Hooded Youths Attack Police With Petrol Bombs

Groups of hooded youths threw petrol bombs at police officers during an otherwise peaceful workers protest march in Athens on Wednesday. The protestors also set fire to a kiosk in the central square in front of the parliament and in front of the finance ministry. Greek workers had marched onto the parliament in Athens calling on the government to halt its plan to cut more jobs and salaries as part of austerity measures. Police put their numbers at 60,000. Most of the protestors marched on the side of the parliament, avoiding the clashes but some got caught by flying Molotov cocktails that landed in their midst. The government said on Wednesday it had finished drafting the austerity cuts worth 11.5 billion euros to appease international lenders. This will move Athens a step forward in concluding negotiations on the package. About, 3,000 police were deployed to protect the city from rioters. Much of the union anger is directed at spending cuts that are expected to come from slashing wages, pensions and welfare benefits