Years Of Riots, Clashes With Police In Greece

Hundreds of demonstrators clashed with riot police in Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki on Sunday in a second day of protests at the shooting by police of a 15-year-old boy.

Following are some of the biggest riots that have rocked Greece since November 1973, when the brutal repression of a student uprising in Athens helped to bring down the military junta. Police have since been banned from Greek university campuses.

November 1985 - After the annual march to mark the student uprising of 1973, anarchists riot in Athens. Youths clash with police in the volatile Exarhia district, where a policeman shoots dead 15-year-old Michalis Caltezas. Anarchists occupy the university chemistry faculty. Next day police storm the burning building and make arrests. Intermittent clashes between students and police continue for several months.

January 1991 - Riots break out across the country after a school professor, Nikos Teboneras, is killed during protests against education reforms in the southwestern city of Patras. Years later, demonstrators still chant in his honour: "Tebonaras is alive!"

November 1995 - Riots erupt after student protests in Athens and a revolt in the capital's Korydallos prison shortly before the anniversary of the 1993 uprising. Dozens are injured when police in Thessaloniki break up a march in support of the prisoners. In Athens, days of rioting ensue during which protesters attack banks and stores. Amid public outcry, the dean of Athens university lifts the ban on police entering the university and hundreds are arrested.

November 1999 - After a peaceful march marking the 1973 student uprising, clashes erupt between police and thousands of protesters opposing U.S. President Bill Clinton's 24-hour visit to Athens. His visit is suspended twice amid fear of protests. Anarchists attack government buildings and businesses in central Athens and more than 40 are arrested.

June 2003 - Youths and Black Block anarchists battle police during an EU summit in Thessaloniki. The rioters, dressed in black, smash the windows of shops and banks and start fires with petrol bombs. They later shelter in university buildings but police arrest seven when they try to escape.