Athens police detain people to stop shooting anniversary gatherings
Police have detained individuals who gathered in the central Athens neighborhood of Exarchia to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy by a police officer.
Early Sunday afternoon, some posted videos showing riot police entering apartment buildings in Exarchia to flush out would-be protesters. In at least one case, stun grenades were thrown inside buildings.
On the aftermath of the shooting, in 2008, extensive riots had taken place, in Athens and other cities, over the following two weeks. Clashes with police, on a much smaller scale, happen at almost every anniversary of the shooting since.
This year, the aim of the police to maintain public security goes along with the need to prevent gatherings while the lockdown necessitated by the pandemic lasts. Thus, gatherings of more than 3 persons have been banned since 5 a.m. Sunday.
For security reasons, 24 metro stations have closed since Sunday morning: the exchanges of Attiki (Lines 1 and 2), Omonia (1 and 2), Syntagma (2 and 3), Monastiraki (1 and 3), as well as Kallithea, Petralona, Thisio, Victoria, Agios Nikolaos and Kato Patissia (Line 1), Dafni, Neos Kosmos, Syggrou/Fix, Acropolis, Panepistimio, Metaxourgeio and Sepolia (Line 2) and Egaleo, Eleonas, Keramikos, Evangelismos, Megaro Mousikis, Ambelokipi and Panormou (Line 3).
