Protests rock Athens

The Greek anarchists and globophobes have been pretty busy lately. From Reuters May 6:

ATHENS — Thousands of antiglobalization demonstrators marched Saturday through central Athens and to the United States Embassy to protest Washington's policies in Iraq and Iran.

In clashes that filled downtown streets for hours, a Citibank building was set on fire, and a McDonald's restaurant and a Hilton Hotel were attacked.

The police said that almost 10,000 people marched through the city at the end of a meeting of the European Social Forum, where left-wing politicians and representatives of peace and environmental groups discussed political, labor and racial issues.

The police used tear gas to disperse youths throwing gas bombs. A police officer was wounded by a gasoline bomb and one protester was sent to the hospital with injuries.

Reuters, April 26:

As [US Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice Tuesday met her Greek counterpart Dora Bakoyanni and Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, riot police hurled teargas at demonstrators trying to march to the U.S. embassy.

Police said 9 protesters were arrested in the clashes, which wrecked at least 10 central Athens shops and 4 cars. No injuries were reported.

See our last post on those rambunctious Greek anarchists.