Protests erupt in Greece over teenager’s capturing in police chase | Police Information

Violent protests have damaged out in Greece’s second-largest metropolis over the police capturing of a Roma boy after he allegedly crammed his automobile at a petroleum station and drove off with out paying.

The 16-year-old was being handled in essential situation at a Thessaloniki hospital. The officer who allegedly shot him within the head was arrested and suspended from responsibility, police within the northern metropolis mentioned.

The Greek police division mentioned the youth had tried to ram officers in pursuit on motorbikes in his try and evade arrest.

About 1,500 folks took half in a protest march organised by left-wing and anarchist teams in central Thessaloniki on Monday evening.

Some smashed retailers and threw Molotov cocktails at police, who responded with tear gasoline and stun grenades.

Police detained six folks after the top of the march. Earlier than that protest, about 100 Roma males arrange barricades, blocking the primary street outdoors the hospital the place the boy was being handled, and set hearth to garbage cans.

Police had used stun grenades and tear gasoline earlier to disperse protesters throwing bottles at them outdoors the hospital.

A number of hundred folks additionally took half in a peaceable protest march in central Athens over the teenager’s capturing in addition to a previous incident wherein a Roma man additionally was shot throughout a police chase.

The demonstrators in Greece’s capital had a banner studying: “They shot them as a result of they had been Roma.”

Temporary clashes broke out with police after the protest ended.

Earlier within the day, protesters and members of {the teenager}’s household had thrown rocks at riot police outdoors the hospital the place the boy is receiving remedy earlier than police responded by firing tear gasoline.

Members of the Roma neighborhood in Greece and human rights activists continuously accuse Greek authorities of discriminating towards Roma.

Earlier violence

A number of Roma males have been fatally shot or injured lately throughout confrontations with police whereas allegedly in search of to evade arrest for breaches of the legislation.

The youth injured on Monday was not named however was recognized by relations as a member of the Roma minority.

Police mentioned the 34-year-old officer arrested on suspicion of capturing {the teenager} was suspended and an inside investigation was underneath means. The incident occurred outdoors Thessaloniki earlier than daybreak on Monday.

Officers from a motorbike patrol chased {the teenager}’s pickup truck after a petroleum station worker reported an unpaid invoice of 20 euros ($21).

In an announcement, police mentioned officers had fired two bullets to try to cease him from making an attempt to hit police motorbikes.

It mentioned the driving force of the pick-up truck had “repeatedly made harmful manoeuvres” and drove by means of pink lights earlier than the pictures had been fired.

After the pictures had been fired, the driving force had misplaced management, hit a wall and was “transported to the hospital with critical accidents”, police mentioned.

The arrested officer was resulting from seem earlier than a public prosecutor on Tuesday on expenses of tried manslaughter.

Requested to touch upon the capturing, authorities spokesman Giannis Oikonomou mentioned: “The worth of a human life can by no means be measured by any sum of money.”

A spokesman for Greece’s important opposition left-wing Syriza celebration accused the centre-right authorities of failing to maintain extreme policing strategies in examine.

“Society can now not tolerate this local weather of concern created by excessive police brutality which, for trivial causes, has threatened the lifetime of an underage 16-year-old youngster,” mentioned Christos Spirtzis, the celebration spokesman for public order.

One other Roma youth was killed in 2021 close to the port of Piraeus, additionally in a police pursuit.

The capturing occurred on the eve of annual protests in Greek cities to mark the deadly 2008 police capturing of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in Athens, whose demise triggered the worst riots in latest Greek historical past that lasted for weeks and brought on intensive injury to personal and public property.

Anniversary protests held because the capturing have usually led to violent clashes between protesters and riot police.