Man dies outside Greek parliament during clashes He had apparently felt unwell before the rioting had broken out. At least two other people were injured in the clashes after being allegedly beaten by police, which once again brought chaos to the broad, tree-lined square, which is overlooked by shops and upmarket hotels. Around 70,000 people took part in the protest in the capital as part of a general strike, while a smaller demonstration of 17,000 people was held in Greece's second biggest city, Thessaloniki. It was the second such death in a year. Last year, a 53-year-old builder died of a heart attack at another anti-austerity protest, although police denied that tear gas was to blame. In April this year a cash-strapped Greek pensioner who said he feared having to scrounge for food in rubbish bins shot himself dead in Syntagma Square. The death of the 77-year-old retired pharmacist caused an outpouring of anger and grief in Greece. The general strike on Thursday was timed to coincide with a European Union summit in Brussels, where Greece's dire economic situation was to be discussed. "We are sinking in a swamp of recession and it's getting worse," Dimitris Asimakopoulos, head of the GSEVEE small business and industry association, told The Associated Press. 180,000 businesses are on the brink and 70,000 of them are expected to close in the next few months.