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• A series of riots erupted in Greece on December 6, 2008, after 15-year-old Andreas Grigoropoulos was fatally shot by Greek police during an altercation.AFP: Angry Greeks wreak havoc after police kill teen (December 7, 2008) Riots continued for several days, leading up to the Grigoropoulos funeral in Thessaloniki on December 9, where police clad in riot gear clashed with hundreds of protesters armed with Molotov cocktails and stones.Fox News: Protesters Clash With Greek Police at Slain Teen's Funeral (December 9, 2008) After a day of rest from the protests, riots resumed on December 15th, with an estimated 2,000 protesters taking to the streets of Athens.International Herald Tribune: After a day of quiet, riots resume (December 15, 2008)

• Fast Facts

  1. Teenagers thought to be involved with organized protests and violence are often referred to as "known-unknowns" in GreeceCNN: Riots continue across Greece after teen killed by police (December 6, 2008)
  2. Officers involved in shooting have been suspended pending a murder investigationGuardian: Greek youths riot after police shoot boy (December 7, 2008)
  3. Rioters wore hoods, threw gas-fueled bombs
  4. Crowds chanted "Murderers in uniforms" and "Death to the pigs"Times Online: Greeks riot after teenager shot by police (December 7, 2008) Guardian: Greek youths riot after police shoot boy (December 7, 2008)
  5. Estimated 2,000 protesters marched through Thessaloniki on December 9Fox News: Protesters Clash With Greek Police at Slain Teen's Funeral (December 9, 2008)
  6. Protests continued for a week after the initial incidentVOA News: Fresh Clashes Break Out Between Greek Youths and Riot Police (December 12, 2008)
  7. As of December 12, 2008, officials had used over 4,600 capsules of tear gas and were seeking more from neighboring countriesVOA News: Fresh Clashes Break Out Between Greek Youths and Riot Police (December 12, 2008)

• Timeline of Events

  Riots began in the towns of Athens and Thessaloniki. CNN reported that Internet social networking sites and text messaging were used to organize young people to demonstrate after the teen's death.CNN: Riots continue across Greece after teen killed by police (December 6, 2008) Up until the December incident, Greek police had not shot and killed a minor since 1985.Guardian: Greek youths riot after police shoot boy (December 7, 2008)

  Riots had spread to a few other cities in Greece, including Salinkia, Patras, Heralkion, Ioannina and Chania.Times Online: Greeks riot after teenager shot by police (December 7, 2008) NY Times: Police Shooting Sparks Riots in Greece (December 8, 2008) During the riots, stores and cars were burned and windows were smashed.

  Greece Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos appeared on national television in an attempt to quell the violence. Pavlopoulos has stated that the officers involved in the shooting, Epaminondas Korkoneas and Vassilis Saraliotis, were suspended and arrested and that an investigation was underway. Korkoneas was ultimately charged with intentional manslaughter.NEWS ERT: CRiminal Action Against The Two Policemen (December 7, 2008) He submitted a resignation to the Prime Minister of Greece, Kostas Karamanlis, but Karamanlis did not accept the resignation.AFP: Angry Greeks wreak havoc after police kill teen (December 7, 2008) Guardian: Greek youths riot after police shoot boy (December 7, 2008) The officers claim that they were not trying to shoot Grigoropoulos, but were firing warning shots. Lawyers for the officers have stated that forensic evidence demonstrates that the teen was killed by a bullet that had ricocheted.VOA News: Fresh Clashes Break Out Between Greek Youths and Riot Police (December 12, 2008)

• From Riots To Extremism?

  Fears that the violence in Greece had spread from the riots, had begun to include extremist groups rather than just angry students were raised on January 5, 2009, after masked gunmen shot and seriously injured a police officer. The weapons used in the attack were traced to an extremist group called Revolutionary Struggle that allegedly attacked the U.S. Embassy in Greece in 2007. Other ballistic evidence from weapons used during the riot was also linked to extremist groups.LA Times: reek riot policeman shot; extremist group suspected (January 5, 2009)

• Quotes

  "It is everyone's right to demonstrate and to advocate for their rights...but I stress, not by destroying the property of others, not turning against people who are not to blame for anything."—Greek Interior Minister Prokopis PavlopoulosGuardian: Greek youths riot after police shoot boy (December 7, 2008)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Epaminondas Korkoneas | Andreas Grigoropoulos | Vassilis Saraliotis | Athens | Greece | Turkish Riot | G20 Protests

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