Millions join strike in Greece

Millions of Greeks took part in a 24-hour nationwide strike yesterday to protest against planned pension reforms, grounding flights, confining ships to port and closing schools, ministries and banks, unions said.

Thousands marched through central Athens, beating drums and chanting slogans such as "The bill is a fraud", to protest against reforms which they say will hurt benefits.

"The participation in the strike is total. We are talking about millions," said Spyros Papaspyros, president of the civil servants umbrella union ADEDY, one of the strike organizers. "The government must not underestimate this public outrage."