ATHENS, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- A rally staged by students' unions and leftist parties in central Athens on Thursday to mark the 10th anniversary of the killing of a teenager by police fire ended in violent clashes between hooded youth and anti-riot police, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

Ten protesters have been detained, but no injuries were reported by police.

Groups of anti-establishment demonstrators pelted rocks and makeshift petrol bombs at policemen, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

Order has been restored in the center of the Greek capital, but a second protest was scheduled for later Thursday near the site where 15-year-old high school student Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot dead on Dec. 6, 2008, by a policeman, who was later sentenced to life imprisonment.

The death of Grigoropoulos was followed by a string of violent clashes across Greece for two weeks in protest of police violence. The anniversary has been marred by violent incidents every year since then.

Some 5,000 officers were deployed across the center of Athens on Thursday, with a police helicopter and drones hovering over the area to monitor the protest.

Minor scuffles between protesters and police also broke out during a similar demonstration held in Thessaloniki in northern Greece, according to AMNA.

Groups of protesters damaged cars and stores, set garbage containers on fire and threw firebombs at police forces.

In an interview with local ANT1 television channel, Grigoropoulos' mother, Gina Tsalikian, deplored violence.

"If my child were alive, he would speak against such clashes. He would not like to see his name linked to violence and vandalism. These incidents sully Alexandros' memory," she said.

Tsalikian has pleaded against violence several times in recent years. Enditem

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