Greek workers walked off the job on Thursday for the second time in three weeks. The strike is an effort to show the European Union that new austerity cuts will only hurt Greece. While many rallies were peaceful, some became violent, with protesters throwing rocks and firebombs at police and the police responding with teargas. Greece's prime minister is under pressure from European lenders to accept another 13.5 billion euros in austerity cuts in return for loans. The cuts would affect salaries, pensions and work rules. Transportation and other services were all affected by the strike.
See "Greek Workers Walk Out in National Strike to Protest Austerity", Liz Alderman, The New York Times, October 17, 2012