Police clashed with protesters outside parliament on Wednesday, firing tear gas as they came under attack with firebombs during a massive demonstration against austerity.
Protesters showered police with stones and fire bombs on the steps of the parliament building, forcing them to retreat. The boom of tear gas canisters fired by police rang out over Syntagma Square while black smoke curled into the air.
A presidential guard sentry box was set on fire near the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Greece’s foremost military monument that stands next to parliament, before police moved in to clear the area.
The attackers also pelted police with refuse littering the city’s streets from a two-week strike by municipal garbage collectors.At least 8 demonstrators and 14 police officers were injured in the unrest in Athens, and some 26 people ended up detained.
With memories still fresh of the battles that marked anti-austerity protests in June, more than 5,000 police had deployed on the streets and the mood among the demonstrators was angry.
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