marched to protest government austerity measures.

Witnesses said the clashes erupted when several dozen hooded youths threw stones and a firebomb at police near a local university.  There were no reports of serious injuries.

The one-day general strike by public and private sector workers grounded most air traffic, shut schools and halted public transport in the country.

The country's two biggest unions called the action to protest $6.5 billion in spending cuts passed by parliament last week.

The measures, which include a two percent sales tax hike, public sector salary cuts and a pension freeze, are aimed at reducing the public deficit by four percentage points this year.

Analysts say the country's financial crisis threatens to destabilize the entire European economy.  At the start of the year, the Greek debt was nearly 13 percent of gross domestic product - more than four times the limit imposed by the European Union.

EU ministers have voiced fears that the crisis will sharply drive down the value of the euro - the common currency of 16 countries.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in the past week has paid calls on the leaders of Germany, France and the United States to gain backing for his government's austerity measures.

None of Mr. Papandreou's hosts have announced plans to help Greece.  But French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Sunday that eurozone governments are working on specific steps to do so.