Greece hit by 24-hour general strike under Leftist government

Greece was hit Thursday by a 24-hour nationwide general strike called by trade unions protesting against the new round of austerity measures taken to address a six-year debt crisis.

The strike, the first under the Leftist government which assumed office in January, paralyzed a large part of the public sector and transport services and sent thousands of workers out into the streets of Athens and other major cities.

"Abolish bailouts, give us back a decent life," shouted demonstrators rallying in front of the Greek parliament in the center of the Greek capital, as public services, schools, museums and archaeological sites were closed and hospitals run on emergency staff.

Recession-hit Greeks took to the streets to denounce the fresh wave of spending cuts and tax hikes promoted in exchange for further international loans under the third bailout.

Greece has witnessed dozens of general strikes and hundreds of minor protests in recent years since the start of the economic crisis and the introduction of harsh austerity measures.

The ruling Radical Left SYRIZA Party of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called for mass participation in Thursday's strike.

The party's labor policy office denounced the "neoliberal policies and blackmails of financial centers in Greece and abroad."

SYRIZA was elected on a strictly anti-bailout and anti-austerity agenda, but eventually the Left-led government made a dramatic turn and accepted a new three-year bailout to avert a disorderly bankruptcy this summer.

Tsipras was reelected two months ago with the pledge to try to soften the impact of the new "painful but necessary" policies.

However, as the first sets of tough measures were approved by the parliament in recent weeks and as the government finalizes a new pension system reform and other painful policies to secure the release of more foreign funding, reactions escalated.

Greece must complete a much-needed imminent recapitalization of the banking system by the end of this year to stave off its collapse and then start a dialogue on debt relief and focus on measures to restore growth, cabinet ministers have said.

With a quarter of the Greek work force suffering from chronic unemployment and poverty rates hitting unprecedented record highs after decades, protesters said Thursday that society cannot tolerate more painful measures and that alternatives must be found. Endi