Angry Greeks hurl fuel bombs outside of parliament

Greek police fired teargas to disperse protesters throwing petrol bombs and stones outside parliament, where lawmakers were due to vote on a package of deeply unpopular austerity cuts on Wednesday (November 7).

The violence came as thousands of Greeks marched to the main square outside parliament in protest against the spending cuts and reforms essential to unlocking further aid for the country.

Tens of thousands of Greeks shouting anti-government slogans flooded into the main square before parliament in a massive show of anger against lawmakers due to narrowly pass an austerity package to win aid from lenders.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is expected to barely eke out a win for the budget cuts, tax hikes and labour reforms in the parliamentary vote late on Wednesday evening, despite opposition from a small party in his conservative-liberal coalition.

As evening fell, Greeks holding flags and banners like "It's them or us!" and "End this disaster!" packed the main square before parliament. More than 70,000 protesters poured into the streets of Athens in one of the largest rallies in months, police said.

Public transport was halted, schools, banks and government offices were shut and garbage was piling up on streets on the second day of a two-day nationwide strike, called to protest against the vote.