ATHENS : Greek police detained 66 anarchists in Athens and 52 in Thessaloniki after unrest erupted there during the 10th anniversary of a fatal police shooting of a teenager, local media reported.
According to the Naftemporiki newspaper, among those detained in Athens, 13 people have been arrested, while the rest were released. In Thessaloniki, 15 people were arrested. The media outlet added that minors and foreigners were among those detained. Every year, events commemorating 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos, who was killed by a policeman in 2008, are held across Greece. This year, 5,000 policemen were called in to maintain public safety. The unrest flared up when protesters started setting cars on fire, breaking store windows, and pelting police with firebombs and rocks. Police had to respond with tear gas. On December 6, 2008, Grigoropoulos was shot by a policemen after the teenager and his friends got into an argument with the officers.
His death provoked protests that lasted for two weeks. Hundreds of stores in Athens were burnt or destroyed. The policeman who shot the teenager was given a life sentence. His colleague was sentenced to 10 years but was soon released due to his health.