Greek riot police storm former state TV building, evict protesters

In a pre-dawn swoop Thursday, Greek riot police ended a nearly five-month protest by sacked workers broadcasting from what was once the headquarters of the defunct ERT state broadcaster, removing a few dozen people occupying the complex.

Police said four people were briefly detained during the operation in the northern Athens suburb of Agia Paraskevi.

About 50 people were removed from the building, which will be handed over to ERT's successor EDT which is now broadcasting from cramped studios in another part of Athens.

The evacuation was peaceful, although police later used tear gas to push back a crowd of about 200 who turned up outside the complex to support the former ERT workers.

The main opposition SYRIZA protested the police operation, with several lawmakers from the far left party joining protesters outside the building.

A lawmaker from the Greek Communist Party KKE, Thanassis Paphilis, demanded the removal of police from the area.

Government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said the evacuation was to "restore the rule of law."

The complex had been occupied by the protesting ex-employees since June 11, when Greece's conservative-led government abruptly closed ERT and fired all 2,700 staff, citing the need to cut costs due to the country's severe financial crisis.

They continued to produce unauthorised broadcasts online, including airing news reports and documentaries.

These ended Thursday, although regional former ERT branches were still broadcasting their own unauthorised programmes.

The former workers had turned down repeated government calls to leave the ERT headquarters so that full-scale state broadcasts can resume from the complex.

However, the bulk of ERT's journalists and many other staff, despite initial vows to fight the broadcaster's closure, were eventually rehired by EDT.

Former ERT staff have called for a protest near the Agia Paraskevi building later Thursday.

          
REUTERS