About 250 shipyard workers stormed the Greek Defense Ministry in Athens on Thursday, demanding to be paid their wages and calling for an audience with the Greek Defense Minister.
The shipyard workers were from the Hellenic Skarmangas shipyard. Furious over not having been paid for six months, they chanted “We want solutions, not layoffs!" according to a Reuters report.
The protestors forced their way past security guards, and streamed into the compound. Scuffles broke out between police officers and protestors. Greek television aired video of police officers beating protestors with batons, leaving their faces bloodied.
There have been reports on Twitter that 70 protestors have been arrested.
General Mihail Kostarakos tried to calm the protestors, but departed to a chorus of boos. Defense Minister Panos Panagiotopoulos was not at the ministry on Thursday.
The protests come amidst a new series of austerity measures that the Greek government is enforcing in order to try and curb its spending in the hopes of winning a new bailout package from the European Union.
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