GREEK RIOTS: DECEMBER 11 UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 001658

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ASEC GR
SUBJECT: GREEK RIOTS: DECEMBER 11 UPDATE

REF: A. ATHENS 1656

B. ATHENS 1649

C. ATHENS 1643


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Greece was relatively quiet at late
afternoon Thursday. PM Karamanlis traveled to Brussels to
participate in European Council meetings December 11-12. The
atmosphere in the country remained tense, however, and it was
impossible to predict whether the slacking off of
demonstrations represented the beginning of the end of the
violence or only a break before renewed confrontations.
Students and teachers were planning more demonstrations
Thursday evening and throughout the day Friday. The Embassy
remains in contact with several small groups of Amcits whose
travel has been affected by the security situation. At this
stage, we have not received reports of any Amcit injuries or
loss of property. END SUMMARY.

EVENING OF DECEMBER 10 QUIETER
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2. (SBU) Incidents slacked off late Wednesday following
afternoon police clashes with demonstrators on the central
Syntagma Square in front of Parliament in Athens and similar
demonstrations marred by violence in Thessaloniki and
elsewhere. In the evening, sporadic confrontations with
police appeared confined to the areas around the Athens
Polytechnic and the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki. At
21:00, the rector of Aristotle University along with a group
of 200 teachers and students interceded with anarchists, who
eventually departed the campus.

DECEMBER 11: A BREATHER BEFORE MORE?
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3. (SBU) Greece was fairly quiet at late afternoon Thursday,
with reports of small-scale protests at individual police
stations in Athens and students blocking a number of major
thoroughfares in the Athens metropolitan area. PM Karamanlis
traveled to Brussels to participate in European Council
meetings December 11-12. The atmosphere in Greece remained
tense, however, and it was impossible to predict whether the
slacking off of large-scale demonstrations represented the
beginning of the end of the violence or only a break before
renewed protests. Public school students remained out of
school for teachers' meetings, and while the Minister of
Education rejected calls to declare an early Christmas
vacation, it appears that many schools may be closed through
the holidays. The death of Grigoropoulos has sparked unrest
at the secondary school level, and there is concern that
unrest may also take place at or near individual high schools
and campuses as student committees meet to plan their next
moves.


4. (SBU) Newspapers are publishing lists of announced
demonstrations, which include:

Thursday, December 11:
17:00, Thessaloniki, The Arch of Galerios, anarchists
18:00, Athens University, students and teachers

Friday, December 12:
12:00, Athens University, students and teachers
12:00, Omonoia Square Athens, students and teachers
15:30, Syntagma Square Athens, students and teachers
18:00, Aristotle Square, Thessaloniki, students and labor
unions

Saturday, December 13:
12:00, Thessaloniki Polytechnic, students and labor unions

Monday, December 15:
12:00, sit-in at Police Headquarters in Athens on Alexandras
Ave (near to the U.S. Embassy),students and teachers

COURT ACTIONS FOR POLICEMEN
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5. (SBU) On December 10, the two police officers charged in
the Grigoropoulos shooting appeared before a magistrate to
submit depositions, while demonstrators, including secondary
school students and their parents, protested. Firebombs were
also thrown at the court building. Final ballistics and
other forensic reports have not yet been issued.

MISSION GREECE ACTIONS
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6. (SBU) Our warden message remains in effect (ref B). The

ATHENS 00001658 002 OF 002


Embassy is in contact wih several small groups of Amcits
whose travel has been affected by the security situation. A
this stage, we have not received reports of any Amcit
injuries or loss or property.
SPECKHARD