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Despite lull in violence, Greek protests continue

by Teacher Dude | December 10, 2008 at 10:27 pm

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The unprededented wave of protests and discontent that has hit Greece since Saturday shows no sign of abating. Although the country enjoyed relative calm last night after days of rioting, high school and university students are planning to block roads in Athens today. In addition at least 100 high schools are under occupation, as well as the universities in many cities in protest against the shooting of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a police officer in central Athens.

Yesterday students some as young as twelve clashed with riot police in the northern port city of Thessaloniki. The central police station in Aristotelous square came under repeated attack from stone throwing teenagers who also set fire to rubbish bins and smashed shop windows.

The Greek government has announced a series of measures to help the hundreds of businesses damaged during the riots. Estimates over the cost of disturbances rangge from a three hundred to one billion euros. However, the opposition PASOK party has expressed skepticism over the government's plans to help pointing out that similar promises were made to those who lost homes in last year's devastating forest fires yet not kept.

The two policemen accused of killing the teenager claim that the fatal shot was a ricochet and that the officer who fired had shot into the air in order to scare off a gang of thirty youths who previously attacked them with rocks and bottles.

The defendents also said in their testimony that the dead student had been expelled from several schools and involved in incidents of football hooliganism.

However, several eye witnesses interviewed on Greek TV argue that there were no more than ten youths at the time of the incident and just one bottle was thrown at the defendent's patrol car. They also claim that the officer aimed his pistol directly at the group and fired and after Grigoropoulos fell to the ground walked away.

Friends and family of the teenager also denied categorically the accusations concerning the child's supposedly troubled academic career and alleged involvement in football violence.

The Greek police federation condemned the the actions of the two officers, calling the death a "horrific criminal act".

On the other hand defence lawyer Alexis Kougias, who took on the case other two other lawyers withdrew, claimed that there had been a "misunderstanding" and that foresenic evidence bore out his client's claim that the death was the result of bullet ricocheting. The results of the ballistics analysis of the bullets fired have, however, not been released yet.

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jordan

flagged this story as Eyewitness Report

at 06:50 on December 11th, 2008

This is an eyewitness report from the NowPublic member Teacher Dude who was on the scene.

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Rob Walker

at 07:01 on December 11th, 2008

Thanks for posting this Teacher Dude!

Rob Walker

at 11:48 on December 11th, 2008

With schools closed or occupied, teachers and students alike are missing classes.

As an economics professor at Piraeus University near Athens, Theodoros Pelagides sees in his students the frustration at lack of opportunity that in part lies behind this week’s riots. “Everything in Greece operates as a closed shop. There is no highway leading from the university to the labour market,” says the Harvard-trained academic.

Businesses all over Greece are suffering too as most remain closed and many have been damaged. As the violence ebbs, shop owners are counting the cost of the riots.

GREEK shop owners are bitterly counting the cost after five days of riots that have scarred Athens and other major cities.

Other countries are now affected, with Greeks living abroad and sympathisers taking part in demonstrations from Madrid to Moscow.

From Madrid to Moscow, Greeks living abroad, left-wing activists and other sympathisers took part in demonstrations in solidarity with the six days of rioting which has hit Greece.

At least one person was injured in sporadic violent riots and hit-and-run attacks on at least six police stations throughout the day.

michalis melas

at 13:17 on December 11th, 2008

michalis melas has contributed a photo to this story.

alepouda

at 13:38 on December 11th, 2008

Alexis Kougias, the lawyer of the two policemen, is now accused by Greece' Layer Association for violation of juristic ethics. Among other things that he said and insulted both the 'memory' of the murdered boy as well as the honor of the attorneys' profession was that:

"Justice will judge if it was good that this boy was shot, or not!"

The Board of the attorneys said that by these defense tactics, Kougias steps to a moral murder of the kid and libels their profession. So, the assossiation decided to proceed to a disciplinary persecution of Kougias

efou222

at 15:13 on December 11th, 2008

very nice article. I would like to say that things are finaly geting calmer. Today there was a peaceful but powerful demonstration here in Thessaloniki, that was the best one in my opinion, since there were no damages, although the message was clear...

efou222 has contributed a photo to this story.