Demonstrations and marches have been taking place to mark the 6th anniversary of the killing of Alexis Grigoropoulos.
Alexis Grigoropoulos was shot through the heart on December 6th 2008 by a policeman. The murder came following a verbal altercation on the streets of Exarcheia between two policemen and a group of youths. Grigoropoulos was only 15 at the time. The murder sparked waves of demonstrations and rioting across Greece particularly among the younger generation. Every year, the anniversary is marked by marches in Grigoropoulos’s memory.
This year the atmosphere is particularly charged due to fears for the health of Nikos Romanos who has been on hunger strike for 26 days.
Romanos was a childhood friend of Grigoropoulos and was with him the night he was killed. Several years later he was arrested for armed robbery together with others. He recently obtained a place at an Athens university after participating in a prison education program but was subsequently denied prison furlough to attend university classes. He has been on hunger strike for about 4 weeks protesting that decision and is currently hospitalized in frail condition. While the Justice Minister has said that the state would make arrangements for distance learning, many believe that to be an unworkable fig-leaf and that Romanos is being targeted by the authorities due to his anarchist beliefs.
Several central metro stations have been shut including Panepistimiou, Evanglesimos, Megaro Mousikis and Katechaki and are likely to remain closed all day.
About 5,000 people reportedly began a march from the Propylae on Panepistimiou Street in memory of Alexis Grigoropoulos at 13.00. They moved through the center of the city. In Syntagma Square the Syrian refugees who are currently sleeping in the formed a human chain to protect the women and children. The demonstrators then returned to the Propylae. While there were some skirmishes between riot police and anti-establishment demonstrators in the neighborhood of Exarcheia, there have as yet been no reports of major incidents in the capital. However another demonstration in support of Nikos Romanos is planned in the early evening when the ban on gatherings imposed for the state visit of the Turkish Prime Minister expires.
Here is a livestream from Athens via Ruptly TV:
Demonstrations in support of Romanos and in memory of Grigoropoulos also took place in Thessaloniki and other Greek cities.
#6dgr #NRomanos protest about to start #Greece pic.twitter.com/P9UlJtgchO
— dromografos/Skar (@Skar_) December 6, 2014
And the Thessaloniki rally keeps on coming #6dgr #NRomanos pic.twitter.com/a3n9zp4dtZ
— Asteris Masouras 正义 (@asteris) December 6, 2014
#Greece: Massive #6dgr #NRomanos protest pic.twitter.com/xMJt0xX2qX
— dromografos/Skar (@Skar_) December 6, 2014
Fire in Thessaloniki
In Thessaloniki police clashed with protesters who caused damaged to shop windows and banks.
The police sought to disperse the demonstrators with tear gas. There was almost disaster when a blaze broke-out in well-known shop sowing panic among the workers and shoppers. According to reports the fire was caused by a tear gas canister thrown by protesters, who, however, also managed to get the fire quickly under control.
Patras Clashes
In Patras demonstrators have also clashed with police. Specifically ‘hoodies’ at the tail end of the march towards the city’s courthouse threw petrol bombs and using slingshots fired nuts and screws at riot police who responded with stun grenades.
The clashes continued on Corinth Street where police reportedly made seven arrests.
Groups of demonstrators remain outside a former wing of the university while platoons of riot police remain on alert in the center of the city.
Οι πιο πρόσφατες Ειδήσεις
Διαβάστε πρώτοι τις Ειδήσεις για ό,τι συμβαίνει τώρα στην Ελλάδα και τον Κόσμο στο thetoc.gr