Clashes break out in Greece during protests against police brutality

Greece's prime minister is appealing for calm after youths protesting an incident of police brutality attacked an Athens police station with firebombs and severely injured one officer.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis issued a statement strongly condemning the Tuesday's violence at the march.

“Blind rage leads nowhere,” Mitsotakis said. 

“These scenes of violence must be the last.”

The violence came during a demonstration by about 5,000 people, according to a police estimate, in the southern Nea Smyrni district. 

Some banners read "Cops out of our neighbourhoods."

Hundreds of youths threw firebombs and stones at police, who tried to repel them with water cannons, tear gas and stun grenades.

Police later fired tear gas to disperse groups of masked protesters who broke away from the march and hurled petrol bombs, rocks and other objects at them, setting garbage containers alight.

During the clashes, a Reuters photographer saw a group of protesters attacking one officer, leaving him lying on the ground, with his head bloodied.

Police said three officers were injured, one seriously, and 10 people were arrested on suspicion of taking part in the riots. 

There were no immediate reports on injured demonstrators.

Police brutality

The clashes were prompted by a video that appeared to show a man being beaten on Sunday by officers in the area.

Video showed a police officer repeatedly beating with a baton a man who didn't appear to have engaged in any threatening behavior. 

Police said officers had earlier been attacked by dozens of people who objected to them trying to issue fines to people who weren't obeying lockdown restrictions.

Authorities are investigating the use of force by police, who said they had been called out to check if lockdown rules were being respected.

Many protests turn violent in Greece, which is emerging from a decade-long financial and social crisis and has been criticised by human rights groups for the actions of law enforcers.

The incident shown in the amateur video was condemned by opposition parties. 

An ombudsman looking into the case said this week that complaints of police brutality had been on the increase, as frustration grows with the restrictions on movement and economic activity necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.