Crowd gathers in central Athens
On Saturday evening, 6 December 2025, more than 5,000 people joined the annual Alexandros Grigoropoulos anniversary march. Demonstrators first assembled at Propylaea before marching towards Syntagma Square. Organisers scheduled the traditional memorial gathering at the exact site of the killing in Exarchia for 21:00.
Police block route and use force
As the march reached Panepistimiou Street near its end, several hundred protesters tried to turn towards Exarchia. Riot police units immediately sealed off the road and fired tear gas and stun grenades. The city centre quickly filled with thick chemical clouds.
Police closed Syntagma and Panepistimio metro stations and stopped traffic on Panepistimiou and surrounding streets. From early morning, officers also prevented citizens – including families with children – from reaching the Exarchia memorial to lay flowers.
Police statement on clashes
Greek Police (EL.AS) issued the following official statement on Saturday 6 December 2025:
Police deployed across Athens today according to a special operational plan to protect the peaceful nature of events commemorating Alexandros Grigoropoulos, ensure participant safety and maintain normal city functions.
At 13:10, around 300 people marched from Propylaea without incident.
At 18:00, approximately 5,000 people gathered at Propylaea and marched along central roads. Traffic restrictions were applied gradually applied.
At 20:05, as the evening march ended, a group of about 400 individuals carrying batons and wearing gas masks launched a fierce attack on riot police units at the intersection of Panepistimiou and Emmanouil Benaki streets. The units had taken position under the operational plan to prevent movement toward Exarchia and preserve order in the wider area.
After the attack, officers used the strictly necessary means to restore order. Police arrested 15 people who took part in the assault. Immediate action dispersed the group and quickly returned the area to normality, with no further incidents.
During targeted checks before and during the events, police detained 54 people for identification. Four of them were arrested for offences involving weapons and narcotics.
The case is under preliminary investigation by the Directorate for Combating Racist and Extremist Violence.
What happened on 6 December 2008?
Shortly after 21:00 on Saturday 6 December 2008, special police guard Epaminondas Korkoneas (37) and his colleague Vassilis Saraliotis patrolled on foot in Exarchia, Athens.
A group of teenagers, including 15-year-old pupil Alexandros Grigoropoulos and his friend Nikos Romanos, exchanged words with the officers. The patrol car initially left the area after orders from superiors, but the two officers soon returned on foot to Tzavella Street. The verbal confrontation resumed. Korkoneas suddenly drew his service revolver and fired three shots. One bullet struck Grigoropoulos in the chest. He was rushed to Evangelismos Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
The officers immediately reported the incident, claiming youths had attacked them with stones and bottles and that the fatal bullet had ricocheted. Police initially described the shot as a warning fired into the ground.
Both officers were arrested within hours and suspended. Their station commander was also suspended. In his first statement, Korkoneas insisted he fired two shots in the air and one into the ground. Eyewitnesses contradicted him, stating he aimed directly at the group and that the youths had not attacked the officers.
The killing sparked immediate nationwide youth riots – described by Kathimerini newspaper as the worst unrest in Greece since the restoration of democracy in 1974. Protests and solidarity demonstrations took place in cities across Europe and the world.
Sources: CNN Greece, Mega, Lifo
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