Greek students protest against austerity measures

Thousands of Greeks marched through the streets of Athens on Thursday protesting against austerity measures and commemorating a 1973 student uprising, the Wall Street Journal reported.

WSJ reported that mostly students, wearing black masks, marched past parliament chanting slogans and carrying banners that read:

"Down with the enslavement of the people and the selling off of the country."

The march was dominated by left-wing groups and remained mostly peaceful. Police estimated a turnout of about 30,000 people who marched past closed shops, beating drums, waving red flags and chanting “EU, IMF OUT!” Reuters reported. An estimated 7,000 officers monitored the crowd.

Greek police soon fired tear gas against the crowds and used stun grenades to disperse them, the Associated Press reported. About 60 people were detained for questioning; no injuries were reported.

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This has been the first public protest since Lucas Papademos took over as prime minister. Papademos won a confidence vote on Wednesday, which will most likely impose tax rises and spending cuts to save Greece from bankruptcy. Unions said they used this rally to send a warning to Papademos to reverse policies they believe have sent Greece into a “death spiral,” Reuters reported.

In Thessaloniki, another 15,000 people marched for the same cause, except their protest remained peaceful.

The protest commemorated a pro-democracy student uprising in 1973 that was squashed by the military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974, the AP reported.

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