[Bible Prophecy News] Greece braced for fresh riots and anti-austerity strikes
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Pastor Dale Morgan
May 20, 2010, 12:54:02 AM5/20/10
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Perilous Times
Greece braced for fresh riots and anti-austerity strikes
Page last updated at 3:38 GMT, Thursday, 20 May 2010 4:38 UK
BBC - People walk past a strike poster in Athens. Photo: 19 May 2010 Athens is full of posters announcing the strike
Much of Greece is expected to grind to a halt, with the country's trade unions staging another 24-hour general strike against planned austerity measures.
Organisers are hoping that up 100,000 people will join the protests.
There are fears of renewed violence after a strike in Athens two weeks ago led to the deaths of three people.
Many Greeks are angered by spending cuts and tax and pension-age rises planned in return for a 110bn euro (£95bn) bail-out.
The measures aim to achieve fresh budget cuts of 30bn euros over three years, with the goal of cutting Greece's public deficit to less than 3% of GDP by 2014. It currently stands at 13.6%.
'Mood barometer'
The strike officially began at midnight on Wednesday local time.
People are bleeding financially but they will participate in the strike
Ilias Vrettakos, ADEDY union
It is expected to shut down government buildings, schools and banks, and to reduce hospitals to emergency staff later in the day.
Train services, shipping and domestic flights are also expected to be severely disrupted.
The country's main civil service and public sector unions say they represent some 2.5m workers.
"People are bleeding financially but they will participate in the strike," Ilias Vrettakos, a senior member of the ADEDY union, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
However, Greek air traffic controllers are not taking part in the industrial action.
Greek policeman hit by a petrol bomb The 5 May strike generated the worst violence in decades
They have decided to continue working because travellers have faced too much disruption recently from the Icelandic volcano and also because concerns about the impact of the strike on tourism, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens reports.
He says that journalists have also decided to postpone their industrial action, because one of the most essential components of this rolling campaign is publicity.
The strike on 5 May in Athens generated the worst violence in decades.
The death of three bank workers, who suffocated when their office was fire-bombed, has forced many people to wonder whether such virulent protests are worthwhile, our correspondent says.
He adds that the demonstrations during this latest strike will be a barometer of the mood of the nation.
Greece braced for fresh riots and anti-austerity strikes
Page last updated at 3:38 GMT, Thursday, 20 May 2010 4:38 UK
BBC - People walk past a strike poster in Athens. Photo: 19 May 2010 Athens is full of posters announcing the strike
Much of Greece is expected to grind to a halt, with the country's trade unions staging another 24-hour general strike against planned austerity measures.
Organisers are hoping that up 100,000 people will join the protests.
There are fears of renewed violence after a strike in Athens two weeks ago led to the deaths of three people.
Many Greeks are angered by spending cuts and tax and pension-age rises planned in return for a 110bn euro (£95bn) bail-out.
The measures aim to achieve fresh budget cuts of 30bn euros over three years, with the goal of cutting Greece's public deficit to less than 3% of GDP by 2014. It currently stands at 13.6%.
'Mood barometer'
The strike officially began at midnight on Wednesday local time.
People are bleeding financially but they will participate in the strike
Ilias Vrettakos, ADEDY union
It is expected to shut down government buildings, schools and banks, and to reduce hospitals to emergency staff later in the day.
Train services, shipping and domestic flights are also expected to be severely disrupted.
The country's main civil service and public sector unions say they represent some 2.5m workers.
"People are bleeding financially but they will participate in the strike," Ilias Vrettakos, a senior member of the ADEDY union, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
However, Greek air traffic controllers are not taking part in the industrial action.
Greek policeman hit by a petrol bomb The 5 May strike generated the worst violence in decades
They have decided to continue working because travellers have faced too much disruption recently from the Icelandic volcano and also because concerns about the impact of the strike on tourism, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens reports.
He says that journalists have also decided to postpone their industrial action, because one of the most essential components of this rolling campaign is publicity.
The strike on 5 May in Athens generated the worst violence in decades.
The death of three bank workers, who suffocated when their office was fire-bombed, has forced many people to wonder whether such virulent protests are worthwhile, our correspondent says.
He adds that the demonstrations during this latest strike will be a barometer of the mood of the nation.
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