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Greece Protests

DW staff (jc)December 17, 2008

More than a week after the police shooting of a 15-year-old, young people in Greece continue anti-government demonstrations. They briefly hijacked radio and TV stations -- as well the country's most famous monument.

Two banners reading "Resistance" in four languages and "Thursday 18/12 demonstration in all Europe" hanging from the Parthenon
There was something new to see at the ParthenonImage: picture-alliance / dpa

At the Parthenon on Acropolis Hill, young demonstrators unfurled two huge banners, one of which featured the word "resistance" written in Greek, English, and other languages. The other called for protestors across the country to continue their marches.

Sit-ins continued at schools and universities on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Protest leaders say around 600 educational institutions are currently being occupied while authorities put the number at around 100.

Early on Wednesday morning, gas bombs exploded in front of a bank and at least one office building in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city. The buildings were damaged, but there were no initial reports of any serious injuries.

Making (air)waves

The death of Alexis Grigoropoulos sparked the unrestImage: AP


On Tuesday evening, in what may be a change from the strategy of directly confronting Greek police, demonstrators briefly took over several radio and TV broadcasters, reading out statements critical of the government.

At the state television station NET, around 10 young protestors succeeded in interrupting a televised speech by Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis.

They held up banners reading "Stop watching and take to the streets" and "Free all who have been taken into to custody."

The station then switched over to advertising, and the youths vacated the building.

Unemployment anger

This Christmas season in Greece has been unhappy, to say the leastImage: AP

Between 300 and 500 protestors have been arrested in the week of rioting following the fatal shooting by Greek police of a 15-year-old on December 6.

The unrest is the worst Greece has seen in decades, with the damage in the Greek capital Athens alone being estimated at more than 200 million euros ($281 million).

The anger among largely left-wing young people in Greece has been fueled by what many see as the lack of economic opportunity in the country.

The official Greek unemployment figure is 9 percent and rising, and some one-fifth of the population lives below the poverty line.

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