The episodes began even before the demonstration and march by the anti-establishment activists was completed. The events on this day, 6th December, are to commemorate the death of Alexis Grigoropoulos, who was killed 8 years ago by a bullet from a police officer’s gun in the suburb of Exarchia. It has become a landmark day for Greek youth to demonstrate.
This years anniversary was no less violent than previous years, with new “modern” molotov cocktails and blazing roadblocks separating the two sides – riot police and demonstrators – and as a stone throwing and tear gas battle raged.
Arrests took place by the police but until now, no charges are known to have been made.
The occasion of the murder of Grigoropoulos, who was 15 years old at the time, created a new movement in Greece. Anyone who takes part in the demonstrations, feels very strongly about the issues affecting the younger generations. These issues are specifically, police violence against unarmed citizens, their feeling of a future without hope, poor conditions for study in the Greek public universities, increases in taxes for anyone fortunate enough to have a job, discrimination and disrespect for minority group’s human rights in this Country, including the refugees now held in Greece and finally, for the ongoing economic crisis, where pensions, wages and healthcare in particular have been so badly hit.