Athens burns as Greece bailout passed

Riots engulfed central Athens and at least 10 buildings went up in flames in mass protests late Sunday as parlimentary lawmakers voted to enact unpopular austerity measures aimed at keeping the country solvent.

TV footage showed a three-storey corner building completely consumed by flames with riot officers looking on from the street, and firefighters trying to douse the blaze. A closed cinema, a bank, a mobile phone dealership, a glassware store and a cafeteria were among the burning buildings, the fire department said.

There were no reports of people trapped inside.

Protesters had set bonfires in front of parliament and dozens of riot police formed lines in an effort to deter them from attempting a run on the building.

Before the vote result was announced early Monday, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos had urged calm, pointing to the country's dire financial straits.

PM urges calm

"Vandalism and destruction have no place in a democracy and will not be tolerated," Papademos told parliament. "I call on the public to show calm. At these crucial times, we do not have the luxury of this type of protest. I think everyone is aware of how serious the situation is."

Papademos's government — a coalition of the majority Socialists and their main foes, the conservative New Democracy —controls 236 of parliament's 300 seats, although at least 20 lawmakers from both main parties had said they would not back the new private sector wage cuts, pension reductions and civil service layoffs dictated by the draft austerity program.

The legislation was aimed at securing a €130 billion ($171.1-billion) bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

Lawmakers were also asked to approve a bond-swapping deal with private creditors that will allow Greece to shave at least €100 billion ($130 billion) of its €360 billion ($475 billion) debt.

Clouds of tear gas drifted across the square in front of parliament. Many in the crowd wore gas masks and had their faces covered, while others carried Greek flags and carried banners. Dozens of police officers and at least 37 protesters were injured, and more than 20 suspected rioters were detained.

Clashes erupted after more than 100,000 protesters marched to parliament to rally against drastic austerity cuts that will axe one in five civil service jobs and slash the minimum wage by more than a fifth.

Since May 2010, Greece has survived on a C110 billion ($145 billion) bailout from its European partners and the International Monetary Fund.

When that proved insufficient, a new rescue loan package was decided, combined with a massive bond swap deal that will write off half the country's privately held debt. For both deals to materialize, Greece has to persuade its deeply skeptical creditors that it has the will and ability to implement spending cuts and public sector reforms.

Original Article
Source: CBC 
Author: AP