June 28, 2011
Police fired tear gas at demonstrators in front of Parliament on Tuesday as Greeks began a 48-hour general strike ahead of a crucial vote by lawmakers on measures deemed critical to international financial support for the debt-ridden country.
A police spokeswoman said 23 people were detained, with five of them later arrested, and 21 police officers were injured, none seriously. Local news media said several of the demonstrators were hurt.
The strike, organized by the country’s two main unions, is the latest in a series of walkouts and the longest strike in more than 30 years as public outrage has grown over the Socialist government’s austerity drive.
As the strike began, Olli Rehn, the European Union’s top economic and monetary affairs official, urged the Greek Parliament to approve the measures in votes expected on Wednesday and Thursday so that its foreign lenders could release the aid Greece needs to stave off default.
“The only way to avoid immediate default is for Parliament to endorse the revised economic program,” Mr. Rehn said. “Let me say this clearly: There is no Plan B to avoid default.”
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