Riots have continued for a seventh day in Athens following the death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos [pictured above] who was shot dead by police last Saturday. Live pictures relayed by the BBC, Sky News and CNN showed continuing clashes between police and demonstrators with rocks, paint bombs and Molotov cocktails being thrown at police lines. Police responded by launching volleys of tear gas into the crowds in an attempt to disperse them.
The Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis has rejected calls to stand down after the week of violence that has disrupted several cities across the country and caused millions of pounds worth of damage. The Prime Minister told reporters that the violence had been instigated by extremists. “The compassion with which all of us ought to treat the distress of young people cannot be confused with blind violence, with the activities of extreme elements” he said. The continuing violence is beginning to test the patience of many ordinary citizens and business owners. Hundreds of shops and cars have been destroyed in the riots and some are calling on authorities to clamp down harder on the rioters. Some have even attempted to defend their property from the mobs with reports of shopkeepers even fighting with the masked youths. The police are also said to be running out of tear gas according to some reports.
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