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Meetings and processions in Athens, Thessaloniki and other major cities will mark the anniversary of the murder of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos, who was killed by a policeman in the central Athens neighbourhood of Exarcheia five years ago.

The two processions in Athens will involve a meeting organised by the students outside Athens University at 11:00 am, which will later turn into a procession to parliament, and an evening meeting and procession to Syntagma Square at 6:00 pm.

The Greek police are in a state of high alert for the possibility of unrest and numerous police forces are guarding the area around the parliament, which is the final destination of the processions.

For security reasons, the underground stations "Syntagma" "Panepistimio" and "Evangelismos" will be closed from 10:00 am for an unspecified period of time. Bus routes have been changed as well. It is expected that other underground stations near the centre will be closed during the evening procession too.

Similar measures are in force in Thessaloniki where there will be two processions as well. The city is about to encounter considerable problems related to transportation since it has been announced that the buses will not run throughout the day.

Alexis Grigoropoulos was shot by policeman Epaminondas Korkoneas at the corner of Mesolongiou and Dzavela streets in the Exarcheia neighbourhood at around 9:13 pm on 6 December 2008.

The investigation showed that the murder had happened after a verbal dispute between Alexis’ friends and two officers of the special police forces. According to the medical experts, the 15-year-old student was killed on the spot, as the bullet passed through his heart and lodged in the 10th dorsal vertebra.

The news of the murder spread quickly on the Internet and a massive procession was organised within a few hours in the centre of Athens. The riots and clashes between the protesters and the police forces were unprecedented.

The ensuing trial convicted Grigoropoulos’ killer Epaminondas Korkoneas to life imprisonment on the charge of murder. The other police officer who was with him at the time of the murder was charged with complicity and sentenced to 10 years in prison.