Greece calm after 8 days of riots

Monday, December 15, 2008 at 3:12 am

Athens was calm on Sunday (December 14) after eight days of the worst riots Greece has seen in decades, sparked by the police killing of a teenager. No demonstrations were planned for today. In Athens, traffic returned to normal in the centre of town and an open-topped double-decker bus carried tourists round the city’s main sights.

Greek youths who have protested daily since the boy’s death are angry not just at the police but at an increasingly unpopular government and over economic issues. Overnight, youths attacked a police station, stores and banks and fought running battles with police, as candlelit vigils were being held to mark a week since the shooting.

Several hundred protesters set up burning barricades and attacked police with rocks and flares. Riot police fired tear gas and chased the youths through parts of the city. The protesters chanted “murderers out” and used laser pointers to target officers for attack.

Violence has wracked Greece every day since the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. The riots in cities throughout the country have left at least 70 people injured. Hundreds of stores have been smashed and looted, and more than 200 people have been arrested.

While most of the protesters have been peaceful, the tone of the demonstrations has been set by a violent fringe. And more young people have been willing to join those fringe elements than in the past. A poll today found that most Greeks see more in the violence than a simple reaction to the shooting.

(With inputs from agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Greece calm after 8 days of riots

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