Athens burns, buildings on fire as chaos, riots flare up (Athens terbakar, bangunan terbakar sebagai huru-hara, rusuhan memarak)

Explosive devise explodes by police during rally in Athens (Letupan merangka meletup oleh polis semasa perhimpunan di Athens) (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis)

Rusuhan terburuk kerosakan pada tahun-tahun telah melanda Athens sebagai Ahli Parlimen lulus langkah-langkah penjimatan keras yang baru. Berpuluh-puluh bangunan-bangunan bersejarah dibakar selepas rusuhan bertukar menjadi huru-hara semalaman di ibu kota Yunani dengan penunjuk perasaan merampas kedai-kedai dan bertempur dengan polis rusuhan. Anggota bomba dousing membara krew bangunan dan pembersihan menyapu runtuhan berikutan malam merusuh di tengah-tengah Athens. Bau busuk gas pemedih mata digantung di udara pagi Isnin, tercekik lalu-lalang. Pencuri memecahkan berpuluh-puluh kedai 45 bangunan, termasuk sebuah pawagam, bank, kafeteria, wakil jualan telefon bimbit dan kedai barangan kaca, dibakar di tengah-tengah Athens.

Pihak polis berkata, sekurang-kurangnya 150 kedai telah dirompak di ibu negara. Berpuluh-puluh pegawai polis cedera dan sekurang-kurangnya 70 orang telah dimasukkan ke hospital, dengan keseluruhan 120 cedera. 67 rioters telah ditangkap kerana menyerang pegawai polis dan lebih 75 lagi ditahan. Pertempuran meletus selepas lebih 100,000 penunjuk perasaan berarak secara aman ke parlimen untuk menyatukan terhadap pemotongan drastic cuts, yang akan kapak 1 dalam 5 pekerjaan perkhidmatan awam dan slash gaji minimum oleh lebih daripada 20 % peratus. Sekitar 2,000 orang telah terlibat dalam keganasan.

Keganasan yang merebak di seluruh negara, dengan rusuhan yang berlaku di Thessaloniki, Volos, Agrinio, pulau-pulau Corfu dan Crete. Di Thessaloniki, pertempuran berlaku di pusat bandar selepas perhimpunan dan perarakan bantahan. Dalam Volos semasa bantahan itu, penunjuk perasaan membaling koktel Molotov ke bangunan bank, di tingkat bawah pejabat perbandaran, tempatan serta premis inspektorat cukai.

 

Cc1WC'sChannel REVIEW Disaster 2012: A fire engulfs a store during clashes between protesters and riot police near the Greek parliament in Athens on February 12, 2012 (Suatu kebakaran menyelubungi sebuah kedai semasa pertempuran antara penunjuk perasaan dan polis rusuhan berhampiran parlimen Yunani (Nasrani) di Athens pada Februari 12, 2012)

Watch RT's Jacob Greaves reporting from Athens (tonton laporan RT's Jacob Greaves dari Athens)

 

The worst riot damage in years has struck Athens as MPs pass harsh new austerity measures. Dozens of historic buildings were set ablaze after riots turned chaotic overnight in Greek capital with protesters looting shops and clashing with riot police. Firefighters are dousing smoldering buildings and cleanup crews are sweeping rubble following a night of rioting in central Athens. The stench of tear gas hung in the air Monday morning, choking passers-by. Looters smashed dozens of shops as 45 buildings, including a cinema, bank, cafeteria, a mobile phone dealership and a glassware shop, burned in central Athens.

Police say at least 150 shops were looted in the capital. Dozens of police officers were injured and at least 70 people were hospitalized, with overall 120 injured. Sixty-seven rioters were arrested for attacking police officers and over 75 more were detained. The clashes erupted after more than 100,000 protesters marched peacefully to the parliament to rally against the drastic cuts, which will axe one in five civil service jobs and slash the minimum wage by more than 20 per cent. Around 2,000 were involved in the violence.

The violence spread throughout the country, with riots taking place in Thessaloniki, Volos, Agrinio, the islands of Corfu and Crete. In Thessaloniki, clashes took place in the city center after the rallies and protest marches. In Volos during the protest, demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails into bank buildings, in the basement of the local municipal office, as well as the premises of the tax inspectorate.

Riot police walk past a building burning during violent protests in central Athens (Polis rusuhan berjalan melepasi bangunan terbakar semasa bantahan ganas di tengah-tengah Athens Februari 12, 2012) (Reuters/Panayiotis Tzamaros)

Riot police run past a building burning during violent protests in central Athens (Polis rusuhan berjalan melepasi pembakaran bangunan semasa protes yang bersifat ganas di tengah-tengah Athens) (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis)

A cinema is burning out during anti-austerity demonstration in central Athens (Pawagam terbakar semasa demonstrasi anti-penjimatan di tengah-tengah Athens) (Reuters/Panayiotis Tzamaros)

A fireman tries to extinguish a burning cinema in Athens (Bomba cuba memadamkan pembakaran sebuah pawagam di Athens) (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis)

A cyclist rides past a burning building during violent protests in central Athens (tunggangan pelumba melepasi bangunan yang terbakar semasa protes yang bersifat ganas di tengah-tengah Athens) (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis)

Firefighters are seen by a building burning during violent protests in central Athens (Anggota bomba lihat pembakaran bangunan semasa protes yang bersifat ganas di tengah-tengah Athens) (Reuters/Yannis Behrakis)