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Athens Celebrated Its New Bailout Payment With a Riot

Defying a protest ban, the clashes were a dress rehearsal for demonstrations expected when Angela Merkel visits the Greek capital next week.
Photo by Dimitris Michalakis

This article originally appeared on VICE Greece.

To get the ball rolling on the next installment of Greece's bailout, Athens yesterday welcomed a bunch of European Union finance ministers. Although Greek police had barred demonstrators from certain parts of the capital — including Syntagma Square, which has been the centre of recent anti-austerity mayhem — members of the private sector union GSEE and its public sector counterpart ADEDY still gathered in the Propilaia area on Tuesday evening. The All-Workers Militant Front did the same in Omonoia square.

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As expected, clashes between the police and protesters livened up the festivities — party favors included a few solid doses of tear gas. Angela Merkel is scheduled to visit Athens on April 11th, and the whole night could be seen as a dress rehearsal for that.

Anti-capitalist protesters clashed with police lines in Athens on April 1, the same day that European finance ministers met in the Greek capital amid tight security.

Finally, a bailout payment of 8.3 billion euros ($11.4 billion) was approved. A first tranche of 6.3 billion euros will be paid at the end of April, with two payments of 1 billion euros coming in June and July.

Photos by Dimitris Michalakis