Greek Police Raid Occupied TV Station

ATHENS - Greek riot police raided the headquarters of the country's former state broadcaster, ERT, on Thursday, forcibly removing dozens of staff who had been occupying the building since June when authorities abruptly shut down the organization, citing wasteful spending.

Officers entered the premises north of Athens shortly after 4 a.m. and removed around 50 former employees, four of whom were briefly detained for questioning, according to a police spokesman who said the raid 'went smoothly.' Officers fired tear gas to disperse some 200 protesters who had gathered outside the building but demonstrators regrouped after the police's departure and continued their protest.

The crackdown came as Greek officials are locked in tough negotiations with representatives of the country's international creditors about a projected gap in Greece's budget for next year and economic reforms which include an ongoing overhaul of the country's bloated civil service.

Excessive spending at ERT was the chief reason given by authorities in June when they pulled the plug on the broadcaster, laying off more than 2,600 workers and prompting a political crisis that nearly brought down the government. Since then, defiant workers have been occupying ERT's headquarters, airing a pirate broadcast via the Internet. A transitional state broadcaster went on the air in July and a replacement for ERT, to be called Nerit, is expected to start operating next spring.

The government spokesman, Simos Kedikoglou, said Thursday's raid had aimed to 'apply the law and restore legality,' adding that the building had been 'under illegal occupation.'

In a message broadcast online, ERT workers called on supporters to rally outside the broadcaster's headquarters. 'The battle for democracy and social justice which ERT workers have been fighting for more than four months, has reached its most crucial moment,' the message said. 'It's time to act.'

The raid also prompted an angry response from the Greek political opposition, with around 10 members of Parliament from the leftist party Syriza, which opposes the terms of Greece's foreign bailouts, rushing to the scene when news of the raid broke. Speaking outside the headquarters, Zoe Konstantopoulou, prominent Syriza legislator, accused the government of 'reaching the point of delirium' and 'staging a coup against itself.'

Later on Thursday morning. Greek media reported that ERT workers were planning to set up equipment outside the old headquarters and broadcast from there. Giorgos Kogiannis, a former head of news at ERT who joined the protest outside the building, said at least one employee remained inside. 'It's a big building, they didn't find everyone,' he said.

Nikos Korovilas, a former sports reporter, told the protothema.gr news website: 'I've been in here for five months, 20 hours a day. I've no intention of doing them the favor and quitting so easily.'