Riots broke out in Athens and other Greek cities in the early hours
yesterday after a teenager was allegedly killed by police the previous night.
Demonstrators took to the streets in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra and other
cities in Greece, setting fires to cars and damaging banks and shops.
Riots continued through yesterday morning in central Athens. A group of
demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police who responded with
tear gas.
The 16-year-old boy was shot in the chest in the Athens district of Exarhia
on Saturday night during a clash between police and a group of 30 youths who are
members of leftist, anti-establishment groups. The boy died shortly after being
taken to hospital.
The officer who killed the boy claimed that he shot twice in the air and once
at the ground and that the bullet that injured the boy must have rebounded from
the ground.
Two officers have been under arrest. Police officials said an investigation
was underway and an autopsy will be carried out to confirm whether the police
had shot directly at the victim.
Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos expressed deep regret over the death
of the boy and called for an "exemplary punishment" against those responsible
for the incident.
