Riots in Greece over Police shooting of teenager Options

[Comptine]

I was browsing CNN when I stumbled upon this article.

Clashes hit Athens as shot boy buried


ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Clashes broke out in the Greek capital Tuesday as the funeral was held of a 15-year-old whose fatal shooting by police sparked days of rioting across the country.

Riot police were deployed across the city. They fired tear gas and were being pelted with debris. Police told CNN they feared a repeat Tuesday of the previous night's violence, which they said was out of control and the worst since the riots began.

Greek broadcasters reported further unrest after the funeral of Alexandros Grigoropoulos -- whose shooting on Saturday night triggered the violence -- in Paleo Faliro, a southern Athens suburb.

The events have exacerbated the unpopularity of the ruling party and left Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis scrambling to shore up support.

Karamanlis met with President Karolos Papoulias and cabinet members before briefing political leaders on the country's security situation.

Some 10,000 people marched on the country's parliament Tuesday to express anger over the teenager's death and vent frustrations over the state of the economy, unemployment and allegations of corruption.

Crowds of youths scuffled and threw rocks at police outside parliament before tightly banded ranks of riot officers pushed back the protesters.

Security officials have warned they a preparing for what could be worst night of rioting after the funeral. VideoWatch crowds gathered for funeral »

Karamanlis vowed again Tuesday that those responsible for the violence would be punished.

"I assured the president that no leniency will be tolerated in holding people accountable," he told reporters. "No one has the right to use this tragic incident as an alibi for actions of raw violence."

Riots broke out Saturday in Thessaloniki and Athens after the shooting of 15-year-old. The violence quickly spread to other parts of the country.

Earlier Tuesday cleaning crews worked to remove the debris from a third night of riots, which saw police fight running battles with self-styled anarchists hurling gasoline bombs in barricaded streets. VideoWatch protesters clash with police »

As trouble spread, demonstrators also torched government buildings and the offices of Karamanlis' ruling conservative party. At least 35 cars were set ablaze, officials said. Watch as iReporter witnesses the clashes

Athens police said 12 policemen were injured in Monday's violence and 87 people were arrested. There were 10 flashpoints across Athens where officers confronted rioters, police said. PhotoSee images of anarchy on Greek streets »

Public and private schools and universities across the country were shut again Tuesday. Two student demonstrations were scheduled for midday near the National Library as a symbolic show of support for youth.

Many of the young rioters have holed up in universities, taking advantage of a decades-old rule that bars police from entering university grounds. The rule came into force after tanks crushed a 1973 student uprising protesting the ruling military junta.

The dean of Athens University resigned Tuesday over the riots.iReport.com: Are you there? Share photos, video of rioting

Police said Saturday's shooting of Grigoropoulos happened after six young protesters pelted a police patrol car with stones. The teen was shot as he tried to throw a fuel-filled bomb at the officers, they said.

The police officer who fired the fatal shot has been charged with "manslaughter with intent" and suspended from duty, while a second police officer was arrested Saturday on criminal accessory charges.

Other angry teens converged on the site almost immediately, and fighting between youths and police erupted elsewhere.

Authorities conducted an autopsy on the boy Monday in an effort to clarify the circumstances of the shooting, but the boy's family has called in their own investigators to verify state findings, the Athens coroner told CNN.

The U.S. and British embassies warned employees and tourists on Sunday to avoid central Athens and other major cities until the unrest subsides. Tourists in central Athens hotels were advised by hotel staff not to leave their rooms.

At face value, it's not all that interesting. Riots aren't exactly foreign to Europe (at the very least with France). And police brutality exists everywhere. Many news sources are calling the teenager's death unprovoked. If it was, it is a true instance of police "failure" or misuse of power. Yet:

Police said Saturday's shooting of Grigoropoulos happened after six young protesters pelted a police patrol car with stones. The teen was shot as he tried to throw a fuel-filled bomb at the officers, they said.

I'm not completely believing CNN's version. Have any of you heard more about the shooting?