Riot police hold their positions next to fire from firebombs thrown by protesters, engulfing vehicles and barricades set up by protesters, during clashes in Athens, late Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Rioting youths hurled petrol bombs at police, set up street barricades, and damaged storefronts in Greece's two largest cities Wednesday, as violence broke out at marches held to mark the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Rioting youths hurled fire bombs, set up street barricades and damaged storefronts in Greece's two largest cities Wednesday, violence that broke out after marches marking the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager and continued on-and-off for several hours.
The clashes in Athens and Thessaloniki coincided with a police security operation to prepare for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's two-visit to Greece, which starts Thursday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Authorities said at least 22 people were detained for questioning in the Greek capital, where a pair of rallies drew several thousand participants. Some youths proceeded to hurl stones, flares and Molotov cocktails at police officers and set a parked car ablaze, police said.
The unruly rowdy demonstrators also blocked streets with burning trash bins and material taken from construction sites.
Similar scenes unfolded in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, where protesters threw rocks at police from the top of apartment buildings. locks.
About 2,000 police were deployed in Athens for the events marking the 2008 death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos. A police officer shot the boy while he was out with friends in Exarchia, a central Athens neighborhood popular with anarchists.
The policeman who fired the fatal shot said he didn't intend to shoot Grigoropoulos. He was convicted of deliberate manslaughter and is serving a life sentence.
The teenager's death sparked riots across Greece that lasted for weeks. Athens was the hit the worst, with many stores, buildings, and vehicles in the capital smashed and burned.
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Kantouris reported from Thessaloniki, Greece.
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Riot police charge protesters as firebombs thrown by protesters burn, during clashes in Athens, late Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Rioting youths hurled petrol bombs at police, set up street barricades, and damaged storefronts in Greece's two largest cities Wednesday, as violence broke out at marches held to mark the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
The Associated Press
Riot police hold their positions next to fire from firebombs thrown by protesters, engulfing vehicles and barricades set up by protesters, during clashes in Athens, late Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Rioting youths hurled petrol bombs at police, set up street barricades, and damaged storefronts in Greece's two largest cities Wednesday, as violence broke out at marches held to mark the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press
Riot police hold their positions during clashes with protesters in Athens, late Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Rioting youths hurled petrol bombs at police, set up street barricades, and damaged storefronts in Greece's two largest cities Wednesday, as violence broke out at marches held to mark the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press
A firework fired by protesters explodes over riot police during clashes in Athens, late Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Rioting youths hurled petrol bombs at police, set up street barricades, and damaged storefronts in Greece's two largest cities Wednesday, as violence broke out at marches held to mark the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press
Amidst tear gas fired by them earlier and flares and fire from firebombs brown by protesters, riot police hold their positions during clashes in Athens, late Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Rioting youths hurled petrol bombs at police, set up street barricades, and damaged storefronts in Greece's two largest cities Wednesday, as violence broke out at marches held to mark the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press
Amidst tear gas fired by them earlier and flares and fire from firebombs brown by protesters, riot police hold their positions during clashes in Athens, late Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Clashes erupted as protesters marked Wednesday the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens that sparked the worst rioting Greece had seen in decades. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press
Amidst tear gas fired by them earlier and flares and fire from firebombs brown by protesters, riot police hold their positions during clashes in Athens, late Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Clashes erupted as protesters marked Wednesday the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens that sparked the worst rioting Greece had seen in decades. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press
A protester throws a firebomb owards riot police during clashes in Athens, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Rioting youths hurled petrol bombs at police, set up street barricades, and damaged storefronts in Greece's two largest cities Wednesday, as violence broke out at marches held to mark the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
The Associated Press
Amidst tear gas fired by them earlier and flares and fire from firebombs brown by protesters, riot police charge protesters during clashes in Athens, late Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Rioting youths hurled petrol bombs at police, set up street barricades, and damaged storefronts in Greece's two largest cities Wednesday, as violence broke out at marches held to mark the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
The Associated Press
Firefighters try to put out a fire in a car during clashes between riot police and protesters in Athens, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Clashes erupted as protesters marked Wednesday the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens that sparked the worst rioting Greece had seen in decades. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press
Protesters point laser pointers towards riot police during clashes in Athens, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Clashes erupted as protesters marked Wednesday the ninth anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens that sparked the worst rioting Greece had seen in decades. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The Associated Press