ERT protest in support of fired staff threatens Greek coalition

More than 10,000 protesters have rallied outside Greece’s public broadcasting headquarters in support of fired staff, who for a third day occupied the building to continue broadcasts in defiance of the government.

Unions staged a general strike against the sudden closure of Hellenic Broadcasting Corp, or ERT, which has divided the fragile coalition government and raised the possibility of early elections.

The conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has called a meeting with his centre-left coalition partners who are demanding that ERT be reopened.

The government closed ERT on Tuesday, axing all 2,656 jobs as part of its cost-cutting drive.