Riots continue in Greece, opposition call for election

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-10-2008 09:05

Over in Greece riot police fought running battles with protesters outside Greece's parliament in Athens and other cities on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the opposition socialist party has called for elections to end four days of protests.

The six-floor Eurobank main office building in Athens burns.(AFP)

Protests have swept more than 10 cities across Greece -- a European Union member state with 11 million people.

Rows of riot police squared off with protesters for over an hour outside parliament before firing tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Bands of young protesters chanted: "Let parliament burn!"

Meanwhile, the funeral for Alexandros Grigoropoulos, a 15-year-old boy shot dead by police was carried out -- setting off clashes outside the cemetery.

The killing touched a raw nerve among young Greeks, angry at years of political scandals and rising levels of poverty and unemployment. A situation -- that has been worsened by the global economic downturn.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is keeping the president updated and says the government will deal firmly with acts of violence.

Costas Karamanlis, Greek Prime Minister, said, "No mercy will be taken in the placing of responsibility. No one has the right to use this incident as an excuse for acts of violence against innocent citizens, against their property, against all society and against democracy."

The Prime Minister, whose party has a one seat majority has also held emergency talks with opposition leaders, urging them to unite against the riots. But the opposition has rejected the offer, saying the government's reforms have worsened conditions for one-fifth of Greeks below the poverty line.

Thanasis Ikospentaris, Clothing Shop Owner, said, "We have been affected by an economic crisis for the last one and a half months. Now with the smashing and burning of our shop, it is complete. They have completely destroyed me, I will now have to start again from zero just as I had started eight years ago."

Police say that in Athens alone, rioters damaged or destroyed 200 stores and 50 banks overnight. The continuing violence has dashed retailers' hopes that Christmas would compensate for Greece's darkening economic outlook.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei