Greece is paralyzed after the 24-hour general strike of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) and the Greek Civil Servants’ Confederation (ADEDY) on Thursday. With three big protest rallies that started at 11 a.m., Athens was a city resonating with the chants of tens of thousands of people. The GSEE-ADEDY rally started at Klafthmonos Square with central striker Alexis Tsipras, leader of opposition party SYRIZA. “The impasse of the subordination strategy of the Samaras government and subordination to the most absurd commands and desires of the troika is confirmed in the most dramatic way today,” Tsipras said. The Greek Communist Party (KKE) workers union PAME gathered in Omonia Square with KKE chief Dimitris Koutsoumbas declaring, “We can’t take it anymore. No one can live on bread crumbs.” Other independent unions gathered in several central spots in Athens, while anarchist and leftist groups had their own protest rally starting in front of the National Archaeological Museum. All public offices and services were closed today, including hospitals. At the Athens International Airport, there were no flights as air traffic controllers participated in the strike. Olympic Air and Aegean Air cancelled or postponed all flights. No trains or suburban railway trains ran today. Ships were docked until midnight on Thursday. Banks were on strike too, along with retail stores, since Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship took part in the strike. Public transport systems operated for several hours to facilitate people who wanted to go to the protest rallies. Buses and trolleys ran from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., the subway and electric trains from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and trams from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The protest was against the austerity measures and several new policies included in the 2015 budget that were tabled in parliament.
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