More Riots Accompany Greek Teen's Funeral

Political Unrest Grows As Violence Continues Four Days After Police Shooting

(CBS/AP)  Riot police fought running battles with mourners Tuesday after the funeral of a teenager whose shooting by officers set off waves of rioting that have sent Greece's already unpopular government reeling.

Opposition socialist leader George Papandreou called for early elections, saying the governing conservatives were incapable of defending the public from rioters.

The government has a single-seat majority in the 300-member Parliament and opposition parties blame hands-off policing for encouraging the worst rioting the country has seen in decades.

"The government cannot handle this crisis and has lost the trust of the Greek people," Papandreou said. "The best thing it can do is resign and let the people find a solution ... we will protect the public."

High-school and university students joined elements of mostly left-wing and self-styled anarchist groups to rampage through the capital and several other cities overnight. Gangs of masked youths roamed the streets erecting burning barricades and pelting riot police with rocks and bottles.

Meanwhile, Greece's two largest labor unions said they will push ahead with demonstrations in riot-ravaged Athens as part of a 24-hour strike Wednesday to protest the government's economic policies.

Greece's transport will grind to a halt Wednesday as flights and ferry links will be cut and train service severely limited.

On Tuesday, police fired tear gas to dispel dozens of youths throwing stones and sticks and setting trash cans on fire near the funeral for 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, whose death Saturday sparked the rioting. Dozens of local residents gathered on the streets, shouting at police to stop firing gas in the residential area.

Some 6,000 people attended the funeral, applauding as the body was carried out of the church in a flower-covered white coffin.

Schools and universities across Greece were closed and hundreds of teachers, university lecturers and students rallied in central Athens, where hundreds of teenagers threw rocks and scuffled with officers. Fighting also continued in Thessaloniki.

"Everyone has let our children down ... Every day I see that students are becoming more hostile toward us and figures of authority," said Christos Kittas, who resigned as the dean of Athens University after the rioting spread to campuses.

Tension between security forces and leftist groups is deeply rooted in Greece, dating back to the seven-year military dictatorship that was toppled by a student uprising in 1974.

The groups have now evolved into various factions that claim to fight trends ranging from globalization to the growth of police surveillance cameras.

Their impact is usually limited to graffiti and late-night firebomb attacks on targets such as stores and cash machines.

But the latest riots have besieged the administration of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who has faced a wave of discontent and sometimes violent demonstrations over policies including unpopular reforms to the country's pension system, privatizations and loosening state control of higher education.

"It's very simple - we want the government to fall. This boy's death was the last straw for us," Petros Constantinou, an organizer with the Socialist Workers Party, said after a protest in central Athens. "This government wants the poor to pay for all the country's problems - never the rich - and they keep those who protest in line with police oppression."

Even if the opposition Socialists were to come to power, they would find themselves faced with pressure to reform the economy and pensions.

Police said rioters damaged or destroyed 200 stores and 50 banks in Athens overnight, while 20 buildings were damaged by fires, including downtown hotels that were temporarily evacuated late Monday. A further 100 stores were damaged in Thessaloniki.

There was also rioting in Crete, the holiday island of Corfu, and in other areas around Greece.

Riot police used tear gas when attacked by youths but stood back as they smashed windows and torched stores along Athens' main commercial streets.

Greece's interior minister insisted police had successfully protected human life, and Karamanlis said there would be no leniency for rioters.

On Tuesday, the Bank of Greece announced a 12-month delay on interest payments for loans by shopkeepers affected by the rioting. But the Athens Traders Association encouraged its members to sue the government, saying police had failed to protect them.

The circumstances surrounding Grigoropoulos' shooting are unclear, but the two officers involved have been arrested; one has been charged with murder and the other as an accomplice. A coroner's report shows the boy was shot in the chest.

[txgrouch2007]

Why isn''t anything like this happening in the USA, after the criminals in Congress have passed bailout after bailout to fat cats while the ordinary people are having trouble paying their bills?

[wardoglrs]

Every time a Pig kills one of us we should kill 10 of them

[txgrouch2007]

Every time a Pig kills one of us we should kill 10 of them
Posted by WarDogLRS at 09:42 AM : Dec 09, 2008

Considering that they have the firepower to achieve at least a 10 to 1 kill ratio on their attackers, that should be a VERY SHORT WAR.

[averjane]

It sounds like there''s more to what led to all this disruption. People don''t just go ape sh*t like this unless many things have led up to it. You would think the Pope was killed by the way all the rioting and distruction. There''s something more to it than just killing a teenager. Maybe that was the straw that broke the camel''s back. Unless they are just like some groups over here in Cincinnati, OH who just seize an opportunity to rob and steel for thier own gain. One such situation a few years ago, where a young black man who was a know criminal who ran when police said stop who pulled something shiny from his pocket and then got shot. The black community started an uprising and his mother actually got a million dollar settlement from our city funds, even though she openly admitted on television that she taught her children to run from the police, who wasn''t too proud to be greedy and take money from our government that tax payers work hard for and at the expense of her son''s life. She got away with publicly looting when she should have been reminded of her part in her son''s death telling him to "run from the police". Yeah, maybe it''s simply somthing like this but we''ll find out.

[prometheus41]

"It''s very simple - we want the government to fall. This boy''s death was the last straw for us," Petros Constantinou, an organizer with the Socialist Workers Party, said as he left a protest in central Athens. "This government wants the poor to pay for all the country''s problems - never the rich - and they keep those who protest in line with police oppression."

Birthplace of democracy vs. America, the fascist mockery of democracy. Something tells me while the symptoms appear to be the same, young American''s will find LEAVING in LARGE NUMBERS a much more attractive alternative.

In fact, if you can''t see the writing on the wall you deserve what''s coming to you, and it will be a lot worse than police state oppression.

