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December 21, 2008

Clashes Between Greek Rioters, Police Enter Third Week
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=211FE24:A6F02AD83191E160959E2941EE0E67A930EB2FA2E66CBB22&
 
Hundreds of people gathered for a memorial in Exarchia district near the
capital city's center where police fatally shot a teenager two weeks ago

Protesters peacefully dance in a circle around police officers, some in
riot gear, protecting the Christmas tree during a protest in central
Athens' Syntagma Square, Greece, 20 Dec 2008Clashes between Greek youths
and police in Athens continued well into the night Saturday, dashing
hopes that two weeks of rioting would subside as Christmas neared.
Hundreds of people gathered for a memorial in Exarchia district near the
capital city's center where police fatally shot a teenager, Alexandros
Grigoropoulos, two weeks ago. Protesters set fire to more buildings and
cars and hurled firebombs at police who responded with tear gas. Earlier
in the day, rioters attacked a Christmas tree in the central Syntagma
Square with garbage. The square's first Christmas tree was burned to the
ground days after the shooting of the teenager. In the northern city of
Salonika, protesters occupied a movie theater in the city's main square
and pelted the mayor with pastries. Rage over the killing set off!
  Greece's worst unrest in decades and turned into anger over corruption
and economic hardship. Greek media describe the protesters as
self-styled anarchists and youths belonging to far-left militant groups.
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis says the protests have damaged the
country's economy, with retailers reporting more than a billion dollars
in damages and lost sales. Meanwhile, protests are spreading beyond
Greece's borders. In the northern German city of Hamburg, about one
thousand demonstrators marched through the streets Saturday in support
of the Greek protests. Local officials said protesters threw bottles,
iron bars and fireworks at police who arrested several people.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.


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