Athens Rocked by New Riots during Shot Boy's Funeral

World | December 9, 2008, Tuesday // 00:00
Athens Rocked by New Riots during Shot Boy's Funeral Youths burn a Greek flag at the spot where a 15-year-old boy was shot by a police officer in Athens. Photo by telegraph.co.uk

Police and students clashed outside the Greek parliament on Tuesday even at the time of the funeral of the 15-year-old boy whose killing by police set off nationwide riots.

Protesters threw Molotov cocktails and other missiles at police guarding parliament in the fourth day of the worst civil unrest to hit Greece in decades.

Authorities closed off Athens streets after a third night of rampaging looting of banks and stores. A total of 87 protesters have been arrested so far.

Twelve more police were injured in Monday's clashes and at least 10 people were hospitalised with problems caused by clouds of tear gas that blanketed central Athens.

Tear gas battles erupted at the Athens Polytechnic which along with the nearby Athens Law School has been occupied by students protesting at the killing.

Thousands of teachers and students, followed a large banner declaring "Assassins, the government is the culprit", took part in the march on parliament.

The funeral of Alexis Grigoropoulos was to be held at the southern Athens suburb of Palio Faliro at 1300 GMT.

He was allegedly among a group of youths that had thrown stones at a squad car in a district of Athens. The policeman who fired the shots and his partner have been arrested.

Universities and schools have been closed, students planned their own protest rally on Tuesday and unions have said that a general strike, which was called before the killing, will go ahead.

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