Protestors seeking a halt to stringent austerity measures adopted by Greece in an attempt to combat its debt problem raged through the streets of Athens on Wednesday, clashing with police and crippling the city as public and private employees went on strike.
Reuters reported that about 100,000 protestors thronged the streets of Greece’s capital city, with police firing tear gas and flash bombs in an attempt to halt the demonstrations against the nation’s parliament. The first nationwide strike this year saw public transportation, airlines, and schools shut down in a 24-hour strike.
Chants of "We are not paying" and "No sacrifice for plutocracy" rang through the streets as workers, students, and pensioners advanced on the capital. They protested austerity measures that included cuts in salaries and pensions and higher taxes that the Greek government enacted so that it could receive a bailout of 110 billion euros ($150 billion) from the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).