2008 Greek riots

2008 Greek Riots

Clockwise from top left; riot police facing protesters, riot police moving in to contain rioting civilians, a protester riots, burned out vans, a burned out barricade, protesters retreat from tear gas
Duration	December 6, 2008 - ongoing
Location	Cities around Greece

The 2008 Greek riots started on 6 December 2008, when 15-year-old student Alexandros Grigoropoulos (Template:Lang-el) died from a gunshot wound in his heart, inflicted by a policeman following an altercation between a police patrol and a small group of youths in the bohemian and sometimes notorious Exarcheia district of central Athens.

The death of Grigoropoulos resulted in large demonstrations, which in many cases escalated to widespread rioting, with hundreds of youths damaging property and engaging riot police with Molotov cocktails. Demonstrations and rioting later spread to several other cities, including Thessaloniki, the country's second-largest city. Outside Greece, solidarity demonstrations, riots and, in some cases, clashes with local police also took place in a number of European cities including London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Frankfurt, Madrid, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Bordeaux as well as Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, and the western Cypriot city of Paphos. Newspaper Kathimerini called the rioting "the worst Greece has seen since the restoration of democracy in 1974".

While the unrest was triggered by the shooting incident, many commentators described the reactions as expressing deeper causes as well, especially a wide-spread feeling of frustration in the younger generation about specific economic problems of the country (partly as a result of the global economic crisis), a rising unemployment rate among the young generation and a perception of general inefficiency and corruption in Greek state institutions.

The shooting incident

The shooting victim, Alexandros Grigoropoulos.

The fatal shooting that triggered the riots took place in the evening of 6 December 2008, shortly after 9 p.m. in the Exarcheia district of central Athens.

According to press reports, two Special Guards (a special category of the Greek police personnel, originally meant for guard duties on public property ) had been engaged in a minor verbal clash with a small group of youngsters in a main street of Exarcheia, outside a shop. On driving away in their police car, they were then confronted by another small group at a nearby street crossing. The two guards were ordered to disengage immediately and withdraw from the confrontation site. However, the two guards did not oblige and are therefore accused of not following explicit orders. Instead, the two special guards chose to station the police vehicle outside the PASOK headquarters, left their car and went to Tzavella Street on foot in order to confront the youngsters.

Following some exchange of verbal abuse that, according to several witnesses, was initiated by them, one of the guards, Epaminondas Korkoneas, fired his gun. The initial police's report on the incident claims that the special guard shot in response to a renewed attack by the youths that involved throwing stones and bottles.. Eyewitnesses speaking to the Greek mass media, however, reported that the special guards were not attacked by the youths nor was their physical safety put in danger at any time. Instead, they approached the group and verbally assaulted them in order to provoke them. The special guard said he fired three rounds, two warning shots in the air and a third aimed on the ground. Several eyewitnesses said they believed the policeman had targeted the youngsters directly. According to the policemen's lawyer, Alexis Kougias, the initial ballistics examination demonstrated that the boy was killed by a ricochet and not by a direct shot. The ballistics report, however, is not yet final.

The victim, Alexandros-Andreas Grigoropoulos (Template:Lang-gr) was a 15-year-old student who lived in the affluent northern Athens suburb of Palaio Psychiko. He attended a private school with ambitions of becoming a lawyer. Immediately following the shooting, the young student was transferred to the nearby Evangelisnos Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Investigation of the shooting

A criminal investigation was initiated against the guard on a charge of murder ("intentional homicide" according to Greek law), while his partner was charged as an accomplice. Both were suspended from duty and were kept in detention. The defence lawyers they initially hired resigned shortly after accepting the case, citing personal reasons. On December 10, the defendant's lawyer, Alexis Kougias said that preliminary results of the ballistic investigation seemed to show that it was indeed a ricochet and that the two special guards will only appear before the interrogator after the forensic, toxicological and ballistic examinations are final. The results of forensic tests indicate that the bullet that killed 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos, and sparked this week’s rioting, appears to have entered the youth’s body directly. This casts doubt on claims by the 37-year-old policeman charged with the boy’s murder that the bullet had been fired as a warning and ricocheted. Their apologetic memorandum that became public that same day, included statements that described the deceased boy as exhibiting a "deviant behaviour". In particular, they cited information according to which the teenager, although from a wealthy family, frequented the Exarcheia district. Furthermore, they claimed that the boy had taken part in uproarious incidents that took place following the end of a basketball game, two hours before the fatal incident and that in general "the victim did not show the expected behaviour and personality of a 15-year old adolescent". The victim's family, friends, schoolmates and high school teachers immediately condemned those statements and declared in public that those allegations are "completely inaccurate" and "insulting". The private school attended by Alexandros has also issued a public statement that denies all the allegations. Alexis Kougias's stance as well as the degrating comments in the apologetic memorandum have forced the Athens bar Association to initiate disciplinary proceedings against him.

