Acropolis stormed as riot police wade in

14/10/10 12:50 CET

world news

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Greek riot police have stormed the Acropolis to disperse a group of temporary staff protesting over plans to axe 320 jobs.

Workers on short-term, renewable contracts blocked access to one of Greece’s best-known monuments claiming they had not be paid for two years.

Police waded in with batons and fired tear gas, five people have been arrested.

The country is in the grip of an unprecedented debt crisis and only just avoided bankruptcy earlier in the year.

Greece has been slashing its temporary government workers as part of the EU/IMF bailout deal agreed to reduce the hard up country’s deficit.

The Socialist government has also slapped a hiring freeze on public sector work.

More about: Athens, Culture, Protest

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