Police joined by firefighters and coastguards in anti-cuts protests

Shouting slogans and displaying banners, the trade union police activists were joined in the demonstration by firefighters and coastguards.

Police associations staged the protest to highlight the danger of a massive new Greek austerity package that the coalition government says that it needs to continue receiving bailout installments.

Meanwhile, in Cape Town, former Greek prime minister George Papandreou told the 24th conference of the Socialist International that his country might have avoided a bailout if the economy had not been robbed by funds funnelled to tax havens.

Mr Papandreou told the conference that the world's rich had stashed $21 trillion (£13trn) in tax havens.

"Whether it is in developed or developing nations, it is our citizens that are being robbed," he said, saying that this "plain robbery" denied governments the capacity to invest in welfare and education.

"Greece is suffering from this. Had this alone been tackled, Greece would have most likely never have needed a bailout.

"Yet Europe, the G8, G20 and banking system ... have done nothing to change this," he said.

Greece's Finance Ministry said in February that Greeks had moved €16 billion (£12.7bn) abroad in the past two years, while efforts a tax evasion clampdown had met only limited success.

And, in Germany, International Labour Organisation economist Ekkehard Ernst warned that the eurozone crisis and the possible Greek exit would lead to huge joblessness, particularly among the youth.

Even Germany, which is Europe's strongest economy, would face an unemployment crisis, as one in 10 would be without a job by 2014, he estimated.

foreigneditor@peoples-press.com