On the night of Saturday, December 6th, two Special Guards of the Greek police clashed with a small group of young men. The exact details of what took place are still unclear, but it is known that one of the Guards fired three shots, and one of those bullets caused the death of 15-year-old Alexander Grigoropoulos - whether the injury was made by an accidental ricochet or deliberate shot remains to be determined. The two Guards are now in jail awaiting trial, the shooter charged with homicide. This incident sparked an immediate and widespread response in the form of angry demonstrations and riots in many Greek cities that have continued at varying levels to this day - though dimming in intensity recently. Alexander's death appears to have been a catalyst, unleashing widespread Greek anger towards many issues - police mistreatment of protesters, unwelcome education reforms, economic stagnation, government corruption and more. (37 photos total)
Mourners carry the coffin of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, 15, during his funeral in Athens December 9, 2008. In the outskirts of Athens, more than 5,000 people dressed in black gathered at a funeral for the 15-year-old boy whose shooting by police on Saturday has triggered Greece's worst riots in decades. (REUTERS/Oleg Popov) #
The policeman (head down) who is facing murder charges for the shooting of teenager Alexandros Grigoropoulos, 15, is escorted by police as he enters a prosecutor's office in Athens, December 10, 2008. The policeman testified that he fired warning shots in self-defence when a gang of youths threw firebombs at him, court sources said. A Greek prosecutor ordered two policemen to be sent to prison pending trial for the shooting of Grigoropoulos which has sparked five days of rioting in Greece, a court official said on Wednesday. One of the policemen has been charged with murder and the other as an accomplice. "They are both ordered to be held in prison pending trial," said the official, who declined to be named. (REUTERS/Stringer) #
A protester holds a molotov coctail next to a burning barricade in athens on December 8, 2008. Fury at the fatal police shooting of a schoolboy, 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, erupted in a third day of rioting across Greece on Monday, with youths burning banks and shops, attacking hotels and clashing with the security forces. (LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images) #
Students demonstrate in front of the police headquarters of Athens, on December 15 2008. Riot squads ringed Athens police headquarters as Greek protesters targeted state institutions, while the right-wing government faced new headaches with the re-emergence of a landswap scandal. (OLIVIER LABAN-MATTEI/AFP/Getty Images) #
A member of the riot police walks near flames outside Athens Polytechnic during riots on December 13, 2008 in Athens, Greece. Small bands of Greek rioters hurling firebombs attacked an environment ministry building, shops and banks in Athens during the eighth day of protests following the police killing of a teenager. (Milos Bicanski/Getty images) #
Protesters march during a demonstration in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on December 10, 2008. Protesters hurled rocks today at security forces in Greece's second city of Thessaloniki and were fought off with tear gas, police said. The clashes occurred as around 2,000 demonstrators made their way towards a regional government ministry office protected by a police cordon. (SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP/Getty Images) #
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