Protests in France over police killing of teenager spread to Greece

By Derya Gulnaz Ozcan

ATHENS (AA) - A protest was held Monday in Greece in front of the French Embassy in the capital Athens over the police killing of a teenager last week in France.

Vasilissis Sofias Street, where the embassy is located, was closed to traffic for a while due to the gathering of members of various leftist groups.

After calling for justice, the demonstration ended without incident.

A group of protestors staged a brief march afterwards.

Protests have continued to shake France since Tuesday, when a police officer shot dead Nahel M., a French citizen of Algerian and Moroccan descent, during a traffic check in the Paris suburb of Nanterre after he ignored orders to stop.

The officer faces a formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention.

Protests began in Nanterre and spread to other cities the next evening, including Lyon, Toulouse, Lille and Marseille.

Tensions rose following clashes between police and protesters.

Police have arrested hundreds since the protests erupted, including 157 people on the sixth night of the unrest, Le Figaro reported.

More than 350 fires were started on public roads and nearly 300 vehicles were set on fire, the report added.

According to information compiled by Anadolu, during the protests, at least 1,000 buildings and 5,000 vehicles were set on fire, more than 250 police stations were targeted, and around 3,200 people were arrested.