Ringed by riot police and an anarchist demonstration, a court in central Greece on Wednesday postponed the trial of a policeman accused of shooting a teenager a year ago, sparking major violence.
The court in the small town of Amfissa, where the trial was relocated for security purposes, moved the trial to Friday as the main lawyer of accused officer Epaminondas Korkoneas was occupied with another trial.
Korkoneas, 38, is accused of fatally shooting 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos during a December 2008 night patrol in the bohemian Athens district of Exarchia. The incident sparked several days of riots.
Around 200 anarchists marched through the centre of Amfissa on Wednesday, chanting anti-police slogans and demanding that the process be moved to Athens.
Korkoneas is on trial for voluntary homicide, while his partner Vassilis Saraliotis, 32, is accused of complicity.
One far-left extremist group has threatened to kill Korkoneas, prompting authorities to send more than 400 police to Amfissa, which is 200 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of Athens.
Greece's Supreme Court has rejected bids by the teenager's family to move it back to the capital. The court was told Wednesday that Grigoropoulos' mother Gina Tsalikian was also unable to attend the trial opening as her own mother is in grave condition in an Athens hospital.
Tsalikian, who has also appealed to Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, argues that holding the trial far from Athens hampers the presence of key witnesses.
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