More Riots In Greece After Police Shooting

Tear Gas Fills Air In Athens, Thessaloniki As Protestors Across Country Burn Stores, Set Up Barricades

(AP)  Rioters rampaged through Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki Sunday, hurling petrol bombs, burning stores and setting up burning barricades across city streets as protests against the fatal police shooting of a teenager turned violent.

Youths wearing hoods smashed store fronts and cars. Riot police responded with large amounts of tear gas, while the fire department rushed to extinguish fires. Several bank branches, stores and at least one building were on fire on a major street leading to the capital's police headquarters. Later, clashes also broke out near Parliament.

A police helicopter circled overhead and sirens echoed through the city center, while streets quickly emptied as word of the violence spread. Local media reported several people sought treatment at hospitals for breathing problems.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting of a 16-year-old boy by a police special guard in the downtown Athens district of Exarchia on Saturday night are still unclear. Police have said the two special guards involved claimed they were attacked by a group of youths, and that three gunshots and a stun grenade were fired in response.

But the boy's death triggered extensive riots overnight in cities around the country, with youths burning shops, setting up flaming barricades across streets and torching cars. Dawn on Sunday saw crews cleaning up streets littered with the debris of smashed and burned businesses and banks and the charred remains of cars, while tear gas still hung in the air.

Violence often breaks out during demonstrations in Greece between riot police and anarchists, who often attack what they consider symbols of capitalism, such as banks and up-market shops, as well as diplomatic vehicles and foreign car dealerships. Firebomb attacks are usually carried out late at night and rarely cause injuries.

When chased by police, the anarchists often take refuge inside university buildings or campuses, where under Greek law police are not allowed to enter. Some believe the anarchist movement has its roots in the resistance to the military dictatorship which ruled Greece from 1967-74.

The groups of youths have a long-running animosity with the police, and there have been several incidents in which police precincts are attacked with firebombs.

Exarchia, a downtown district home to bars, music clubs and an increasing number of restaurants, is considered to be the anarchists' home base.

Sunday's riots broke out during demonstrations towards the police headquarters in Thessaloniki and Athens. In the northern city, protesters attacked City Hall, two police precincts, several shops and a bank, as well as vans and cars belonging to several Greek television channels.

The march of about 1,200 people turned violent when participants began pelting the police precinct, already targeted on Saturday night, with rocks and firebombs. Others erected barricades on central roads using blazing trash bins.

Shops were smashed and a firebomb damaged a bank branch, the third such attack in Thessaloniki since Saturday night.

In Athens, violence broke out as more than two thousand protesters marched to the police headquarters.

Groups of hooded youths throwing rocks and petrol bombs fought pitched battles with riot police. After about two hours, the demonstrators broke up, with groups splitting off into different parts of the city. More violence was reported in Exarchia.

Earlier, Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos had called for restraint. He expressed the government's deep sadness over the teenager's death, and both he and Deputy Minister Panagiotis Chinofotis submitted their resignations, which were not accepted by the prime minister.

Police said the Saturday night riots left 24 policemen injured, with one remaining hospitalized Sunday morning. Rioters damaged or burned 31 stores, nine bank branches and 25 cars, including six police cars, police said in a statement. Six people were arrested, five of them for theft from damaged stores and one for carrying a weapon, it said.

Full details for damage from Sunday afternoon's riots were not immediately available.

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

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," Pavlopoulos said Sunday. "The taking of life is something that is not excusable in a democracy."

[weyouus]

Resignation of ministers? Unheard of in the U.S. There is no police accountability, in fact, they are most often promoted for their actions. Riots in the streets? Young people, particularly people of color (and, although kept invisible most of the time, queer people of color) and are routinely harassed and murdered by police in the United States. Our response, most of the time, is a vigil, maybe a march, an appeal to a non-profit, possibly. We live under in a militarized state. Less than twenty people were arrested in Greece, while simultaneously over twenty officers were injured. Here, there would be mass arrests (hundreds of people) followed by more murders which would be justified by the media who would represent "the rioters" as bringing chaos into the streets of "America the democracy." ***. Hegemony: Coercion and consent. We are consenting. We are allowing for innocent lives to be lost at the hands of the state. Enough!

[weyouus]

Resignation of ministers? Unheard of in the U.S. There is no police accountability, in fact, they are most often promoted for their actions. Riots in the streets? Young people, particularly people of color (and, although kept invisible most of the time, queer people of color) and are routinely harassed and murdered by police in the United States. Our response, most of the time, is a vigil, maybe a march, an appeal to a non-profit, possibly. We live under in a militarized state. Less than twenty people were arrested in Greece, while simultaneously over twenty officers were injured. Here, there would be mass arrests (hundreds of people) followed by more murders which would be justified by the media who would represent "the rioters" as bringing chaos into the streets of "America the democracy." ***. Hegemony: Coercion and consent. We are consenting. We are allowing for innocent lives to be lost at the hands of the state. Enough!

