ATHENS, Greece – Gangs of youths smashed their way through central Athens, Thessaloniki and other Greek cities into the early hours Tuesday, torching stores, buildings and cars in a third day of mayhem after the fatal police shooting of a teenager.
In the country's worst rioting in decades, dozens of shops, banks and luxury hotels had their windows smashed as youths fought running battles with riot police. Black smoke rose above the city center, mingling with clouds of tear gas. Broken glass littered the streets.
Hundreds of high school and university students joined self-styled anarchists in throwing everything from fruit and coins to rocks and Molotov cocktails at police and attacked police stations throughout the day. Police said some rioters were armed with crossbows, knives and swords.
"Cops! Pigs! Murderers!" protesters screamed at riot police.
Police said early Tuesday that 89 people had been arrested in Athensfor attacking police officers, vandalism and looting and 79 more were being questioned about possible involvement in the rioting. The fire service said it responded to more than 200 blazes in central Athens on Monday, about half of them in buildings and the rest in cars and trash bins used as barricades.
Greece suffers under wave of asylum seeker caused violence
A riot broke out after one would be refugee plunged into a canal in exactly the same place where another asylum seeker was killed earlier this year.
Community leaders and politicians are warning that Athens inner city is at risk of becoming a racial battleground and are appealing for European assistance to defuse rising tension.
This year, Greece, has attracted a record 80 thousand illegal immigrants, but has been criticized by Europe for failing to help asylum seekers.
From Athens, Malcolm Brabant