At least 200 anarchists attacked police with stones and Molotov cocktails in central Athens but failed to disrupt peaceful protests against austerity measures, police said on Thursday.
The anarchists left the subway in the central Monastiraki district and attacked the police who dispersed the crowd using tear gas.
The riot took place on the second day of a 48-hour demonstration in Athens which gathered 50-80,000 union members and civil servants, police said. This is the biggest nationwide protest in the country since the outbreak of the crisis three years ago.
The event will last until Thursday night when parliament is expected to vote on new spending cuts and layoffs, the main condition for the EU and IMF bailout.
The government is seeking new terms for its $158-billion EU-IMF bailout amid reports that the country might need additional aid.
Athens is planning further measures to save some $33 billion through 2015. The country's total debt has ballooned to $490 billion.