[easeup-2009]

Posted by nikosk11 at 11:12 AM : Dec 08, 2008

kollatrepa,

fas katana!

[nikosk11]

Gosh, I wonder what the Greeks would do if their Congress started handing out hundreds of billions of dollars to wealthy executives of failing companies, while ordinary citizens are having trouble paying their bill.

Posted by txgrouch2007 at 09:35 PM : Dec 07, 2008

Lucky for them, they don''t have Congress. They have Parliament. You do know the difference, don''t you?

[nikosk11]

OK George, you still have time to invade Greece and bring "democracy" to the country. LOL, LOL, LOL.

[nikosk11]

How does the Greek Army separate the men from the boys?


With a crowbar.

Posted by easeup at 10:12 AM : Dec 08, 2008

Stupid.

[easeup-2009]

How does the Greek Army separate the men from the boys?







With a crowbar.

[earache4]

What? Now Bush is going to war with a bunch greeks too?

Posted by sockpuppet4

No, not Greeks, (evildoers)

[wdh3007]

Rioters rampage in 2 Greek cities after teen shot hey Greece it happens everyday in the U.S & Israel take two midol and sleep it off destroying your country only makes it worse the economy is bad everywhere?

[rhs648]

Good luck to these demonstrators!

Protecting the public from dangerous abusers of authority is a tremendous public service!

Posted by MikeTotten1

Do you call rioting, destroying property, and injuring police officers protecting the public? You sound like a great citizen who should be living somewhere else.

[rhs648]

What? Now Bush is going to war with a bunch greeks too?

Posted by sockpuppet4

What is the point of bringing President Bush''s name into this. Was it mentioned in the article? What does President Bush have to do with the rioting of students in Greece? Are you an idiot?

[gatofeo]

"Cops are criminals in uniform." -- HETUP

My educated guess would be that HETUP has a criminal record. Oh, like all criminals, he''ll claim he was railroaded or the law is unfair or something similar.
The next time, HETUP, you''re burglarized, being beaten or need emergency medical aid -- call a local drug pusher.
I''m sure you''re familiar with those in your neighborhood. Intimately.

[txgrouch2007]

Gosh, I wonder what the Greeks would do if their Congress started handing out hundreds of billions of dollars to wealthy executives of failing companies, while ordinary citizens are having trouble paying their bill.

[tschen25]

well, if I read the article correctly, it started when a group of youths were throwing bombs at police...

I know the police can make mistakes, but my God, you think you can get away with throwing weapons at police and expect to get away with it? Why don''t we just empty our prisons and let the streets run amok with criminals, huh?

those who are applauding the youths are idiots, and the Greek government is obviously inept to condemn the killing if it was provoked.

[sincity_q]

And these juvemile delinquents want a society with no rules, right?

Sounds like a perfect world for deliquency but not for anyone else.

[toolmangler-2009]

cops are criminals in uniform
Posted by HETUP at 06:59 PM : Dec 07, 2008



There may be some criminals dressed up like Cops, I will let you sort that out but in the mean time just disregard that flashing blue/red light in your rearview mirror. It is more than likely a criminal trying to stop you.

[liselle3]

HETUP
cops are criminals in uniform

Try to remember that when you need one... Perhaps you could call on your neighborhood criminal for assistance.

[toolmangler-2009]

There is more going on here than the death of one young man. Anarchy is on the move here and it won''t stop till the people stop it themselves. The people formed the Police force and Armies and they have the power to stop them. This way ''No more anarchist will be killed''. (Anarchy means "No Rules") The Police are supposed to protect the people, But Anarchist are people also, right??????? It would seem correct that if the majority wanted Government then the Minority should accept that or leave, (Don''t make the ''Majority'' obey the minority)

[liselle3]

If people actually behaved themselves, stayed out of the radar of the police who are trying to protect ALL citizens (including the self-absorbed criminals) perhaps these folks wouldn''t find themselves getting shot by the police. You know the saying about making your bed? Quit blaming police for problems. Quite making everyone else responsible for your choices.

[legacyabq]

yeah yeah, i know it was in greece.. Im generalizing..

*************** And, BTW, the shooting is what CAUSED the riots, remember? ************

The riots were NOT ongoing, and then the police shot the kid, like some posters were saying.
Read the article!