RUNNING BATTLES between Greek police and thousands of protesters furious at the shooting of a 15-year-old boy intensified yesterday as antagonism boiled over outside the cemetery where the youth was being buried.
On the eve of a general strike that threatens to plunge the country into further chaos, security forces fought pitched battles with stone-throwing youths outside Athens's parliament and in Salonika, the northern capital.
As thousands descended on the coastal suburb of Faliro for the funeral of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, killed by a bullet to the chest on Saturday, hooded youths chanting "pigs, murderers" began baiting police. Before the funeral had ended, they began hurling stones, iron bars and marble slabs at officers, sending residents running for cover. As the boy's casket was lowered into the ground, the air was thick with acrid smoke from successive rounds of teargas fired in retaliation by the police.
The worst civil disturbances to hit Greece in decades, the riots have not only damaged the already badly dented popularity of the ruling conservatives but have left a trail of devastation.
In Athens alone, officials estimate that more than 200 shops, 50 banks and countless cars have been damaged in the mayhem.
Many of the capital's tree-lined boulevards and central squares resemble a battle zone. Shops are shut and streets devoid of shoppers. Hospitals have also reported an increase in the number of wounded, already believed to have surpassed 70 police and others.
With prime minister Costas Karamanlis facing growing criticism for his handling of the crisis and his single-seat majority in the 300-member parliament looking increasingly vulnerable - opposition leader George Papandreou, of the Socialists, stepped up calls for early elections.
Coming out of emergency talks - requested by Mr Karamanlis in an attempt to contain the crisis - Mr Papandreou said it had become clear that the government was incapable of defending the public from rioters.
"It cannot handle this crisis and has lost the trust of the Greek people," said the leader, whose Pasok party has surged in the polls in recent months. "The best thing it can do is resign and let the people find a solution."
That was a view widely shared by many of the leftist and self-styled anarchists fuelling the riots.
At the Athens Polytechnic, now the centre of the groups' operations, young men and women broke up marble slabs and quietly stocked up on the firebombs they have become increasingly accustomed to throwing at police.
Standing behind makeshift barriers of burning rubbish bins, they promised to turn the unrest into "an uprising the likes of which Greece has never seen".
As the site of the revolt against the colonels' regime in 1974, the Polytechnic's colonnaded buildings are off-limits to security forces under a constitutional clause that gives students asylum on its grounds.
"This is not just about the kid, it's about our dreadful education and economic situation. That's what pushed us on to the streets," insisted one youth, who called himself Andreas. "It's our belief and hope that this is the beginning of a rebellion against the system."
The chaos, he said, had exposed the deepseated anger of Greeks who, after the introduction of the euro, have not only struggled to make ends meet but have increasingly felt deceived by a system that thrived on corruption, party political affiliations and patronage.
"All of us have poor parents who are really struggling," Andreas said.
It is a rage that has been fuelled by allegations of corruption and the seemingly relentless scandals involving sex, money and the church that have swirled around the conservatives - and for which, despite public outrage, no one has been punished. "We all thought it would take one incident for things to go up and with the police killing of the teenage boy, that is exactly what happened," said veteran political analyst Konstantinos Angelopoulos.
Yesterday, the rioting spread to Crete and Corfu, and intensified in at least a dozen cities across the country.
Greek demonstrators occupied the country's consulate in Paris, following protests in London and Berlin on Monday.
Greece's two largest trade unions are to strike today, grounding flights, cutting ferry links and severely limiting train services. The GSEE and ADEDY together represent 2.5 million workers, about half Greece's workforce. They are demanding more state social spending, as well as salary and pension increases.
Mr Karamanlis asked for the strike to be called off because of the volatile situation. Union leaders refused.
"Our answer is that the strike and the rally will take place as planned," said Stathis Anestis, spokesman for the GSEE, the largest labour confederation.