Violent protests have broken out in Thessaloniki, Greece over the police shooting of a Romany teenager after he allegedly filled his vehicle at a fuel station and drove off without paying.
According to AP News, the 16-year-old boy was being treated at a Thessaloniki hospital where he was in critical condition.
The officer who allegedly shot him in the head was arrested and suspended from duty, police in the northern Greek city said. He appeared in court Tuesday morning on a felony charge of attempted manslaughter with possible intent and a misdemeanour count of illegally firing his weapon.
In response, about 1,500 people took part in a protest march organised by left-wing and anarchist groups in central Thessaloniki on Monday night. Some smashed shops and threw Molotov cocktails at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
Police detained six people after the end of the march.
Before the incident, demonstrations were already planned on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the 2008 fatal police shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in Athens, whose death sparked Greece’s worst riots in decades.
About 6,000 people marched on Tuesday night in Thessaloniki to remember the 2008 shooting, and after the protest was over some set fire to trash cans and threw Molotov cocktails at police — who responded with a water cannon and tear gas.
No injuries or major damage to property were reported. Ten suspected rioters were detained.
Similar rioting occurred in Athens after the end of the anniversary march in which an estimated 5,000 people took part. Police detained at least one person.
Source: AP News.
