Strikes Bring Greece to a Halt

Recently announced austerity measures in Greece led to more strikes on Thursday that brought much of the country to a standstill.
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Strikes Bring Greece to a Halt
A demonstrator kicks a tear gas canister in Athens on March 11, during the 24-hour general strike to protest the government's austerity plan to solve the country's debt crisis. Violence erupted, with riot police firing tear gas at hooded youths hurling fi (Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)
3/11/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/GREECE-RIOT-97637664.jpg" alt="A demonstrator kicks a tear gas canister in Athens on March 11, during the 24-hour general strike to protest the government's austerity plan to solve the country's debt crisis. Violence erupted, with riot police firing tear gas at hooded youths hurling fi (Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)" title="A demonstrator kicks a tear gas canister in Athens on March 11, during the 24-hour general strike to protest the government's austerity plan to solve the country's debt crisis. Violence erupted, with riot police firing tear gas at hooded youths hurling fi (Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1822177"/></a>
A demonstrator kicks a tear gas canister in Athens on March 11, during the 24-hour general strike to protest the government's austerity plan to solve the country's debt crisis. Violence erupted, with riot police firing tear gas at hooded youths hurling fi (Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)

Recently announced austerity measures in Greece led to more strikes on Thursday that brought much of the country to a standstill.

Flights and public transit were halted, hospitals operated with only emergency staff, and schools and government offices closed as workers joined demonstrations in Athens.

The two major labor unions in the country, which represent more than 2.5 million workers, are behind the strikes. Many of the protesters were peaceful, but some hooded youths were smashing windows and battling riot police, according to Time Magazine. Scattered strikes have disrupted life in Athens over the past week, but the new announcement of austerity measures got the labor unions into action.