THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS ON THE STREETS OF ATHENS Greek prime-minister: "Today we say welcome to a friend"

• Greeks received Angela Merkel with anger

• Greek chancellor advises austerity

Tens of thousands of Greek protesters gathered on the streets of Athens yesterday, expressing their anger against German chancellor Angela Merkel, who made her first visit in this country, after the outburst of the sovereign debt crisis, in 2009.

Thousands of people took to the streets yesterday, and the important areas in the center of Athens were closed to ensure the security of the meetings between Merkel, Greek prime-minister Antonis Samaras and president Karolos Papoulias.

The Berlin official arrived in Athens at around 13:30, and at 14:30, the Police announced that approximately 25,000 protesters were already in the Syntagma Square, which is outside the closed-off zone.

They were protesting against the European leader, who they blamed for the spending cuts which Greece had to make.

The protesters were waving banners which said "You are not welcome, imperialists out!" or "NO to the Fourth Reich!" Other protesters were bearing Swastika banners. When the protests turned violent, the police used tear gas.

Tens of protesters were arrested by the police.

Merkel has become one of the objects of Greece's hate due to the harsh spending cuts it imposed on the country in exchange for the foreign aid of 347 billion Euros (448 billion Euros), which Athens was forced to resort to after years of excessive spending. The caricatures displayed by the Greeks even showed up under the guise of Adolf Hitler, in the Greek tabloids.

A teacher aged 37, who participated in yesterday's protests, said, quoted by the international media: "I have a PhD and I earn 900 Euros a month, less than 400 Euros what I used to. We have children who are hungry and most of the parents are unemployed".

Another protester, a store owner, said that Merkel's visit "pours fuel on the fire", and "if she wanted to help Greece, she could have done it earlier".

Merkel's visit comes at a crucial moment for Athens, as the Greek government has reached a deadlock in its negotiations with its international creditors, due to disagreements on 13.5 billion Euros in spending cuts, needed for the unlocking of the tranche of the bailout package.

During her visit, German chancellor urged Greece to honor its austerity commitments, expressing her wish to keep the country in the Eurozone.

Angela Merkel, who praised the "efforts" and the "progress" made by Greece, mentioned, in a press conference, hosted together with Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras: "I want Greece to remain in the Eurozone. A lot has been done, but there is still a lot left to do".

Samaras - who said that the Greeks "welcome her as friend", referring to yesterday's visit - emphasized the fact that the meeting with Angel Merkel was dominated by "straightforwardness, mutual understanding, solidarity, cooperation spirit and the feeling that Greece's problem can be overcome".

On the other hand, the international creditors gave Athens a new deadline - October 18th, when EU summit is scheduled - to implement the reforms required in exchange for the tranche of the bailout.

"We have emphasized that by the next payout, Greece must clearly and credibly prove its commitment for the full implementation of the reform program", the president of Eurogroup Jean-Claude Juncker said.