Two people have been injured as Greeks rioted over the opening of shops on Sunday. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Athens’ main shopping district, resulting in clashes with riot police who tried to disperse the protesters with tear gas.
Local media reports stated that some 300 retail employees
participated in the riots. Unconfirmed social media reports
stated that as many as 1,000 participated. During the tension,
balls were thrown at shop windows and banners reading “Never
on Sunday” were unfurled on Ermou St., in the northeast of
the capital, shattering them.
Demonstrators shouted slogans and called on people not to shop.
Many retailers conceded to the demands of protesters and shut.
Local media reports stated that police confronted protesters with
“chemicals and brutal repression.”
The unrest began shortly after 11 am local time. As police
efforts grew more concerted they succeeded in pushing protesters
into a different road.
Shops in Greece close at 6 pm, with supermarkets open until 8 pm.
“What is missing from the citizens is not the time for
shopping, but money,” said economist and mayoral candidate
Gabriel Sakellaridis in a statement released on his website.
General Secretary of the Union of Private Sector Employees of
Greece, Thanos Vasilopoulos, said that Sunday opening would not
necessarily increase turnover, but would lead to further
worsening of working conditions.
He added that in Athens there are many employees who have not
been paid for some 15 months.
Instability has rocked the country since the debt crisis in 2010.
Greece responded to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit on
Friday with thousands of Greeks flooding the streets staging a
nationwide strike in protest of austerity measures implemented
after multibillion euro bailouts by the EU and IMF four years
ago. The demonstrations unfolded despite a protest ban during the
visit.
Merkel’s six hours of scheduled negotiations with Greek Prime
Minister Antonis Samaras on Saturday rendered the government
district of Athens out of bounds to protesters.