Athens — Hundreds of protesting police officers remained defiant Thursday after a night of clashes with riot squads that stormed the uniformed group, firing tear gas and sending five people to the hospital with breathing problems.
Protesting officers from the police, coast guard and fire department remained in central Athens, joining rallies by striking civilian workers that stopped all downtown traffic.
The marches piled pressure on Greece's Socialist government, which is resisting labour union demands for better pay before spring general elections. It is also trying to avoid a showdown with police amid massive security planning for the Athens Olympics next August.
The predawn clashes, which lasted for more than two hours, broke out after protesting police blocked the entrance to Greece's finance ministry in central Athens.
Riot squads — which belong to the same union as the protesters — used tear gas and pepper spray against the demonstrators and chased them through downtown streets.
Four officers and a Greek parliament member who had joined the protesters were taken to hospital.
Public Order Minister Giorgos Floridis defended the crackdown of his own employees.
“This kind of protest action, carried out by armed officers, is tantamount to mutiny. We dealt with the situation appropriately,” Mr. Floridis told private Flash radio.
Police union leaders furiously denied that any of the officers were carrying guns.
“This is disgraceful. It was an unprovoked attack,” police union leader Dimitris Kyriazidis said.
“There was an excessive use of tear gas. … If they have any sense of responsibility, the leadership of the Greek Police should resign,” he said.
Police unions are demanding hazard pay before the 2004 Olympics, a concession that would provide them with a small monthly bonus and grant full pensions for families of officers killed on duty. Friction within Greek security forces could complicate security preparations for the Olympics.
The violence added tension to a month-long campaign of strikes, which this week disrupted hospitals, schools, universities, and a variety of other services, including taxis and food inspections.
The countrywide taxi stoppage, due to end early Friday, has affected transport to airports around Greece.
Construction workers and cab drivers staged rallies and mingled with the uniformed officers protesters.
Nikos Zois, a police union representative from the Greek island of Samos, travelled to Athens to join the uniformed demonstration which is likely to continue through the night until Friday.
He called the riot squad action “inhumane.”
“(Our protest) was peaceful,” he said. “We were only wearing the uniform. No guns, no gloves, no anything.”
