A man walks past the Bank of Greece headquarters with the plaque altered to read 'Bank of Berlin' (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)
Residents in Athens spent Monday cleaning up the aftermath of riots that left dozens of civilians and police officers injured and buildings burned down, according to media reports.
Police said that approximately 150 shops in Athens were broken into and looted and 48 were set on fire, according the Athens News. Around 68 police officers and 32 civilians were injured in the riots.
The Greek Parliament early on Monday passed harsh new austerity cuts to secure a $170 billion bailout package from the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund, drawing the ire of protesters. The package essentially saves the country from defaulting within a month.
The government still has to figure out how to save around $430 million in the budget by Wednesday before a meeting with other eurozone finance ministers, according to the publication.
Of 300 lawmakers in Parliament, 199 voted “yes” to approve the austerity cuts and 74 voted “no,” reported the Ekathimerini publication. Prime Minister Lucas Papademos warned lawmakers before the vote that if they don’t pass the measure, dire consequences would befall the country.
Olli Rehn, the vice president of the European Commission, said in a statement that he was cautiously optimistic with the Greek lawmakers’ vote.“Greek authorities and political forces should now take full ownership and make the case for the second program, and then fully implement it, in order to ensure the return of the country to sustainable economic growth and job creation,” he said.
He added that the process of correcting problems in the Greek economy “will still take time and effort by the Greek society,” the statement reads.