EUR: Greek opposition leader calls on government to resign over riots
10 Dec 2008 12:10 AM
ATHENS, Dec 9 AFP - Greek socialist opposition leader George Papandreou called on the government to resign and seek a "public verdict" on the crisis sparked by the police killing of a 15-year-old boy.
"The government has lost public confidence," Papandreou told his Pasok party deputies in parliament on Tuesday.
"The only thing it can give this country is to depart... to seek a public verdict so that the people can give a solution," he said.
Athens and Salonika, Greece's second main city, have been rocked by demonstrations and riots for three nights over the death of Alexis Grigoropoulos, who was shot by a police officer on Saturday.
Protests over the boy's death and vandalism has also hit other major cities including Patras, Larissa, Ioannina and the island of Crete.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has appealed for national unity and pledged to restore order.
