Greece erupts as police kill boy, 16

Published on Sunday 7 December 2008 21:03

RIOTERS rampaged through Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki yesterday, hurling Molotov cocktails, burning stores and blocking city streets with flaming barricades after protests against the fatal shooting of a teenager by Greek police erupted into mayhem.

Youths smashed storefronts and cars in Athens; riot police responded with tear gas. Several bank branches, shops and at least one other building were on fire in a major street leading to the capital's police headquarters. Clashes also broke out near parliament.

The shooting of the 16-year-old boy that set off the first riots happened on Saturday night in Exarchia, a downtown Athens district of bars, clubs and restaurants seen as a magnet for anarchists and drug-takers.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear. Police said the two officers involved claimed they were attacked by a group of youths, and that three gunshots and a stun grenade were fired in response.

Yesterday's riots broke out during demonstrations moving towards the police headquarters in Thessaloniki and Athens.

Protesters in Thessaloniki attacked City Hall, two police precincts, several shops and a bank, plus vans and cars belonging to Greek TV channels.

In Athens, violence broke out as more than 2,000 protesters marched to the police headquarters. Youths fought riot police for about two hours before groups split off into different parts of the city. More violence was reported in Exarchia.

The two officers involved in the shooting have been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation. The police chief in the Exarchia precinct has also been suspended.

Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the Greek interior minister, offered to step down, but his resignation was not accepted by the prime minister.

Mr Pavlopoulos promised there would be a thorough investigation into the teenager's death and pledged to punish anyone found responsible.

"It is inconceivable for there not to be punishment when a person loses their life, particularly when it is a child," he said. "The taking of life is something that is not excusable in a democracy."

Police said the riots left 24 officers injured. Six arrests were made, five for theft and one for carrying a weapon.

Violence often breaks out during demonstrations in Greece between riot police and anarchists, who attack banks, high-end shops, diplomatic vehicles and foreign car dealerships in late-night firebombings that rarely cause injuries.

Some believe the anarchist movement has its roots in the resistance to the military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967-74.

The anarchists often take refuge inside university buildings or campuses, from which police are banned by law from entering.