Riots in Greek cities after slaying of teenager by police

by Oneiros | December 6, 2008 at 09:39 pm

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The BBC reports:

Riots have broken out in several Greek cities after police shot dead a teenager in the capital Athens.

The unrest began in Athens soon after the shooting in Exarchia district, a regular scene of clashes between police and leftist groups.

Riots then spread to Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, to the northern cities of Komotini and Ioannina, and to Crete.

Two officers have been suspended, and an inquiry is under way.

The 16 year old youth was fatally wounded by a bullet in the heart and succumbed to his injuries at Evangelismos hospital. The two officers claimed they were set upon by a group of youths brandishing sticks & petrol bombs, and that they only fired warning shots, one of which ricochetted, but a number of passersby refuted their allegations.

Almost immediately after issuing a statement condemning the incident and promising to bring those responsible to justice, Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos, along with his subordinate minister in charge of the police tendered their resignations which prime minister Kostas Karamanlis immediately annuled.

This is only the latest in a series of "isolated" incidents of police brutality, as the Greek government repeatedly labeled them, aimed against protesters, immigrants and students, which culminated two years ago with the widely publicized brutal beating of a Cypriot passerby at the hands of police during a demonstration in Thessaloniki.

The riots broke out when several enraged groups of citizens, political youths and anarchists clashed with police in downtown Athens, trying to march from Exarchia towards Omonoia Square. Extensive use of tear gas by police was reported, while barricades were erected by protesters and widespread damage to downtown businesses and parked cars ensued.

Smaller scale riots also broke out during the night at Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Patras, Chania, Agrinio and other major Greek cities. In Thessaloniki, anarchists assaulted a downtown police station and later marched through a main thoroughfare torching litter bins. Damage to private property at first glance seemed minimal to this reporter.

Social media communities, and especially Twitter, played a pivotal role in reporting on the riots, as mainstream media offered minimal coverage.

(Ongoing story: More sources, expansion, corrections & timeline to follow)

Update (8/12, day #3): The BBC reports on the events of day #2 of the riots.

Protests are expected for a third day in Greece, following rioting over the fatal shooting of a teenager by police.

In cities across the country, dozens of protesters and police were injured during pitched battles on the streets, involving petrol bombs and tear gas.

Some protesters stayed in universities on Sunday night, while leftist groups planned rallies on Monday.

The government has called for an end to the violence, saying justice had been served with the arrests of policemen.

The riots began on Saturday after 15-year-old Andreas Grigoropoulos was shot dead by police in the Exarchia area of Athens.

The article should be taken with a grain of salt as it only presents the 'official' version of the damage tally and events, as do most articles on the riots originating from international news agencies (notably, the AP & Reuters). Instances of unwarranted brutal assaults on youths by the police have been reported on radio stations; Greek mainstream media have been criticized even by journalists for having largely suppressed or manipulated coverage of the events; while blogs & social media -Twitter in particular- picked up the slack, with constant reporting (often firsthand), vetting & discussing news and crowdsourcing helpful information.

Update (9/12 02:00, day #4): Demonstrations scheduled in Athens and Thessaloniki by political parties and assorted groups of protesters were hijacked by extremists who proceeded to lay waste to whole street block facades downtown. Banks, hotels & even an 8-story apartment building were set afire, while the National Library in Athens was endangered by a nearby blaze.
(Firsthand reporting) In Thessaloniki, an unprecedented vandalism & looting raid in successive waves turned main commercial thoroughfares bedecked for the Christmas season into war zones. Police & fire departments were conspicuously absent, leading many to speculate that the government is purposefully attempting to foment insecurity & attrition in the populace in order to contain the outrage.

AFP reports:

[..] About 300 students and other youths also attacked cars and stores in Salonika, where a police officer was hospitalised with a hand injury after a firebomb attack on his station.
Police rapidly lost control of a night-time protest in central Salonika where scores of stores were looted by youths.

In Athens, firefighters were called to 24 banks, 35 stores, 24 cars, 12 homes and a district office of the ruling New Democracy party hit by a small bomb. Six police vehicles were also destroyed.

Protestors also set fire to the lobby of the Hotel Athens Plaza on central Syntagma Square and the Christmas tree on display there which was supposed to have been lit in a ceremony on Sunday.

Late Monday, rioters kept up a cat-and-mouse chase with police through the streets of the Greek capital. Hooded and helmeted youths penetrated as far as the plush district of Kolonaki [..]

Riot police responded with heavy discharges of tear gas, sending clouds billowing over the Athens sky. [..]

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recommend This comment thread is now closed

Jon Azpiri

at 21:45 on December 6th, 2008

Thanks for the story. Feel free to keep us updated as the story unfolds.

Oneiros

at 19:03 on December 7th, 2008

I want to apologize for the delay in updating, correcting & annotating this important ongoing story with photos & videos; I'll try to make amends as soon as possible. Demonstrations took place yesterday in cities around Greece as well as my hometown, Thessaloniki. I spent the day trying to monitor events & follow the demonstration as it clashed with police and zigzagged it's way around the city's streets. I'd also like to ask for help in updating it with links to international media coverage from anyone so inclined.

Teacher Dude's coverage of the riots in NowPublic:

Greece erupts in flames after death of teen

Rhonda J Mangus

at 19:59 on December 7th, 2008

ONIEROS, I'm sorry I missed this story yesterday. I just added a link to it in the comment section of Teacher Dude's story, which you have already linked. Thank you!

Λεωνίδας

at 04:26 on December 10th, 2008

Congrats for your work Oneiros. Keep up the good work.

lefty_liberated

at 12:27 on December 10th, 2008

If there were riots in nyc everytime the authorities killed a teenager it'd be practically everyday. A lot of countries dont have the prevalance of weapons that we have here. I think we've become numbed by the effects. Good to hear about people doing the right thing.

ThirdEye3

at 14:03 on December 10th, 2008

The point where the 15-year-old was shot.

ThirdEye3 has contributed a photo to this story.

Nicholas from Australia (not verified)

at 14:13 on December 11th, 2008

Lets say none of the youth had protested against the killing of Alexis. Think about how much more impunity the police would have?!?! Just this morning here in Australia in Melbourne a group of police shot & killed a 15yo boy because he had a knife in an open car park!!! Speak out & be heard....

Amy Judd

at 14:15 on December 11th, 2008

Very comprehensive coverage.

Oneiros

at 15:41 on December 11th, 2008

I'm forced to apologize again for the lack of updates in recent days, I'll try to update the story & media as soon as possible. Thank you all for your input & feedback