Reports said three people were dead after an Athens bank was fire-bombed amid national strike action.
Greek police have clashed with protesters in the capital as tens of thousands of people joined a 24-hour walkout over the country's planned spending cuts.
Reports said three people were dead after a bank was set on fire, while up to 20 others were trapped inside the burning building.
A general strike is being staged as a protest against a new round of draconian austerity measures.
Police said as many as 20,000 people are on the streets of Athens as rallies around the country kicked of.
In the capital, a large group of people attempted to break through a riot police cordon guarding the parliament building.
One man with a tannoy is shouting out for people to rise up against the 'IMF junta'.
Alex Rossi in Athens
The protesters launched rocks and petrol bombs at the officers, who responded with stun grenades and tear gas - filling Syntagma Square with chemical smoke.
Violence was also reported in Thessaloniki, where a further 20,000 people joined the city's demonstrations.
Greece has been paralysed by the national walkout and is effectively cut-off from the outside world.
Flights to and from the country have been grounded, trains and ferries suspended their routes and public services - including hospitals and schools - were also affected.
The Greek government is attempting to slice 30bn euros (£25.7bn) from its deficit over the next three years.
The country has to save money as a condition of a 110bn-euro emergency rescue package from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
But ordinary workers are furious - trade unions say their members are having to pay for an economic crisis that has been created by corrupt politicians.
The vice president of the civil servants' union, Elias Vrettakos, earlier told Sky News: "We anticipate one of the biggest shows of industrial action in recent history.
"The measures of the government overtake our historic gains and abolish our rights and return society back to the 1960s."
Other union leaders have called the cuts "savage attacks on workers' rights".
Markets around the world remained skittish about the bail-out, as concerns deepened about the economic crisis in the eurozone and fears of contagion.
On the streets of Greece, there was widespread anger.
Militant activist George Pavlopoulos said clashes with the authorities were inevitable.
He said: "People are furious, people from all walks of life... most of the anger is directed against the government that has proven to be more right-wing than Thatcher."
The latest demonstrations were always expected, but the problem for Greece will be if it continues for months.
A long, hot summer of discontent would seriously undermine any economic recovery.
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