Downtown Athens shut down for teen killing anniversary rallies
Police in Athens have shut down much of the city center amid concerns of violence breaking out during two separate rallies marking the 10-year anniversary of the killing of teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos by a police officer in 2010.
The area around the historic Athens University building on Panepistimiou Street was closed for a rally that started at noon at the Propylaia, while Syntagma Square will also be shut down as the march heads to Parliament.
The Syntagma metro station has been closed since around 11 a.m. and will only reopen once police give the all-clear.
A second march is scheduled for later in the afternoon, again starting at the Propylaia in front of Athens University, but heading instead to the spot where Grigoropoulos was killed in the central district of Exarchia.
The closure of the city center is causing traffic congestion on streets like Alexandras, Patission, Mesogein and Kiffisias, as well as delays in bus and trolley bus services.
