Anger as Roma teen killed in Greek police shooting

A Roma teen who was changeable successful the caput by Greek constabulary arsenic helium fled a petrol presumption past week, allegedly without paying, has died.

The 16 twelvemonth aged was near successful a captious information aft officers opened occurrence pursuing a abbreviated pursuit successful Greece's 2nd biggest metropolis of Thessaloniki.

Doctors astatine the Hippocrates infirmary said the lad died astatine 10:10 section clip (08:10 GMT) connected Tuesday.

The serviceman progressive has been arrested and placed nether investigation.

The shooting is the latest successful a spate of akin incidents successful Greece and has reignited a statement astir constabulary unit successful the country.

In past week's shooting, the teen was accused of filling up his car with €20 (£17) of petrol, earlier fleeing from the presumption without paying.

CCTV released connected Tuesday revealed that 4 policemen were wrong the petrol presumption astatine the time.

The lad drove distant chased by constabulary connected motorbikes and a 34-year-old serviceman said helium opened occurrence aft the teen turned his conveyance towards them with the purpose of ramming into them.

According to section media, the serviceman has been released nether location apprehension pending a judicial determination arsenic to whether helium should beryllium held successful custody.

He has already appeared successful tribunal accused of attempted homicide and different offences.

Civil Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos - who has work for Greece's information services - wrote connected Twitter that helium was "deeply saddened" by the boy's death.

"The lawsuit is being investigated by the court, which is the lone 1 competent to measure the facts and justice the responsibilities," helium added.

The incidental sparked days of wide protests among members of Greece's Roma population.

The Roma is the country's largest number group, said to fig immoderate 270,000 radical mostly surviving successful makeshift accommodation.

Demonstrators successful Thessaloniki burned tyres and rubbish bins successful the westbound of the metropolis earlier throwing petrol bombs astatine police, section media reported.

Protests besides took spot successful respective different cities, including successful the superior Athens. On Friday, immoderate demonstrators chanted: "It wasn't the petrol, it wasn't the money, the cops changeable due to the fact that helium was Roma."

Panagiotis Sabanis, caput of the Roma Federation of Central and Western Macedonia, has called for "justice" for the killing.

"There is racism against america successful Greece. It's not the archetypal incidental of a constabulary shooting against a Roma conscionable due to the fact that helium is simply a Roma," helium said past week.