THE TELEGRAPH: Greek protests turned deadly on Wednesday as three died in an Athens bank set alight while tens of thousands demonstrated against harsh new spending cuts aimed at saving Greece from bankruptcy.
Protesters set a bank in the Greek capital on fire as scores of demonstrators tried to storm parliament, throwing chunks of marble at police, who responded with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades. The fire brigade said at least three people had died in the fire.
The clashes took place during a march against austerity measures, the largest since the country was gripped by a debt crisis in October last year.
Violence also broke out in the northern city of Thessaloniki, with youths smashing windows of stores and fast food restaurants.
The demonstrations came as Greece ground to a halt on Wednesday, paralysed by a nationwide general strike in the first major test of the socialist government's resolve to push through unprecedented austerity cuts needed to avert a fiscal meltdown. >>> | Wednesday, May 05, 2010
