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Demonstration in the Athens district of Nea Smyrni
Photo: Giannis Panagopoulos / imago images / ANE Edition
5,000 demonstrators gathered in the Athens suburb of Nea Smyrni on Tuesday to protest against police violence.
The demonstration turned violent that evening when around 200 masked protesters attacked the local police station with stones and incendiary devices.
For their part, the Greek police used tear gas and water cannons to prevent an attack on a guard.
An officer sustained head injuries in the clashes and was taken to hospital, police said.
According to the police, two other officers were injured in the riots.
Ten demonstrators were arrested.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for an end to the violence: "Blind anger does not lead to anything," he said.
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An injured policeman is taken to the hospital
Photo: Giannis Panagopoulos / imago images / ANE Edition
The trigger was a video published on Sunday showing a police officer hitting a young man with a baton without a break.
The man shouted, "It hurts me".
Passers-by had filmed the scenes.
The government condemned the police officers' actions.
These were called to check whether corona lockdown regulations had been observed.
There was a dispute with residents.
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The police had explained to the incident that there had been numerous complaints in Nea Smyrni about the disregard of corona requirements.
The alerted officials were attacked by around 30 people.
Two police officers were injured.
Several residents rejected this representation.
An investigation is underway against the officer who hit the young man.
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kim / dpa / AFP / Reuters
