PROTESTORS STORM THE ACROPOLIS

Euro stocks have taken a nosedive ahead of the massive general strike in Greece.

With the Greek Government attempting to impose a further wave of even more severe austerity measures on the Greek working class, a new counter-wave of strikes and demonstrations are set to sweep across the country.

Ahead of the strike, 200 protesters broke into the ancient Acropolis citadel overlooking Athens, draping a giant banner reading 'Peoples of Europe Rise Up' and chanting slogans against the spending cuts.

The general strike will further test the resolve of a an increasingly beleaguered Greek Government to push on with the austerity measures demanded by the European Union and the IMF in return for bailout loan.

Germany - whose banks hold the largest amount of Greek debt - has said it will halt the bailout if the austerity measures are in any way deviated from.

There is now speculation as to whether the Greek government can survive the crisis and fears continue to mount among the European governments that working class resistance to austerity measures will gather pace in other European countries such as Spain and Portugal.

Hundreds of thousands of Greek public servants began a two-day strike as the Government rushed through parliament a new wave of tax hikes and wage cuts to clinch the bailout loan from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

One Greek protestor said: 'This isn't our Parliament, this is the Parliament of the bosses.'

lias Vrettakos, a senior member of the union, said: "The Government is trying to divide the Greek people with lies and giving everything to employers.''

Civil aviation staff also joined the two-day mobilisation, grounding domestic flights overnight and all flights today.

Meanwhile the European socialist left has issued a statement on the situation in Greece which has been welcomed by Antarsya , the Greek anti-capitalist coalition.

Said Antarysa:

“Antarsya insists on the need for an escalation of struggles, with general and sectoral strikes and mass rallies that will challenge the attack… We will keep on fighting with all our forces.

“It is time for a coordinated international answer to the attempt by capitalists, the EU and the IMF to impose the cost of crisis upon workers.

“The forces of the anti-capitalist left of Europe must stand up to the challenge. With confidence in the potential of collective struggle and workers’ militancy, we can defeat the forces of capital and open up the way for the anti-capitalist alternative.”