Blue on blue: Greek police face off in Athens (PHOTOS)

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Published time: September 06, 2012 16:56
Edited time: September 06, 2012 20:57

Greek policemen and members of police unions clash with riot police outside a riot police facility in Athens September 6, 2012. (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis)

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Crisis, EU, Greece, Police, Protest

Striking Greek policemen have clashed with riot police, after blockading their colleagues' headquarters in Athens.

Regular policemen joined a strike by firemen, coast guards and court workers protesting the latest round of austerity cuts in the crisis-stricken country. The newest budget reductions amount to more than $14 billion over the coming two years.

Several dozen protesting policemen, many wearing uniforms, massed at the entrance to the riot police building to prevent busses leaving towards demonstrations planned across the country over the weekend. An altercation broke out as the sides met head on.

The strikers were eventually dispersed, though the many of the riot police appeared hesitant at manhandling their colleagues.

"They make us fight against our own brothers," said one riot policeman, who did not want to give his name.

Greece remains mired in one of the deepest crises ever experienced by a developed nation. Latest figures show that unemployment has risen from 17.2 to 24.4 percent over the past 12 month, despite severe belt-tightening in the public sector.

The country has undertaken the latest cuts to receive the next bailout from the EU, expected to amount to €31 billion. The protests have been timed to coincide with the arrival of an EU bailout inspection on Friday.

Greece’s GDP is expected to shrink by as much as 7 percent this year.

Reuters/Yannis Behrakis

A Greek police officer shouts slogans outside a riot police facility in Athens September 6, 2012. (Reuters/John Kolesidis)

A Greek policeman and member of police unions, (C) faces riot police outside a riot police facility in Athens September 6, 2012. (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis)

Comments (13)

threesuns (unregistered) 09.09.2012 17:42

I have been rooting for the Greek people for some time now. I pray these people will stand up and fight for themselves and not be destroyed by the corrupt politicians and banks that started their problems to begin with. It breaks my heart to see their ports and islands being sold off and "privatized". How can they let their beautiful country be stolen from them? Rise up against this oppression and take your country back! The whole world is watching to see what your freedom means to you!!!

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chrys (unregistered) 09.09.2012 06:45

we greeks are not murderers, nor are we thieves or betruger we work 16 hours a day for 400 euro ,and if we get paid in the end that we dont know. 400 euro isnt enough to live. anyway we will not pay for or corrupt politicians who have 600 billion euro in swiss anks . the eu know that they have money there but they rather make us suffer the normal people. (remember khadaffi? they froze his money world wide in one day) why dont they investigate our politicians? well one thing is for sure we have petrol,uranium,earth gas and many more thats what the great powers are after. but to them all i say , we are ELLAS we are not afraid, we even talk for thousands of years to our gods from a standing position never on our knees and never begging them. we will not pay these games of corrupt politicians and bankers, and if you want a piece of my countrty we say one thing ΜΟΛΟΝ ΛΑΒΕ

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3rdbasegeorge (unregistered) 08.09.2012 07:53

This is the punishment for failing to see the lights change from progressive tax rate cold war between the variants of either white house lead to definitively the coming hegemony of two tier flat tax rate systems.In the meantime will the west really allow itself to fall into a soviet union collapse type of scenario? It seems to be well on the cards for the Greeks....And still not a word about the imperative need for a two tier flat tax rate from the self inflated camp, the victors of the Cold War.

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