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Police clash with anarchists in Athens (pics)

zora | 18.01.2007 22:46 | Social Struggles | World

Greek protesters clash with riot police during a rally in Athens January 17, 2007. Students and teachers participated in a rally against the government's plans to reform higher education and introduce private universities

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Greek riot police clashed with self-styled anarchist youths in Athens on Wednesday, turning the city centre into a battleground of billowing smoke for hours.

The youths hurled hundreds of petrol bombs at police, burning four cars and one shop. Police retaliated with several rounds of teargas that choked up the capital's streets.

"Five policemen have suffered light burns from the petrol bombs," one police official said.

The clashes started when about 30 youths broke off from an otherwise peaceful march against an education reform law and attacked riot police with petrol bombs.

About 9,000 students, educators and civil servants marched through the city to oppose the law that allows the creation of private universities in Greece, which protesters say will commercialise education and make it hard for the poor to attend college.

The conservative government and main opposition socialists back the bill, saying it will give much-needed competition to Greek state universities and improve higher education.


Website:  http://www.edoneo.org/athen.html

zora

Additions

20.000 students

19.01.2007 01:14

video of riot:
 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=636689

anarchy

Comments

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Self-styled anarchist, my arse...

19.01.2007 02:43

Zora, you say "self-styled anarchist youths". Who are you to use this phrase!?

Is there something like authorised anarchists?

Fuck off and work for the corporate media where this use of language is always welcome.

Serge

Impressed

19.01.2007 15:30

Those greek guys have a lot of balls, one thing though, do you think all of this will actually make the needed difference? do you think that the bill will not pass because the opposition is so detarmined as to throw petrol bombs? do you think this was productive in other words? If you do, than it was worth it, light burns for 5 police officers is a small price to pay for getting equal education, as long as no one died, but if not, than it was violence for the sake of violence, and accomplished nothing!
Still, in the words of George Galloway, "I Admire your courage" :)

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