* Over 20,000 protesters demonstrated yesterday on the streets of Athens

* Over 14,000 people attended protests in Salonic

* Three people died in a fire at a branch of "Marfin Egnatia Bank"

* Unionists want "the rich to pay" for the current crisis

* Greek officials uninterested in the protests

Over 20,000 protesters took to the streets of Athens yesterday, and around 14,000 in Salonic, rioting violently. as part of the general strike launched by the major Greek unions in signs of protest against the austerity plan of the government.

Numerous protesters reached the Parliament of Athens, where the austerity measures requested by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund in return for the release of the EUR 110 billion bailout were being discussed. The Parliament was supposed to vote on the austerity measures, which include freezing wages and raising taxes.

Before the Parliament, protesters threw bottles at the Police, with the latter using tear gas to disperse protesters.

Also yesterday three people died after the headquarters of a branch of "Marfin Egnatia Bank" was set on fire, as were shops and other buildings in the center of Athens.

Protesters called for a "fight against the antisocial measures", demanding that the "rich pay for the current crisis". Yesterday"s protests were organized by the Confederation of private sector employees (GSEE) and the one of

public sector workers (ADEDY), which followed the previous day"s strike. In turn Pame, the union affiliated with the Greek Communist Party (KKE), which has traditionally refused getting involved in any protests, this time gathered roughly 10,000 people in the Greek capital.

"The Greek people is being asked to make sacrifices, while the rich won"t pay anything ", said the leader of the GSEE, Giannis Panagopoulos.

Anargyros Bizi