General Strike Hits Flights And Services In Greece In Protest At Latest Round Of Austerity Measures. By Anthee Carassava, in Athens Riot police have fired tear gas grenades as thousands of Greek civil servants staged a walk-out over the country's austerity measures.
Scuffles broke out between police and protesters as they marched with orange flags and placards through the streets of Athens in a demonstration that has left flights grounded and trains idle as state services shut down. Organised by the country's two biggest labour unions, the 24-hour strike is the first since the government in Athens announced plans to further slash pensions and wages, and close scores of state organisations. They will ultimately axe 30,000 public sector jobs by the end of the year. The strike comes days after Athens admitted it would miss deficit-reduction targets through 2012 – a confession that sent global shares into a tailspin and the euro swooning to record lows. Without the aid, Athens could be forced to default or restructure its 350 billion euro debt. It will also test the influence of labour unions. Strikes and protests mount against austerity in Greece. Strikes and protests mount against austerity in Greece By Christoph DreierWSWS.org 27 September 2011 “Today, it is no longer safe for us to go onto the streets,” a politician of the Greek ruling party PASOK told the Frankfurter Rundschau.
“We are the government and we are alone.” Widespread popular anger against the government in Greece has only intensified following the latest round of austerity measures. Incidents abound of politicians of both the social democratic PASOK and the conservative opposition New Democracy (ND) being pelted with eggs and on occasion stones when they show themselves in public. According to surveys conducted by Eurobarometer, 82 percent of Greeks have lost confidence in the government and 83 percent distrust the parliament. The huge gulf between the working population on the one hand and the government on the other was clearly evident at a demonstration in Syntagma Square in Athens on Sunday. Struggles are taking place all over Greece. Like this: Like Loading... 20,000 demonstrate in Greece against austerity. By Agence France-PresseWednesday, October 5, 2011 12:59 EDT More than 20,000 public sector workers demonstrated in Athens Wednesday in a strike against deeper austerity cuts that shut down courts, schools and transport, including air traffic.
Police used tear gas to clear some of the protesters, who included a 500-strong anarchist group, from central Syntagma Square opposite parliament, an AFP reporter said. The protests organised by the two main Greek unions, ADEDY and GSEE, came ahead of a general strike on October 19, which will also affect banks and shops. It was called in response to new taxes, wage cuts and layoffs imposed by a government, fighting to avert a default on its debt payments, as the next tranche of an international aid hangs in the balance. “Every time the public deficit gets bigger they impose new taxes, life is just getting too expensive,” said Stavros and Helena, a married couple employed at the city of Athens. “If we don’t resist we will lose everything,” he said. AI50.ca. ‘Occupy’ protests to arrive at London Stock Exchange. By Agence France-PresseTuesday, October 11, 2011 22:39 EDT LONDON — Protests against corporate power that have taken hold in the United States are to hit Britain on Saturday with a rally in front of the London Stock Exchange, organisers revealed.
Occupy London Stock Exchange (OccupyLSX) plans to launch a “peaceful occupation” near the capital’s financial nerve centre, and its page on social networking site Facebook has attracted 3,500 confirmed attendees. “This is a people-powered movement protesting against the increasing social and economic injustice in the UK,” OccupyLSX supporter Kai Wargalla explained on Wednesday. “We want to stand with…the overwhelming majority who value people over profit.
We want to make our voices heard against greed, corruption and for a democratic, just society,” she added. The group will host workshops, assemblies and discussion groups during Saturday’s protest against the financial sector and its regulatory system. Agence France-Presse. E.U. ‘Indignants’ camp out in Brussels park.