Culture ministry workers employed at the Acropolis in Athens ended a three-day strike Friday, following brutal attacks by riot police. The workers were protesting the loss of 320 temporary employees, whose contracts expire at the end of the month. They are demanding that the temporary staff be given permanent contracts. The workers were also protesting the non-payment of wages over the last two years, totalling five million euros.
The protest at the Acropolis began on Tuesday and did not initially stop visitors from entering. According to a Sky News report, at least 30 of the workers occupied the Acropolis visitor entrance overnight Wednesday, barricading themselves inside. They changed the padlock on the main gate in order to keep the riot police out.
On Thursday riot officers armed with batons and shields arrived. They forced their way in via a side entrance, wielding their batons and firing two rounds of pepper spray at protesters. Two of the striking workers were taken away in handcuffs. Despite the brutal treatment, protesters clung onto the gates and defied repeated orders to clear the entrance.
Many tourists who had come to visit the monument witnessed the events in astonishment. A number told the press that while they were frustrated they were not able to gain entry, they sympathised with the plight of the staff. In an immediate show of solidarity, permanent security guards employed at the Acropolis went on a one-day strike Thursday in protest at the brutal police attack.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/oct2010/gree-o16.shtml
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