Saturday, December 13, 2008

A week on, protesters still on Greece's streets

Protesters are promising to remain on the streets of Greece, one week after the police killing of a 15-year-old boy sparked massive riots.

Demonstrations are scheduled Saturday, followed by daily rallies over the next week, including plans to gather outside police headquarters.

Riots that followed the police shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos have left hundreds of stores smashed and looted. At least 70 people have been injured and more than 200 arrested.

The protests are driven in part by the widening gap between rich and poor in a country where the minimum monthly wage is €658 ($850), graduates have poor job prospects and the government is making painful reforms to the pension system.

"It is clear that this wave of discontent will not die down. This rage is spreading because the underlying causes remain," said veteran left-wing politician Leonidas Kyrkos.

At the site where Grigoropoulos was shot, scores of people came to leave flowers and pin messages to a a notice board. A privately made street sign was placed on the corner of the block with the teenager's name.

Internet tribute sites were also flooded with messages.

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