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Anastasia Balezdrova 

The biggest strike since 1974 when democracy in Greece was restored.  This is how commentators defined the mass participation in today's protest procession against the economic policy of the Greek government.

Tens of thousands of people, 70,000 according to police and more than 120,000 according to trade unions, filled the central streets of Athens and said they would not go away until the government falls. In fact, most of them could not even reach Syntagma Square in front of the Greek Parliament, which was surrounded by members of the communists' union PAME. Its members linked arms and did not let the other groups of protesters get closer. However, people scattered around the sidewalks and the square.

Clashes with police were not late in coming. Not only young persons with covered faces known from other protests took part in them but other demonstrators too. Tensions grew when a protester climbed the metal wall, with which the police had barred Vassilis Sofias Avenue, and began to shout slogans at the riot forces deployed behind it. The other demonstrators cheered and applauded his actions. He came down and minutes later, a dozen young men began pushing the wall to knock it down. When other young men joined them, police sprayed a small amount of tear gas to force them to move away. This, however, did not prevent the young people from resuming their attempts, while other demonstrators were throwing bottles of water and other objects at the police officers.

The same scenario was repeated several times. Demonstrators were shouting slogans against the police, the government and its policies and making indecent assaults on police officers who watched the clashes by the Parliament. Then things got out of control. The protesters began attacking the security forces with stones, pieces of marble or even metal rods they had broken off the sidewalk. Some even managed to throw a light bomb through the fence. The police responded to these actions with large amounts of tear gas and the bombs were thrown directly at the protesters several times.

Gradually, the clashes intensified and moved to the square in front of the Greek Parliament. The protesters set fire to the post of the presidential guard and minutes earlier, the Evzones were ordered to withdraw. The protesters reached the stairs leading to the Parliament and the police sprayed huge amounts of tear gas to force them to step back. However, they managed to bring the square only partially under control and the body-to-body "fighting" moved to the beginning of Amalias Avenue. Members of the non-profit organisation "Doctors without Borders" gave first aid to dozens of protesters who had breathing difficulties. Some were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, a Greek journalist being among them.

There were heavy clashes in other places around the square. According to information from the police, youths had attacked a policeman on Solonos Street. After beating him, they had stolen his official gun. Earlier, four of his colleagues had become the object of attack in the central square in the neighbourhood of Kessariani. Witnesses said that at least ten people had attacked two police motorcycles and wounded one of the police officers with a stone.

Since the beginning of the violent clashes, many protesters had retreated into the surrounding streets. A little later, they reappeared on Syntagma and claimed, "We did not come here to leave." Fierce fighting raged in Akadimias Street and the taxi owners’ procession reached there too. They could not move to Syntagma, because of the metal wall on Vassilis Sofias Avenue.

The police had begun their preparations for today very early. Police forces had cut off the area around the Greek Parliament early in the morning. About 20,000 policemen were deployed at various locations in downtown Athens to limit the actions of "unruly" demonstrators. Shortly before the procession, a citizen had informed the national authorities about four underage youths carrying Molotov bombs. Young people travelled from Piraeus to central Athens by bus. Having understood that they had been spotted, they quickly got off at a stop in the suburb of Moschato leaving two Molotov bombs on the bus. The youths were arrested after police intervention. The police claim that they have data on the basis of which they would arrest the potential attackers.

The unrest in Athens continued until late afternoon.