Dimitris Tsovolas, former MP and Minister of Economics under a previous government of PASOK undertook the legal representation of Grigoropoulos' family.

The riots and political crisis

Two rioters in the streets of Athens

Smoke billows through a street

Destroyed building of the European Law Library, Sina and Akadimias Streets.

Rioters in Komotini.

Rioters throwing rocks and smoke bombs at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Location of the incidents in Athens

Protest graffiti (translation: "cops, pigs, murderers")

Within a few minutes following the death of the student, angry demonstrators took to the streets in and around Exarcheia and violent confrontations with the police errupted. Meanwhile, similar demonstrations were reported in other Greek cities as well, including Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Komotini, Kastoria, Patras, Tripoli, Volos, Trikala, Mytilene, Agrinio, Kavala, Corfu, Piraeus, Chania, Heraklion, Rhodes, Karditsa, Lamia, Stylida, Drama, Xanthi, Lagkadas, Kozani, Alexandroupoli, Larisa and Corinth. After midnight, the demonstrations in Athens turned into violent rioting in some central streets of the city. By Sunday dawn, 24 police officers had been left injured, one seriously (with facial burns and his little finger mutilated) and 31 shops (particularly across Ermou Street), 9 banks and 25 cars had been either seriously damaged or burned across the downtown area.

On December 8, police assessed damage as daily schedules resumed and rioting subsided. All over Greece, several thousands of high-school students marched against local police stations, throwing eggs, color bombs, and bottles of water. Protesters still occupied university campuses around the nation, while organizations such as the Communist Party of Greece announced plans for protests later that day. The massive demonstrations of that evening were confronted by a lot of tear gas canisters. Some 11 public buildings around the central plaza of Athens, Syntagma Square, were set on fire. The two counsels for the defence of the two police officers resigned and declined to defend them in court. Students around Greece in protest have proceeded to occupy their school buildings. Scores of schools have been occupied by their students in Serres, Imathia, Chalkidiki, Pieria, Thessaloniki. Under occupation remain the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the National Technical University of Athens as well as the Athens University of Economics and Business. By 7 December, 38 vehicles were damaged, 13 police officers have been injured, while 22 rioters were arrested. On 8 December, the rioters set fire on the Kostis Palamas building that led to the total destruction of the European Law library, situated at the corner of Akadimias and Sina street. After the fire, the rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Christos Kittas, resigned, but some days later withdrew his resignation. In Thessaloniki 63 people that do not have Greek nationality were arrested for theft and illegal entry in the country. A police report of Tuesday morning put the number of injured police officers at 12, that of arrested rioters at 87, and the total of persons who had been led before a public prosecutor at 176. In Thessaloniki, 16 rioters were arrested for theft, 3 of whom are under 18 years old.

After four days of rioting, on Tuesday, some other citizens have started acting against the rioters, and some rioters have fired on police officers. Citizens have attacked people that were found looting and have been seen throwing stones and attacking rioters to protect their belongings. In the city of Patras, according to the city's mayor, members of far-right organisations took part in the violence. In Athens, 7 police officers were injured, 4 rioters were arrested for violence against the police, 12 were arrested for theft and 55 rioters were brought to justice, while another 25 people of non-Greek nationality were arrested for the same reason. In a report on Tuesday, Amnesty International accused the Greek Police of brutality in handling the riots. The Greek department of Amnesty International canceled the scheduled celebrations on Wednesday 10, for the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in response to the police violence in Greece. Photographs depicting a policeman waving a Glock pistol circulated through the media.

The crisis deepened on Wednesday when a one-day general strike in protest against the government's economic policies paralysed the country. Rioting continued in Athens as thousands of workers gathered for anti-government protests at Syntagma Square. The riots continued for a sixth day on Thursday as 4,000 students marched against the police throwing firebombs.

