Fiery mayhem in Athens as new round of austerity measures approved

Zachary Roth
·Senior National Affairs Reporter

Violent clashes involving protesters outside Greece's parliament building in Athens Friday left one person dead and dozens injured.

Several hundred people calling themselves anarchists threw rocks, sticks, and petrol bombs at peaceful demonstrators belonging to a communist-aligned trade union. The groups fought pitched battles in Snytagma Square, while police intervened with tear gas and pepper spray.

[See a slideshow of photos from the protests here]

A 53-year-old building worker belonging to the union died of heart failure, according to an Athens hospital.

The protesters were seeking to stop Greek lawmakers from passing a new round of sweeping and unpopular austerity measures. As a condition of a bailout for the debt-wracked nation, the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund have insisted that Greece make deep cuts to public spending. The package ultimately was approved.

Click on the photo below to view more pictures of the Greek protests


AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis