Athens - Protesters in Athens hung two giant banners from the ancient Acropolis on Wednesday with the words "resistance" in five different languages, calling for mass demonstrations after days of Greece's worst riots in decades.

Dozens of protesters could be seen holding the banners over the ancient walls of the Acropolis. On one of the banners, the word "resistance" is written in Greek, Italian, Spanish, German and English.

The other banner calls for demonstrations to march across Greece on Thursday.

The wide-spread riots were triggered with the December 6 shooting of a 15-year-old teenager by police in the Athens bohemian district of Exarchia.

Across the country students refrained from attending classes at hundreds of secondary schools and universities, saying they were under occupation.

While the shooting sparked the violence, students have gone on to protest the fate of young Greeks reeling under economic hardship and the impact of a global recession on Greece's 240-billion-euro (330- billion-dollar) economy.

Widespread anger has grown over the economic polices of the conservative government, which have caused a widening social gap and rising unemployment.

The official unemployment figure is near 9 per cent and rising, leaving many young people disillusioned. Students have expressed anger over investing a lot in their education, but with few prospects at the end of it.

The minimum wage is 700 euros a month, and nearly one-fifth of the population lives below the poverty line. Many Greeks work a second or third job to make ends meet.

Damage from the days of rioting in Athens alone has been estimated at more than 200 million euros. More than 500 people have been arrested.

While the intensity of the protests has largely died down, students, unions and leftist groups have called for more demonstrations on Wednesday and Thursday against education and pension reforms, privatizations and rising taxes. (dpa)