Greek Police Arrest 24 Ahead of Protests Marking Teen’s Death

Youth from the Greek centre-left Nea Aristera [New Left] party paying tribute. Photo: Nea Aristera

Greek police made 24 arrests in Athens from Friday morning ahead of protests staged in the Greek capital and the city of Thessaloniki later in the day to mark the 16th anniversary of the death of teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos, who was shot dead by a police officer.

Grigoropoulos was shot dead by police officer Epaminondas Korkoneas in the Exarcheia area of central Athens on December 6, 2008. Students started to gather at noon and a memorial service is planned for 9 pm in the street where Grigoropoulos died.

The public broadcaster ERT reported that besides making 24 arrests, the police had deployed 5,000 officers and ordered preventive checks. Drones and helicopters as well as water cannons were put on standby.

The newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton reported that members of Agonistikes Kiniseis, a left-wing university organisation, accused the police of the unjustified arrest of two of its members and had demanded their release.

From Friday morning, people visited the site of Grigoropoulos’ killing and left flowers or lit candles, including members of the youth wing of the Nea Aristera [New Left] party.

“‘In the banks, money; in the youth, bullets.’ This slogan was heard loudly on the streets of the whole country in December 2008. The murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos by special guard Korkoneas created a rupture,” Nea Aristera MP Nasos Iliopoulos said.

Korkoneas was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2010 but released in 2019. He was re-arrested in June 2024 after an appeal. A new trial is due to open in January 2025.