An anti-racism rally in central Athens's Syntagma Square on Sunday led to a
violent confrontation between the protesters and riot police, the latest of a
series of clashes triggered by the death of 15-year-old boy Alexis
Grigoropoulos, who was killed by police on Dec. 6.
A group of people tried to deposit bags of rubbish at the foot of a new
Christmas Tree, erected in the square by the Athens municipality to replace an
old tree which was torched during the riots following the boy's death. Police
used tear gas to disperse the protesters.
According to Athens News Agency, six police vehicles were torched by
unidentified hood-wearing assailants wielding petrol bombs in the west Athens
district of Nea Philadelphia early yesterday morning. The vehicles were parked
outside the building of the police accounting department, which also suffered
damage in the attack.
Yesterday rioting and violent clashes continued in the area around the Athens
Polytechnic, National Technical University of Athens, with protesters again
lobbing petrol bombs at police.
Greek police experts yesterday carried out an on-site forensic investigation
at the spot where Alexis Grigoropoulos was shot dead, trying to gather more
evidence related to the case.
The investigation lasted about two to three hours and was conducted in the
presence of the 9th examining magistrate who is in charge of the case.
Athens News Agency said that the additional specialized investigation, which
seeks to find evidence to complement the findings of the ballistic report in
light of eyewitness accounts claiming that the officer was aiming directly at
the group of youths, was requested by lawyers representing the family.