Police prepare for upheaval ahead of vote
Alternate Minister for Citizens’ Protection Yiannis Panousis on Monday met with senior officers of the Greek Police to prepare for potential upheaval ahead of a vote in Parliament, most likely Wednesday, on tough new austerity measures agreed between the government and creditors.
Police were on standby last night as members of the far-left group ANTARSYA, civil servants’ union ADEDY and the youth arm of SYRIZA gathered in central Athens to protest the new deal. Tensions rose when a group of demonstrators burned a SYRIZA flag but they did not escalate and there were no reports of violence.
A larger police presence is to be mobilized Wednesday for the vote in Parliament as votes on Greece’s two previous bailouts were also accompanied by vehement protests.
Authorities want to be sure that protesters are kept at a safe distance from Parliament while legislators debate and vote on the new measures.
On Monday, anarchists and members of anti-establishment groups gathered in the main building of the National Technical University of Athens to plan their course of action and, according to sources, they are planning a motorcycle convoy though the city center in a protest against the European Union.
A raid by police on an abandoned building in central Athens on Sunday turned up a large number of firebombs and gas canister bombs.
