Police in Athens intervened with tear gas to prevent a splinter group of left-wing protesters from marching on a meeting of EU finance ministers.<br /><br />The skirmishes broke out towards the end of a rally against what demonstrators called “troika orchestrated austerity”.<br /><br />The earlier peaceful protest came as eurozone ministers said Greece would soon start receiving its next bailout instalment of 8.3 billion euros.<br /><br />They recognise that austerity has hit hard, but at least one protester was having none of it.<br /><br />‘‘The policies of the EU and the Troika are driving Greek people mad. Workers rights are abolished, pay and pensions are drastically cut. We won’t accept it,” he said.<br /><br />The loan will be distributed in three parts, with the first 6.3 billion euros paid at the end of April.<br /><br />Payouts of one billion euros each will be made in June and July, linked to the implementation of targets to which Greece has agreed. <br /><br />Our correspondent in Athens Stamatis Giannisis said: ‘‘After four years of austerity Greece’s international economic profile is improving fast, but this by no means marks the end of public protest, as workers and pensioners have suffered a dramatic drop both in their incomes and their standard of living.”
