New York Times
December 1, 2011
Thousands of Greek workers walked off the job on Thursday in the seventh general strike this year to protest government austerity policies after a year and a half of cutbacks.
The strike came two days after Greece’s new three-party coalition government secured European Union approval for a crucial sixth installment of bailout aid, without which the country would have faced default. Euro zone finance ministers decided to release $7.7 billion that their countries are contributing to the $10.6 billion installment. The International Monetary Fund is due in the coming days to decide on the disbursement of the remaining amount.
The latest strike was less disruptive than previous walkouts, with the police putting the crowd numbers in Athens at about 17,000, compared with 50,000 in a walkout in October, with little violence. The only moment of tension occurred when a few dozen youths clashed with riot police officers in the central Athens district of Exarchia. There were no reports of injuries. Flights operated largely as scheduled and public transportation ran a limited service to enable workers to attend protest rallies. National rail service, however, was halted, and ferries were moored in their ports. Tax offices, courts and schools closed, hospitals were operating with only emergency staff and customs officials walked off the job.
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