On Friday December 12th, students attacked police outside the parliament building on a seventh day of violence. Riot police fired teargas in response. Heavy rain helped curtail demonstrations compared to previous days. The protests inspired small protests in some European cities, sowing fears of copy-cat riots elsewhere. On the same day Greek police issued an appeal for more tear gas after supplies ran low, since more than 4,600 capsules of it were released against the protestors, by that time.

On Saturday December 13th large groups of demonstrators gathered in front of the Greek Parliament in central Athens, as well as in front of the White Tower of Thessaloniki in Thesaloniki wearing white T-shirts and holding flowers to make a peaceful protest, to honour the teenager who was killed by Epaminondas Korkoneas on December 6th 2008. Despite the fact that the protest in front of the Greek parliament was peaceful it was disolved at 01:30 (local time) by the riot police using tear gas. At the same day about 100 protesters firebombed a police station, near the Exarcheia district where Alexandros Grigoropoulos was killed.

Background and causes

The shooting happened during a period where the Greek society faced a variety of difficulties. According to a survey conducted for the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, 60% of the respondents consider the events to be part of a wider "social uprising". Unhappy by many corruption scandals, most of which involved mishandling of public money, the spread of poverty, the increasing rate of unemployment between young graduates and the slowing economy as the effects of the global economic crisis began showing. The local student community - which formed the main body of protesters - had also been in significant turmoil since 2006 being opposed to a series of proposed laws regarding the reform of the country's education system. Many of the student demonstrations regarding these laws turned violent in early 2007 and, after the police mishandled several cases (often failing to arrest the suspects, instead attacking demonstrators), the tension between the student community and the police grew dramatically. It was this tension that caused the youth of country to hold massive demonstrations after the shooting. It is worthy to note that a large part of the Greek society believes the violent riot incidents to be unrelated to the student rallies.

In the long term and as in many countries, young people are especially affected by unemployment, faced with expensive studies which don't guarantee a good job anymore, and are demographically weak compared to stronger baby boomers. This results in an unprecedented weakness of the youth vote in political life. The worsening economy created a large amount of discontent and a large number of unsatisfied young people, causing the riots to be so long.

Reactions

Domestic response

Many buildings were set on fire during the riots

The Greek government condemned the shooting. Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis wrote a letter to the student's family, stating that "In these difficult moments please accept my condolences for the unfair loss of your son. Like all Greeks I am deeply saddened. I know that nothing can relieve your pain." He continued on to write that "the state will see to it that such a tragedy does not happen again." On a nationally broadcast statement, he also vowed to end the "dangerous" extremist-inspired riots that have hit the country:

"The unacceptable and dangerous events cannot and will not be tolerated, the extremist elements who exploited the tragedy...by showing that their only goal was to spread violence. The state will protect its citizens and society...It is the least of the tributes we owe Alexis."

On December 8 he declared that he had ordered the finance ministry to offer "quick and full compensation" to Greek people whose buildings have been damaged in the riots.

President Karolos Papoulias sent condolences in a telegram, while Interior minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos expressed "deep sorrow". The police, who claimed that an investigation was underway into the "isolated" incident, also apologized.

Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis has expressed his condolences for the death of the 15-year-old boy, adding that festive events for Christmas in Syntagma Square will be suspended until further notice. Moreover, he assured the owners of damaged shops that they will be aided in restoring their damages, adding that he will propose the Municipal Committee be acquitted of municipal duties for 2009.

The Communist Party of Greece attributed the killing of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos to the result of escalating authoritarianism, reinforcement of the suppression mechanisms and their action, the network of reactionary laws and the "Euro-terror laws" created by the governments of ND and PASOK. Meanwhile, the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) spoke of a cruel murder. The Panhellenic Socialist Movement issued an announcement holding the police responsible for the incident and stated that people "must answer the government's policies en masse and peacefully," while the Hellenic Federation of University Teachers' Associations (POSDEP) called a three-day strike, condemning the killing of the teenager.

From Moscow, where he attended Patriarch Alexy II's funeral, Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens called on everyone to face the crisis and the problems ahead with co-operation and not with destruction. Also in an interview on December 13th the Archbishop added that the "youths are not enraged for no reason" and stated his belief that the effects of the global economic crisis coupled with the large unemployment rate are the causes of this violent outburst.

