1,000 firefighters…
A firefighter holds up a poster, reading ‘Liar x 10’ and featuring a photograph of Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos, during a protest outside the Labor Ministry in central Athens yesterday. Some 1,000 firefighters employed on short-term contracts took part in the rally to demand permanent status. No injuries or arrests were reported after the protest, which was mostly peaceful, although police fired tear gas at one point to disperse the demonstrators. Some 5,500 firefighters are employed on short-term contracts. Their union accuses the government of backtracking on a promise to grant them full-time positions.