Clashes break out during Greece strike

Clashes have broken out between riot police and groups of youths during a demonstration in

central Athens to mark a nationwide general strike.

Riot police began firing tear gas when a small group of youths threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at them near parliament in the centre of the Greek capital.

More than 10,000 people were marching through the centre of the city today in a demonstration to protest at the increasingly beleaguered government’s economic policies.

Emergency crews were preparing for violence after the police shooting of a teenager on Saturday sparked Greece’s worst riots in decades.

Meanwhile, the lawyer for two police officers accused of the fatal shooting of the teenager said ballistics showed the boy was killed by a ricochet and not a direct shot.

Lawyer Alexis Cougias said the ballistics report corroborated the police account that they fired warning shots and did not shoot directly at 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. Authorities have not made the contents of the report public.

One officer has been charged with murder and another as an accomplice.