Rocks, molotov cocktails and tear gas flew threw the air Friday as protesters and police clashed in the streets of Athens, Greece.

The violence erupted at the start of a 48-hour general strike against new austerity measures imposed by eurozone finance ministers that would further cut jobs and pay. The Greek parliament is expected to vote on the harsh austerity plan by Sunday or Monday.

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Reuters Finance blogger Felix Salmon explains the Greek debt crisis with rubber ducks and a pirate ship.  

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Riot police grapple with a demonstrator during protests against planned reforms by Greece’s coalition government in Athens, February 10, 2012. [REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis] » Live Blog: The Greek Debt Crisis
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Riot police grapple with a demonstrator during protests against planned reforms by Greece’s coalition government in Athens, February 10, 2012. [REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis]

» Live Blog: The Greek Debt Crisis

A petrol bomb explodes near riot police during protests against planned reforms by Greece’s coalition government in Athens, February 10, 2012. [REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis] » Live Blog: The Greek Debt Crisis
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A petrol bomb explodes near riot police during protests against planned reforms by Greece’s coalition government in Athens, February 10, 2012. [REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis]

» Live Blog: The Greek Debt Crisis

Striking Greek workers denounced a new wave of austerity on Friday as a demand too far by the IMF and EU, but Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told the nation it had to decide within days whether to take the pain and stay in the euro or not. Police fired teargas as black-masked protesters threw petrol bombs, stones and bottles in central Athens. The biggest police trade union said it would issue arrest warrants for Greece’s international lenders for subverting democracy, and refused to “fight against our brothers.” As public rage seethed, the leader of the far-right LOAS party, the smallest of three parties backing Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, said he could not support the harsh austerity program. Read more: Greeks strike against IMF/EU austerity before crucial vote
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Striking Greek workers denounced a new wave of austerity on Friday as a demand too far by the IMF and EU, but Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told the nation it had to decide within days whether to take the pain and stay in the euro or not.

Police fired teargas as black-masked protesters threw petrol bombs, stones and bottles in central Athens. The biggest police trade union said it would issue arrest warrants for Greece’s international lenders for subverting democracy, and refused to “fight against our brothers.”

As public rage seethed, the leader of the far-right LOAS party, the smallest of three parties backing Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, said he could not support the harsh austerity program.

Read more: Greeks strike against IMF/EU austerity before crucial vote