Greek police clash with protesters

Greek riot police have clashed with high school students protesting the recent education cuts that have left schools short of both teachers and books in the capital, Athens.

Hundreds of students marched peacefully through central Athens towards the parliament building, chanting “where did the money go,” Reuters reported on Monday.

The unrest erupted after dozens of students held a sit-in demonstration in a square in front of parliament. Police forces resorted to violence when they attempted to forcefully remove unhappy students.

Students were pushed, kicked at and wrestled to the ground before being taken away from the square.

The demonstration comes two days ahead of a planned 24-hour strike by labor unions, in which workers will show their opposition to a government measure, which will see some 150,000 state employees and civil servants laid off.

Earlier in the day, Greece announced that it had failed to meet the deficit targets set out by the European Union and International Monetary Fund. The announcement raised concerns about whether Greece would be granted the second and much needed bailout package worth eight-billion-euros to save its ailing economy.

Without new funds, Greece could default on debt repayments, unleashing a crisis in the global financial system.