Riot police clash with protesters inside Greece's Defense Ministry in Athens, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012. Police clashed with scores of protesting shipyard workers after they forced their way into the grounds of Greece's Defense Ministry. The workers say they have not been paid in months. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek police clashed with shipyard workers protesting pay arrears Thursday after they broke into the Defense Ministry grounds, while hundreds of farmers on tractors tried to invade the country’s second-busiest airport on Crete during an anti-austerity protest.
Greece has been gripped by a severe financial crisis since late 2009, and waves of spending cuts and tax hikes have led to frequent strikes and demonstrations. The nation’s 3-month-old coalition government is currently preparing a major new austerity package demanded by rescue creditors.