Class warfare: Police fire teargas at Greek anti-austerity protest

[No Elephants]

Much as in the day of John D. Rockefeller and the mines, only one side of the class war owns the government, including the police.

The more things change, the more they stay the same--for the 1%. The rest of us, however, do go through changes.

One thing I don't miss about the heyday of DU: a post like this would invariably draw the RW socks, moaning about how the Greek 99% never paid their taxes.

Police fire teargas at Greek anti-austerity protest



By Lefteris Papadimas and Harry Papachristou

ATHENS | Thu Oct 18, 2012 7:55am EDT

(Reuters) - Greek police fired teargas to disperse anti-austerity protesters hurling stones and petrol bombs on the day of a general strike that brought much of the near-bankrupt country to a standstill.

It was the second time in three weeks that Greek workers had walked off the job, with Thursday's strike aimed at showing EU leaders meeting in Brussels that new wage and pension cuts will only worsen their plight after five years of recession.

More than 30,000 protesters gathered in central Athens as most business and public sector activity ground to a halt at the start of the 24-hour strike called by the country's two biggest labor unions, ADEDY and GSEE.

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"Enough is enough. They've dug our graves, shoved us in and we are waiting for the priest to read the last words," said Konstantinos Balomenos, a 58-year-old worker at a water utility whose wage has been halved to 900 euros and who has two unemployed sons.

Some protesters were carrying Greek, Spanish and Portuguese flags and shouted: "EU, IMF out

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"Agreeing to catastrophic measures means driving society to despair and the consequences as well as the protests will then be indefinite," said Yannis Panagopoulos, head of the GSEE private sector union, one of two major unions that represent about 2 million people, or half of Greece's workforce.

LENDERS DEMAND AUSTERITY

European Union leaders will try to bridge their differences over plans for a banking union at a two-day summit which starts on Thursday. No substantial decisions are expected, reviving concerns about complacency in tackling the debt crisis which exploded three years ago in Greece.

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"This can't go on. We sure need measures but not as tough as the ones >(German Chancellor Angela) Merkel is asking for," said Dimitris Mavronassos, a 40-year-old shipyard worker who has not been paid for six months.

The strike emptied streets and offices in Athens. Ships stayed in port, Athens public transport was disrupted and hospitals were working with emergency staff, while public offices, ministries, bakeries and other shops were shut.

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"The new demands will only finish off what's left of our labor, pension and social rights."

But with Greece due to run out of money next month, Athens has little choice but to push through the austerity package being discussed with lenders.

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much more http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/18/us-greece-strike-idUSBRE89G1XI20121018