Stones, Sticks, Molotov cocktails and tear gas turned downtown Athens into a battle-field on Thursday noon on the occasion of the commemoration of teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos, 15, who was fatally shot by a policeman in 2008.
Small groups of teenagers wearing hoods started to hurl stones and molotov cocktails against the riot policemen trying to safeguard the commemoration march by students. The special guards (Evzones) at the Monument of Unknown Soldier in front of the parliament had to be withdrawn and seek safety away from the riots.
The riots started at 2 o’clock when the students’ march reached the Greek parliament. The outraged group of youths started to demolish whatever came acrros the way and even the marmor benches at Syntagma Square.
Video: Teenagers
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Greek media report that there are 14 injured policemen, while there are no reports about injured civilians. There were 9 arrests and 6 detentions. Greek media report the rioters were a group of teenagers between 15 and 17 years old.
Garbage bins were set on fire, also some bus stops. Some minor riots occurred also in Thessaloniki with protesters having set garbage bins on fire.
Video: Athens – Riot Police, “Hoodies“, Riot Dog Loukanikos
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The tension was diffused after the outbreak of the youth, however in the afternoon a new protest march takes place. This time by the anti-authoritarian movement. Riot police is still on alert, main road of downtown Athens have been closed to the public.
High school student , Alexis Grigoropoulos, 15, was shot and killed by a policeman for no reason on December 6th2008, while he was hanging out with some friends at Exarchia, a district in downtown Athens. The two police special guards were on patrol and engaged into a minor verbalincident with the group of Grigoropoulos. A little later, one of the policemen, Korkoneas, pulled the trigger and shot at the teenager. A single bullet immediately took the life of the 15-year-old. In a trial Epaminondas Korkoneas got a life sentence, his fellow policeman Vasilis Salariotis 10 years imprisonment on charge of ‘direct involvment’. The two had tried to cover up the fatal shooting. However, Saraliotis got out of prison one year later due to ‘humanitarian reasons’ i.e. a family member was sick…
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