On December 10, Prime Minister Karamanlis announced 7 governmental measures to aid the large number of Greek businesses that were damaged by the rioters, also aiding businesses that are undamaged. The Prime Minister stated that the commercial world of the country faced the destructive mania and the raw violence of extremist groups. "The government", he said, "will ensure the sentiment of public safety and support all damaged businesses.

The General Federation of Professional Tradesmen and Traders of Greece saluted the measures and stated that they are in the correct direction.

On December 12, Vice-Minister of the Interior Panagiotis Chinofotis as a political leader of the Greek Police felt that he had to ask for forgiveness for the shooting incident and the resulting death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, since neither the defendant nor the defendant's lawyer did so.

International reactions

As the protests spread abroad, some countries have warned travelers to be cautious.

• Australia: Australia warned tourists of possible violent demonstrations. On December 13th a small group of protestors gathered outside the Greek consulate in Melbourne to express their solidarity and to condemn the shooting of Alexandros Grigoropoulos. The building of the consulate was also defaced with graffiti earlier that week.

• Austria: Aproximately 120 demonstrators protested outside the Greek embassy in Vienna.

• Bulgaria: Protests took place in front of the Greek embassy in Sofia.

• China: China expressed concern about the safety of its nationals living in Greece.

• Cyprus: Riots, demonstrations and clashes also spread to Cyprus. The riots began around midday on December 8, 2008 in the capital Nicosia and the western city of Paphos. In Paphos, student protesters gathered around the city's town hall and the police headquarters where they began verbally abusing the Cypriot police. The protesters also starting throwing rocks at the building, injuring at least one police officer. These violent clashes were met with the arrest of two students. In the city of Larnaca, hundreds of students gathered at the police headquaters where they engaged in demonstrations and "scuffles" in response to the events in Athens. On December 10, Cyprus Airways cancelled a number of flights to both mainland Greece and islands, including to Athens, Thessaloniki and Heraklion, due to the outbreak of strikes by air traffic controllers and other airport workers.

• Denmark: 62 people were arrested in Copenhagen when their protests in support of the Greek rioters allegedly turned violent.

• France: Protesters entered the Greek consulate in Paris, France. The symbolic occupation was peaceful. 300 demonstrators also gathered outside the Greek embassy in Paris and scuffled with police before partly blocking the Champs-Elysees, the most prestigious avenue in Paris. In Bordeaux, a city in the south of the country, demonstrators set cars alight outside the Greek consulate and wrote graffiti about a looming 'insurrection'.

• Germany: On the night of 7 December 2008 and during the following week, spontaneous demonstrations of solidarity took place in numerous German cities, both by left-wing groups of Greek university students studying abroad and local leftist activists. In the first week after the incident, the German Indymedia network had reported demonstrations in 26 German cities, with participation ranging from a few dozen to several hundred people, among the biggest being Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Hanover, Bremen, Leipzig, Dresden, and Nuremberg.
  On 8 December 2008, a group of demonstrators occupied the Greek consulate in Berlin: 30 people pushed their way into the lobby of the consulate at Wittenbergplatz (not the Greek embassy in Berlin, located to the east of the city) in western Berlin at around 9:40 a.m. local time. One of the demonstrators told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that the demonstration was in protest against a Greek state that was responsible for the death of the teenager. A consulate spokesman said that there were no plans of having the protesters removed by the German police. The occupation ultimately ended peacefully.
  On 12 December more than 1500 demonstrators protested the death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos in Berlin, according to the German police.

• Ireland: Over two dozen people in the capital city, Dublin, picketed the Greek embassy in protest at the shooting and in solidarity with the protests.

• Italy: Related graffiti were found in Turin near the Greek consulate. Many activists demonstrated in front of the Greek consulate in Bologna. Demonstrations took place also in Florence and in front of the Hellenic Institute for Byzantine Studies in Venice. In Rome, demonstrators burned a garbage bin and threw fire crackers and rocks at police cars trying to stop them reaching the Greek embassy.

• Russia: The Greek embassy in Moscow was targeted by firebombers.As a result the Russian police increased security measures around the embassy. On December 13th about 30 activists of "Left Front" participated in a demonstration of solidarity. Approximately 15 people were arrested.

