Published November 05,2021
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Greek police deployed tear gas and water cannon on Friday against around 2,000 seasonally employed firefighters protesting in Athens.
The firefighters, who are demanding permanent positions, tried to block the road on a main street. The protests took place in front of the Civil Defence building in the Greek capital, state television reported.
"In the summer, when there were fires everywhere, they called us heroes. Now they don't want to know about us," one demonstrator told reporters at the scene.
About a quarter of all firefighters in Greece are employed seasonally, between early May to mid-October.
In the summer, devastating fires destroyed large areas of forest around Athens and on the island of Euboea.
