Greek unrest as [Technocrat Puppet] MPs debate austerity plan: Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters throwing petrol bombs

Protests are spreading across central Athens, amid anger over austerity measures being debated by parliament.

Protesters threw stones and petrol bombs, and several buildings were set on fire; police fired tear gas. A number of people were injured.

MPs are discussing a bill to introduce the measures, which are being demanded in return for a 130bn-euro ($170bn; £110bn) bailout to avoid default.

PM Lucas Papademos warned that failure to pass it would be “disastrous”.

The BBC’s Mark Lowen in Athens says the violent protests, which have been common in recent months, are surprisingly large.

Several historic buildings, including cafes and cinemas, were in flames.

Riot police were on high alert as tens of thousands of people gathered for a second day of protests on Athens’ Syntagma Square.

Some reports say as many as 80,000 people have joined the demonstration in Athens, with another 20,000 protesting in Thessaloniki.

Running battles with police are still continuing in parts of the capital.

Analysts say the bill should still have enough support in parliament. A vote is expected later on Sunday.

Lawmakers are also due to vote on a separate deal with private banks which could see 100bn euros of Greek debt written off.

If the measures are not approved, other eurozone nations and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) say Greece will get no money from them and will face bankruptcy in March, the BBC’s Europe correspondent Chris Morris reports from Athens.

Athens has to repay nearly 14.5bn euros in maturing debt on 20 March. Greek MPs debate austerity bill

‘Ground Zero’ warning

The debate began in the early afternoon on Sunday, with the vote not expected until midnight (22:00 GMT).

Continue reading the main story

What went wrong in Greece?

Greece’s economic reforms, which led to it abandoning the drachma as its currency in favour of the euro in 2002, made it easier for the country to borrow money.

Pasok, the largest party, and its coalition ally New Democracy – which have

Greece's economic reforms, which led to it abandoning the drachma as its currency in favour of the euro in 2002, made it easier for the country to borrow money.

both backed the bill – account for more than 230 deputies out of a total of 300.

In a TV address on Saturday, Mr Papademos warned that Greece was “just a breath away from Ground Zero”.

“The social cost of this programme is limited in comparison with the economic and social catastrophe that would follow if we didn’t adopt it,” he said.

Savings would be lost, the government would be unable to pay wages or salaries, and imports of fuel, medicine and machinery would be disrupted, he added.

The austerity cuts include:

• 15,000 public-sector job cuts
• liberalisation of labour laws
• lowering the minimum wage by 20% from 751 euros a month to 600 euros
• negotiating a debt write-off with banks.

They were presented to a eurozone ministers in Brussels on Thursday evening.

Mr Papademos made a last-minute TV address to the nation on Saturday

The Greek cabinet has approved the measures but five government ministers resigned.

But the eurozone block wants a further 325m euros in savings for this year and also insists that Greek leaders give “strong political assurances” on the implementation of the packages.

Greece cannot service its huge debt, and there are fears that a default could endanger Europe’s financial stability and even lead to a break-up of the eurozone.

But many Greeks feel they are already squeezed almost to a breaking point and cannot take any more cuts, the BBC’s Mark Lowen in Athens reports.

Some are even saying Greece should leave the eurozone to be able to devalue its former currency, the drachma, and ease the debt stranglehold.

[Technocrats are generally put into office and not elected by the people, as was Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos:

"The new government and the new prime minister are being called to impose a political policy that does not have democratic legitimisation," railed Alexis Tsipras who heads the leftwing SYRIZA group.

Tsipras added that Papademos "is someone who has not been elected or judged by the Greek people."

This information should scare the sh*t out of every freedom-loving person around the world.  In plain English, our world is being taken over by Corporate Robber Barons, one country at a time...]