Riot police clashed with projectile-throwing demonstrators for a fifth straight day Wednesday across Greece in the worst violence the country has seen in decades, as the protests threatened to topple the government, dpa reported.
In a televised address, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis once again appealed for calm and an end to the violence that has spread to at least eight cities across Greece, promising financial support to businesses damaged by the riots.
But once again his pleas went unheard.
More than 10,000 demonstrators yelling, "Down with the pigs," and carrying black flags marched through a city landscape of burned and looted shops in Athens in a nationwide strike which quickly turned violent as protesters threw fire bombs and chunks of marble at the police.
A 24-hour general strike, called by the country's two largest private and public sector unions, was held amid increasing tensions in the country after days and nights of violence triggered by police shooting dead a 15-year-old youth last Saturday in the bohemian Athens district of Exarchia.
Witnesses said the police officer deliberately aimed for the boy, but a ballistics report, not yet made public, showed on Wednesday the boy was killed by an accidental ricochet.
Despite the officers' pleas of innocence, clashes erupted at the main courthouse before the hearing for the two officers accused of the shooting.
Two people were injured when police chased after youths who were spraying the court house with firebombs.
The shooting sparked five days of violence across the country already discontented with the government over rising unemployment, scandals and poverty. The successive days of rioting and looting have left hundreds of cars, stores and buildings charred and gutted in several cities across Greece.
Across Greece, hundreds of youths hurled fire bombs, while police retaliated with tear gas. Skirmishes were reported in front of parliament and around the Athens Polytechnic and Economic University in central Athens.
Reports said rioters have damaged or destroyed more than 600 stores and 200 banks in Athens, while 50 buildings were damaged by fires. Another 100 stores were damaged in Thessaloniki. Damage is estimated to be over 200 million euros (260.7 million dollars).
In the centre of Athens the majority of shops were shut for the day while the popular areas of Plaka and Monastiraki were devoid of tourists.
The nationwide strike grounded all flights at Athens' international airport, shut down banks and schools and paralysed bus, tram and metro services. Hospitals were operating on emergency staff.
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis had asked opposition party leaders to unite in an effort to end the crisis and appealed to unions to cancel Wednesday's rally. But no one was willing to compromise.
Instead, the main opposition Socialist party said the government, which has a one-seat majority in parliament, should resign. Opposition members said the government has lost the trust of the people.
Greece's private-sector GSEE and public-sector ADEDY unions are protesting the government's recent pension reforms, which raise the retirement age and cut back benefits.
The unions also oppose recent labour reforms, privatizations and tax-raising measures.
The two unions represent more than half of the country's workforce of 5 million.
Many Athenians are also upset about the response of the government and police to the riots and their inability to stop the destruction.
The protests also spread abroad as the Greek embassies in London, Berlin, Frankfurt, Rome, Paris, New York, Moscow and Cyprus were occupied by demonstrators in the past few days.
The government, which has seen its ratings fall sharply behind the main opposition Socialists, promised once again Wednesday to compensate businesses for the damage suffered, announcing loans, emergency subsidies and tax relief measures.
"The government is determined to safeguard citizens and to support all the businesses which have suffered damage," Karamanlis said in a televised speech, not specifiying how exactly he planned to safeguard citizens.
The prime minister had made similar promises when large parts of mainland Peloponnese suffered devastating forest fires more than a year ago. Residents in those areas hit by the devastating fires claim the government's promises were never met.
The shooting of the teenager was seen as the last straw by many young Greeks whose economic future is bleak in a country with a high unemployment rate and low wages.
Unemployment is pegged at over 7 per cent, and nearly 20 per cent of Greeks live below the poverty line, earning less than 600 euros a month.
"Everyone appears to have let our children down. Students have become more hostile towards us and to figures of authority," Christos Kittas said on resigning as the dean of Athens University after rioting spread to campuses.