In the afternoon today, under high security is the funeral of the 16 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, who died Saturday night by a police shot in the center of Athens. Students from all Greece came to the neighborhood cemetery where the last home of the boy will be. The family of the 16 year old Alexandros asked for restraint and situations to avoided, which can put someone in danger. The parents also asked their pain not to be used for political goals. It is their wish no TV cameras to be present at the cemetery. Police forces also watch over the cemetery from a distance and are ready to act only if it is highly necessary.

Right now in the Athens center there are two processions of students, parents, and teachers, who got into conflicts with the police. It remains unexplainable why the police attacked peaceful demonstrators with rubber bats. Questions were brought up of why they were so tolerant towards the vandals during the last 2-3 days and now they were so violent against children who did not provoke them. Demonstrators have occupied central metro stations, on which the trains pass without stopping. Exactly at 3:30 pm, when the funeral started, both demonstrating precessions stopped for a minute of silence in memory of the killed boy.

Kostas Karamanlis, who met with the president Karolos Papoulias this morning, continues his political consultations in the afternoon as well with representatives from all parliament parties. Karamanlis discontinued the consultations during the funeral and will renew them in the later part of the day. The opposition leaders already asked for Karamanlis’ resignation. PASOK leader Giorgios Papandreou blamed his that he cannot provide safety for the citizens and Alekos Alavanos from the Left coalition said that the anger around the country will calm down only if the New Democracy government resigns.

Meanwhile the defense of the policemen who killed the boy Saturday night will be taken by famous criminal law lawyer Alexis Kouyas. Kouyas said in front of the media that his clients will give statements only after they have received all autopsy reports, toxic and ballistic expertise, and the special analysis of the bullet, which pierced the victim. Otherwise the defendants will ask for the examination to be postponed. The two policemen have to give statements in front of the investigator on Wednesday.