While rioters raged in the streets of Athens, the Greek Parliament made a vote on Monday to approve more measures sought in return for a new eurozone bailout for the country stricken by debt. Historic buildings, cafes, a bank, and a movie theater were set ablaze in Athens as police authorities turned stun grenades and tear gas on protestors. CNN iReporter Thanasis Trompoukis wrote, “They are protesting because they feel that there is no end in their financial suffering. More and more (people) everyday are getting poorer and become homeless in Greece, and especially Athens.” Police detained 30 people and reported 40 officers and 25 protestors were injured in the clashes.
The measurements approved will include deep cuts in government spending, wages and pensions, which will assist in paving the way for the eurozone finance ministers to sign off the new €130 billion ($172.6 billion) bail out deal. The vote was passed 199-74 in Parliament. “It’s a hard program, a tough program, which also envisages some painful sacrifices,” Prime Minister Lucas Papademos said, but the deal will put the Greek economy back on “stable ground.”
