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Greek police arrest 150 on eve of shooting anniversary

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Greek police conducted raids in Athens Saturday in an effort to avoid a repeat of last year's violent protests as the first anniversary of a controversial police shooting approaches. Over 6,000 officers spread across the city, arresting more than 150 people for throwing rocks or vandalism. Students preparing to commemorate the incident gathered in universities, and authorities estimate 150 anarchists converged on the country from across Europe. Prime Minister George Papandreou emphasized the importance of maintaining stability, and said the government had adopted a "zero tolerance policy towards violence." A Greek council of judges in June ordered two police officers to stand trial for the death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos that sparked last year's December protests. In March, Amnesty International said that Greek authorities were not doing enough to ensure that the nation's police respect human rights, and urged the government to investigate and address "long-standing problems of policing." Earlier that month, the Greek government said that it would revamp its police force in light of the riots. The Greek police have been accused of being both ineffective and unnecessarily violent in their response to the protests.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on December 06, 2009 (boomark / email).