Riots in Greece

Late on Saturday

A teenage boy is shot dead by police in Exarchia, a district of central Athens long associated with lawlessness and drug abuse. Two police officers have been charged - one with murder and the other as an accomplice.

A police statement later said one officer fired three shots after their car was attacked by 30 youths. A police official said the officer described firing warning shots, but witnesses told TV he aimed at the boy, identified as Alexandros Andreas Grigoropoulos, the son of a bank manager and a student at a school in Athens.

The interior minister, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, tenders his resignation, promising that "exemplary punishment" will be taken against the police officers involved.

The shooting taps into widespread anger at the Conservative government's economic policies and a widening gap between rich and poor. Protests erupt and quickly spread to Greece’s northern capital, Thessaloniki, the western port city of Patras, and Chania on Crete.

Rioters destroy scores of businesses, injuring dozens and putting further pressure on the government.


Sunday

Protesters chanting "cops, pigs, murderers" hurl petrol bombs at Athens riot police. Helicopters hover over the demonstrators and clouds of teargas erupt in the streets.

Rioters seek sanctuary in the grounds of the Polytechnic and Athens universities, which traditionally have been off-limits to security forces since the collapse of military rule in 1974.

Scores of shops and more than a dozen banks are torched in the capital's busiest commercial districts ahead of Christmas. The mayor of Athens postpones the launch of holiday festivities.

In Thessaloniki, more than 1,000 protesters clash with police, set fire to a bank and smash stores. Rioters clash with police in the western city of Patras.

About 200 protesters riot outside police headquarters in Chania. On Corfu, protesters attack four cars and two shops, and an 18-year-old woman is injured.

Officials report 30 people injured, including police, firefighters and bystanders. Looting is rife.


Today

The Greek Communist party announces a mass rally in central Athens for tonight and the socialist Pasok opposition calls for peaceful mass demonstrations. University professors start a three-day walkout and many school students stay away from class in protest.

Cars and pedestrians return to the streets of Athens as Greeks go back to work, but with a 24-hour general strike scheduled for Wednesday against pension reforms and the government's economic policies, many Greeks fear the demonstrations could last for days.

The violence – the worst Greece has seen in years - erupted late on Saturday and spread within hours to Thessaloniki, Greece's northern capital, its western port city of Patras and Chania on Crete. Helmeted and hooded demonstrators went on the rampage, venting anger and disaffection exacerbated by the economic crisis.

By last night, several areas including Athens's main commercial strip and the streets around its fabled polytechnic resembled a battle zone, with glass, rubble and broken mannequins on the footpaths.

Smoke filled the capital's skyline and shopkeepers rushed to clear up debris. Officials said more than 30 people were injured including police, firefighters and bystanders. Looting was rife.
Television stations showed stone-throwing youths erecting barricades in Athens. Police responded by firing teargas.

The rioters sought sanctuary in the grounds of the Polytechnic and Athens University, which traditionally have been off-limits to security forces since the collapse of military rule in 1974.

The rioting has certainly spread to Crete. A few actual facts. Saturday night in Chania 200 yards from the centre there was widespread rioting that lasted all night, with constant police sirens, halted traffic, large crowds. In the morning the dawning light revealed the damage to the city center. The Bank of Greece and The Bank of Piraes building has every one of its huge plate glass windows smashed – looks like bullet holes but is actually damage from clubs. Vandalized ATM’s, smashed windows, streets littered with glass, and damage to commercial buildings.

It’s after midnight here and we are awaiting what tomorrow's news will show.

Blessings,

Kristie