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ATHENS — Rioting broke out in a suburb of Athens on Tuesday evening as a protest against police violence turned ugly.
Some 5,000 people gathered in the main square of the Nea Smyrni area in the south of the Greek capital to march against police brutality but order quickly broke down, with protesters throwing rocks and setting fire to bins and police firing tear gas and water cannons.
A police officer was thrown off his motorbike by an angry mob, who then started kicking him. TV footage showed the injured and bloodied officer lying on the ground before being taken away in an ambulance.
“The sad images of violence we all saw tonight in Athens must be the last ones. And the life of one of our fellow citizens, a young policeman who was in danger, should awaken us,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. “I will not allow anyone to divide us.”
The main opposition Syriza party also condemned the attack, saying in a statement: “Violence cannot be answered with violence.”
The protest was organized after a police officer beat a man in the same square on Sunday afternoon, during lockdown violation inspections.
Video footage shared on social media showed a group of people arguing with police about coronavirus fines and one of them being attacked by an officer. The man, who was beaten to the ground while at least three other officers stood nearby, can be heard shouting “it hurts.”
Police initially said it was the officers who were attacked, although video footage from nearby shops does not support that claim.
Athens prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident and police are conducting an internal investigation. No officers have yet been suspended and opposition politicians have called for the resignation of Civil Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis.
Police brutality is on the rise in locked-down Athens, with human rights groups and opposition parties accusing the government of cracking down on protests under the pretext of fighting the virus.
On Monday, Greek Ombudsman Andreas Potakis said reports about police violence have risen by 75 percent during the past year.
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