I mean you realize that IMPEACHMENT, a Constitutional guarantee of due process -- a promise for action made to the people of this country by it''s first Congress -- was "taken off the table" for President Bush?

Christ, and that''s not even a fraction of due process violations, passing over of democratic legislation to a non-Constitionally documented process of "executive order" without contest (due process and rule of law protections)-- do you know what sort of country this is when that is allowed?

[prometheus41]

You do realize that don''t you. At least there''s the demonstration of democracy in Greece, what the *** do we have? A government that decides it''s OK to print more money without any backing whatsover, as long as IT IS A LOT, WILL BE THE BURDEN FOR FUTURE UNBORN AMERICAN''s TO BEAR, and IT''S FOR A GOOD NON-DEMOCRATIC NON-PLURALISTIC, FEUDALIST CAUSE, not when it can be used to cure poverty overnight (or at least, easily for a hundred years -- or forever, as long as you can keep printing a TRILLION dollars for exceptional circumstances).

God Bless America

[harbinger09]

Wow--whereas in America the officers would be promptly acquitted, then the federal government would be left to file suit and win on behalf of the families.

[harbinger09]

There''''s something more to it than just killing a teenager. Maybe that was the straw that broke the camel''''s back.
Posted by AverJane at 12:27 PM : Dec 09, 2008

Then again, the kid that was killed was the same race as his attackers and maybe, just maybe the Greek hold the taking of life by police a little more seriously than Americans do.--at the very least, they seem to hold the killing of this teen of the same race with a little more reverence (and therefore censure) than we do--many Americans honor and defend police--even when the police are definitely in the wrong.

[harbinger09]

She got away with publicly looting when she should have been reminded of her part in her son''''s death telling him to "run from the police". Yeah, maybe it''''s simply somthing like this but we''''ll find out.

Posted by AverJane at 12:27 PM : Dec 09, 2008


If I was part of a culture, that routinely was mistreated, beat, shot, framed or tortured by police--I''d tell my kids to run like hell too. After all, if they run, they have a chance--if they stay they are sitting ducks for whatever the police want to do to them. Our country has a long and documented history of police brutality and killing against blacks--why the fvck should they stand still for that?

[jumkey]

Posted by Abrame

The government is conservative, which is synonymous with fascism and clearly displayed by your comments.

You authority lovers are cowards and anti-American traitors.

[credibility2]

Regardless of what precipitated the shooting, two police have been arrested and one is charged with murder. That should be sufficient. Instead, you have the criminally intent rioter merely using this occurrence as an excuse and a right for them to go out and commit more crime, destroying property not belonging to them and causing mayhem. What the rioters are doing is inexcusable and criminal.

[credibility2]

Regardless of what precipitated the shooting, two police have been arrested and one is charged with murder. That should be sufficient. Instead, you have the criminally intent rioter merely using this occurrence as an excuse and a right for them to go out and commit more crime, destroying property not belonging to them and causing mayhem. What the rioters are doing is inexcusable and criminal.

[spiritwalk]

As I understand it, the kid was shot while about to hurl a molotov cocktail at a police car with people inside it. He was trying to burn people alive and he cannot be thought of as an innocent victim when he is trying to kill other people. This was not Rodney King.

These riots are like most other riots. They are made up of people who are trying to commit violence for the thrill of violence and being able to escape in the mob and plain old looters. Sprinkle in a few zealots trying to advance a political purpose through the chaos and you have your basic non-denominational riot. Works equally well for left or right political agendas and the pyschos get to beat, burn and plunder.

[comeon11]

authority lovers? you ignorant, impulsive freaks are so irrational, it is ridiculous. there is nothing but chaos and self destruction without proper government (which is authority regardless of who is in power). there is 3 billion people in the world- without government, we will kill each other. that''s the truth you emotional fool.

[comeon11]

These communists are made up of lower class and middle class people trying to get to the point of the upper class. its the envier verses the envied. eventually the communist who gains power will turn into the new heirachy and the cycle continues. communism is irrational because it is not applicable to human nature.

[credibility2]

Regardless of what precipitated the shooting, two police have been arrested and one is charged with murder. That should be sufficient. Instead, you have the criminally intent rioter merely using this occurrence as an excuse and a right for them to go out and commit more crime, destroying property not belonging to them and causing mayhem. What the rioters are doing is inexcusable and criminal.

[jumkey]

Posted by comeon11

There is a difference between authority and authoritarian, and it''s always conservatives who don''t understand what it is.

You (like all American conservatives) are a fascist in the purest historical sense of the word.

[whiskyrokr]

Man these Greeks sure know how to party!

[au_fait]

authority lovers? you ignorant, impulsive freaks are so irrational, it is ridiculous. there is nothing but chaos and self destruction without proper government (which is authority regardless of who is in power). there is 3 billion people in the world- without government, we will kill each other. that''''s the truth you emotional fool.

Posted by comeon11


I have to agree, as Somalia has not had a stable government for years and what has become of them. not much except many have become thieves and kidnappers.

[celiene]

The world has gone mad. We need serious psychotherapy.

[leeanna58]

You (like all American conservatives) are a fascist in the purest historical sense of the word.
Posted by jumkey

"are a fascist," means only one. If you are talking about all Americans, don''t you mean more than one?

[earache4]

"My Big Fat Greek Riot!"

[cbsblogger]

The USA is waaaaaaay too busy with American Idol and Monday Night Football to ever riot over anything, even grossly outrageous, unfair actions and outright corruption of our leaders and destruction of our Constitution.

We are the patsies who will follow the pied pipers over the cliff in passiveness.

[wdh3007]

Big Fat Greek riot is right someone needs to tell Greece that this stuff happens all the time in everyday America take two midol and sleep it off!