Greek police have detained 162 participants of riots, which sparked in the country's capital, Athens, and its neighborhood, ahead of the first anniversary of the killing of a Greek teenager by police, the Athens News Agency said.
Last winter, Greece's worst riots in decades swept through more than 10 cities following the killing of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos on December 6, leaving a trail of destruction as youths looted shops and set fire to hundreds of cars, banks and businesses.
Two police officers have been detained over the killing. They are currently in prison, though a trial is postponed for January for security reasons. One of the officers, Epaminondas Korkoneas, is accused of murder and illegal use of his weapon. The second officer, Vassilios Saraliotis, is accused of abetting his partner.
On Saturday, Greek anarchists attacked a police detachment in Athens's Exarhia district with fiery bottles and stones. The rioters also seized the Mayor's Office located in Exarhia, but were soon forced to surrender. Some 40 people, including five Italians and three Albanians, were detained over the attacks.
Dozens of people were detained in the Athens's suburb of Keratsini, to the northwest of the port of Piraeus. Police have seized a large amount of bottles, hummers, crowbars and masks from the rioters.
The Greek authorities have ordered to strengthen security in the country ahead of the December 3 accident's anniversary. Some 12,000 policemen will patrol streets across the country, with about a half of them in Athens.
Protest marches and rallies are expected to take place across the country on Sunday and Monday.
In October, Socialist opposition party PASOK took power in Greece after winning a majority of 160 seats in the 300-seat parliament during a national parliamentary election.
The country's new Prime Minister, George Papandreou, and President Karolos Papoulias, have called on the citizens to protest peacefully.
New police authorities, including Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysohoidis, have pledged to avert violence and vandalism in the upcoming days.
ATHENS, December 6 (RIA Novosti)
