Peaceful rally ends with police sweep
Police detained more than 270 demonstrators yesterday after small-scale scuffles in central Athens followed a largely peaceful demonstration marking the anniversary of a bloodily suppressed student rebellion in 1973. Of those arrested, only eight were to face a prosecutor, police said. The traditional march from Athens University to the US Embassy yesterday afternoon was not marred by serious violence. But later in the evening isolated attacks by youths throwing stones at officers on Alexandras Avenue, where the Attica police headquarters are located, resulted in the injury of 13 policemen. Most of the demonstrators taken in for questioning had been on Alexandras Avenue when small groups of hooded youths were seen throwing stones at riot police. According to witnesses, a large group of protesters had been taking part in a sit-down protest in the street. Dozens more demonstrators were arrested following unrest in nearby Exarchia, an anarchist stronghold. Police said that the eight people that were to face a prosecutor had either been caught throwing stones at officers or had been carrying improvised gas canister bombs. Thousands of officers had been on duty yesterday in the first real test of the police force’s readiness since socialist PASOK came to power last month. A similar mobilization is expected on December 6 when thousands of people are expected to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos who was shot by a police officer in Exarchia.
