Riot police have fired volleys of tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons at protesters hurling gasoline bombs and smashed-up paving stones in Athens.

A protest over the Greek government’s response to the nation’s largest ever train crash turned violent on Friday as Scores of youths hurled rocks and gasoline bombs at police.

Protesters hurled petrol bombs and set fire to trash cans in Athens on Friday as hundreds of thousands of Greeks went on strike and took to the streets in nationwide demonstrations on the second anniversary of the country's deadliest train crash.