A four-month spate of strong protests against Greek education reforms has been paralyzing central Athens and crippling local businesses in one of the biggest setbacks to the country's conservative government since it took office three years ago.

University students and professors have been vehement in their opposition to [limits on the number of years students can stay in school, private universities, academic standards for their professors, and other reforms in keeping with conditions at other European universities], and have been staging at least one major rally and several smaller protests a week.

The sight of burning cars and trash cans, or youths hurling firebombs at police officers, has become a regular feature on television news bulletins. And the unrest has resulted in Athenians and tourists avoiding the city center on protest days - so much so that merchants say they have lost some €400 million, or $530 million, in revenue.