Protests and fighting in Greece has initiated after angry protesters went berserk over a teen-age boy's funeral after the boy was shot by the police. Thousands of people paid their respects to the boy, but a small number of them became violent at the end of the ceremony which sparked the rioting. Over 10,000 people marched into the country's parliament street in Athens on Tuesday to protest. They were expressing their anger over the teenagers death and other major issues such as jobs, the economy, and allegations that the government is corrupt. The various protest groups clashed with the riot police all over the city of Athens. The riots started over the weekend after Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot by the police as he tried to throw a fuel-filled bomb at the police car. The event happened in an area of Athens were there has been regular tensions with the police. Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis vowed on Tuesday that those responsible would be punished for their crimes. As the cities clean up crews worked around the city the effects of the devastation could be seen everywhere as rows of shops had all their windows broken and vandalised. The Prime Minister quotes that "No one has the right to use this tragic incident as an alibi for actions of raw violence." Various schools and universities around the country have been closed because of their students violent uprising. The government officials have condemned the shooting and the officer who shot the boy has been charged with "manslaughter with intent". This is a terrible day for Greece. So far Greece has seemed to be a peaceful country with calm and non-violent people. I understand that people would go rioting about issues on the economy, jobs, and possible government corruption but to use the death of a boy does not make sense. The police officer that killed him shot him because the boy was about to throw a fuel filled bomb at him. From what it seems, the officer was just defending himself because he would have died if the bomb hit him. In addition, the fact that people are using this incident as an excuse for violence is ridiculous. What the Greek Prime Minister said may be one of the few memerable moment of his term. The ruling party may have corruption allegations against them but at least they recognize the need for security in the capital.
3 comments:
I agree with the your points. The shooting of the boy seems both warranted and understandable given the situation the office was put in. Self-defence calls for lethal force if necessary. I also agree the riots should never have ensued, but i understand the emotions of the people involved with the riots.
A well done article, good job
I agree with you Theo, for people to become angry over a teen-age boy who was shot by a police officer is reasonable and understandable, but there is no need for the people to start a riot on the government. There is also no need to say the government is to blame for the economy, jobs, and the making rumors that the government is corrupt. There could be other facts behind the scene such as if the police officers had no choice but to shoot the teen for his own self defence. Although the death of the teenage boy is a tragic one and the emotions they are going through, the riots should not have taken place over this event.
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