• Spain: In Spain, 11 demonstrators were arrested and several policemen injured in clashes in Madrid and Barcelona. Attacks on a police station and a bank by Spanish youths in Madrid and Barcelona also fueled concern about copy-cat protests. In Seville, a relatively small concentration of people in front of police station was announced for 10th December, on evening, since day before, turning into a spontaneous demonstration of over 100 people through streets. Slogans were chored denouncing repressive role from police and State, labelled as "assassin", "violent", "repressor" and "terrorist", as well as for solidarity with Alexandros Grigoropoulos and Greek riots.

• Sweden: In Stockholm, aproximately 50 demonstrators protested the killing of Alexandros Grigoropoulos outside the Greek embassy.

• Turkey: A dozen left-wing demonstrators daubed red paint on the Greek consulate in Istanbul. Also a large demonstration was organised at December 11 by the EMEP.

• United Kingdom: Britain warned tourists of possibly violent demonstrations. On 8 December 2008 in London, up to a hundred protesters clashed with police after trying to storm the Greek embassy in London. A group of anarchist demonstrators tore down the Greek flag from the building in Holland Park and set it on fire. The police have been called to deal with "about 30" young protesters that seem to be mostly students. Currently, the embassy is again working normally, and the situation is calm. Two protests were held in Edinburgh, on December 8 and 10, both involving protest marches up to Castle Street.

• United States: On December 10, the Greek consulate in New York was defaced with black graffiti, and a rock was thrown at one of the windows. On December 11, 50 people in the capitol of Washington State, Olympia, marched in solidarity with the Greek revolt. Rocks were thrown at bank windows, resulting in one arrest.

Criticism

Criticism of the government

On December 12, PASOK leader George Papandreou speaking before his party's political council members blamed the ruling New Democracy government for the recent violent street protests in Athens and other parts of the country. He also stated that "The government is solely responsible for everything taking place in the country for the past few days to say the least" and that "the government itself is the problem" before adding that "the Greek nation cannot tolerate a government propped up on fear." He therefore called for early elections that will allow the Greek people to provide a clear mandate.

On the same day, MP Adonis Georgiades of the Popular Orthodox Rally accused the political leadership of the Greek police for giving orders to the riot police not to intervene effectively to stop the riots at their initial stage.

In a meeting with police labor unionists, Alekos Alavanos the parliamentary leader of the Coalition of the Radical Left criticised the goverment for using the riot police as their own "army", he also, asked for an inter-party committee to examine the responsibilities and rights of the Greek police, whereas Alexis Tsipras, current president of the Coalition of the Radical Left, declared that the situation is indeed very grim and that the Greek government needs to find solutions for the actual causes of this "new social phenomenon".

Criticism of the Coalition of the Radical Left

Aleka Papariga, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Greece, called the leadership of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) to "stop patting the hooded rioters on the back". Georgios Karatzaferis, president of the Popular Orthodox Rally, also stated that "there are some political powers that are serious, and some that pat them on the back...".

Alexis Tsipras, SYRIZA president, replied "we don't pat them on the back, and we don't take the role of the state's prosecutor either". He attacked the Communist Party, describing it as a conservative power that is disturbed when the youth spontaneously storm the streets, and accused it of intending to control all struggles and direct the youth. He also stated that the young people of the country have reached a deadlock, and this deadlock and their problems take them to the streets.

Nikos Konstantopoulos, former SYRIZA chairman, stated in City radio that it is not acceptable for two parliamentary parties to be in conflict, but he criticised the present party leadership for not condemning the riots openly and directly.

On Thursday 11th, Georgios Karatzaferis referred to a press release of the newspaper "Adesmeutos Typos" that, he claimed, had an MP of the Coalition supporting "the terrorism". Karatzaferis also accused SYRIZA of not condemning the riots. Alekos Alavanos stated in reply that, "Some have lost sense of what they say and what antidemocratic consequences their sayings might bring".On Friday 12th, in the parliament, MPs of both ruling New Democracy and the PASOK opposition openly criticised SYRIZA for not condemning the riots, and for Alexis Tsipras's statement that "the struggle must be moved in the schools".

Criticism of the media

On Saturday 13th, the Greek National Council of Radio and Television informed all radio and television stations throughout the country that they should be careful in how they broadcast the news about the riots. The Council informed the stations mainly of the necessity of not showing scenes of extreme violence (in ways that might be interpreted as encouraging extreme anti-social behavior), to avoid the substitution of the judicial authorities, and to avoid showing in public documents and other elements that might be the subject of legal proceedings. The Council noted that "there is danger of breaking the broadcasting laws by the way of presenting the latest events."