http://www.ekonomist.co.yu/en/news/region/72055.html
Can you imagine if we torched the tree at Rockefeller? Then sang "Oh Christmas Tree???" This stuff is ridiculous. It's difficult to find news of this anywhere in the US. The New York Times posted the story on their website two minutes before I checked it. Remember the riots in France? Sure, they were bigger, but they were eerily similar. And they were on everything! Where's the outrage, why don't people care about SE Europe?
The incident that sparked the entire string of protests and outright terrorist acts involved the shooting death of a 15 year old boy by two police officers. The officer claims to have fired into the air to disperse a group of youths that were throwing rocks and harassing the officers. Forensic evidence could prove whether or not the bullet ricocheted before striking the boy in the chest.
However, the protests that have resulted are irrational and the people are striking out at everything, banks, stores, bus stations! What would they have the police officers do? Should they have just stood there and let the kids throw rocks and harass them? This is an unfortunate accident, but that "boy" made the decision to join that group and harass police officers. Bad choice, but that's what can happen. I don't believe people should be condemning the police officer. Blame the kids, what the hell were they attacking the police for? Don't they know how ridiculously stupid that is? "Hey, let's go throw rocks at that lion, der dee der..." Maybe I'm just jaded, but people need to think before they act. I've seen a lot of people antagonize police officers, and it always ends up with the officers winning. Or more officers showing up, then winning.
Feel free to disagree, I understand. No one likes to see a young life extinguished before it's time. This truly is a tragedy, but I just don't feel riots will make it better.
BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7772645.stm
Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2008/dec/09/greece
NYT - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/world/europe/10greece.html?_r=1&hp
Note: There are conflicting reports of the age of the boy, and I've found several that say he was 16 rather than 15.
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