Greek Chaos Triggers Insurrection Across Europe
by Peggy Lam
On December 6th 2008, the murder of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, in Athens, was the trigger to a massive series of revolts that broke out in Greece and all across Europe. A quarrel took place between a group of youngsters and two police officers as one officer took out his gun and fired straight at Grigoropoulos. Although the officer claimed that it was an act of self-defence, witnesses reported that there was no threat to the officers’ safety and that the verbal abuse was initiated by the police to provoke the teenagers. Witnesses also believed that the policemen had purposely targeted them. After forensic tests and investigations, it was proven that the bullet was shot directly into the boy’s body. The defendant’s lawyer, Alexis Kougias, stated that the boy’s death was the “will of God” and that it is the job of the court to decide “if the death should have happened.”
