ATHENS, Oct.21 (Xinhua) -- Students, teachers, civil servants and pensioners staged protests across Greece on Wednesday, calling for increased funding for public education and healthcare, higher wages and pensions, and measures to ease the rising cost of living.
In Athens, approximately 10,000 people marched to the parliament, according to national broadcaster ERT. Demonstrators carried banners and chanted slogans including "Bread, Education, Freedom." Students had set up tents in Syntagma Square, opposite the parliament on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's main rally.
The mobilization was organized by university student and school pupil associations, along with unions representing teachers, university staff and civil servants. Pensioners also joined the demonstration. Similar protests were held in more than 50 cities across the country.
ADEDY, the umbrella federation representing Greek civil servants, called a strike for Wednesday and expressed solidarity with similar protests in France, according to a press statement.
School pupils also voiced support for the French protests, chanting "From Greece to France, we fight for public and free education" and pointing to challenges facing young people in both countries. The protesters in Syntagma Square also chanted "Give money to schools, not to wars."
Protesters called for urgent action to address rising education costs, inadequate student accommodation, poor infrastructure, insufficient funding for public services, and low wages and pensions.
School pupils also voiced concerns about overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, increasing academic pressure and a lack of free time.
