Violent clashes between members of the Roma community and riot police broke out in Greece's second-largest city on Monday after a 16-year-old was shot in a police chase. Around 1,500 protesters walked along the streets of Thessaloniki, smashing shop windows and throwing Molotov cocktails at the police, who used tear gas and stun grenades as a counter.
The Roma teenager was currently in critical condition, authorities said, after being shot in the head by a police officer in the early hours of Monday morning.
According to state TV ERT, the boy filled up his vehicle at a petrol station near the port city of Thessaloniki and drove away without paying. A gas station employee reported the unpaid bill was €20 .
The officer who allegedly pulled the trigger was arrested and suspended from the force, authorities in Thessaloniki stated. He is scheduled to appear before a prosecutor on Tuesday on charges of attempted manslaughter.
The authorities stated the teenager tried to ram police officers who were pursuing him on motorbikes to avoid getting arrested. The officer in question then fired two shots to try and stop the attack on the motorcycle he was a passenger on. d stun grenades as a counter. While the name of the victim was not publicly shared, relatives identified him as being a member of the Roma minority. In 2021, another Roma youth was killed in a police pursuit near the port of Piraeus.
