PlayGreece riots cotinue after memorial
Published: Sunday, 21 December 2008, 8:35AM
Protesters have clashed with riot police in central Athens following a memorial for the teenager who was shot dead by police.
Mourners gathered at the site where 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was killed on December 6, in the central Athens neighbourhood of Exarchia.
Mr Grigoropoulos' fatal shooting touched a nerve among many young people in Greece, who have been taking to the streets to protest what they see as random police violence.
After the memorial a crowd of about 150 were confronted by dozens of police shortly after throwing rubbish at the tree in Athens' central Syntagma Square.
The square's first Christmas tree was burned to the ground on December 8, the worst day of rioting in the Athens centre.
Using the nearby Polytechnic, known as the National Technical University of Athens, as a base, rioters threw rocks and petrol bombs at police.
The battles followed an established pattern of rioters attacking and then retreating in the face of heavy use of tear gas by the police.
Security forces are prevented by law from entering the grounds of the Polytechnic.
An exemption is allowed if the university administration gives the go-ahead but so far no permission has been given.
The clashes continued into the night with police removing at least two people from the scene before forcing the demonstrators to leave the area.
The Christmas tree protest had been advertised as part of a day of events in Greece and elsewhere exactly two weeks since Mr Grigoropoulos died.
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