Protests by youths in Greece spreading to other countries

Coordinated events spurred by economic chaos

Bela Szandelszky/Associated PressA Greek protester was chased by police during clashes at a demonstration in Athens yesterday. There were also protests in Spain, Denmark, and Italy, over soaring unemployment. (Bela Szandelszky/Associated Press)

MADRID - The unrest that has gripped Greece is spilling over into the rest of Europe, raising concerns the clashes could be a trigger for opponents of globalization, disaffected youth, and others outraged by the continent's economic turmoil and soaring unemployment.

Protesters in Spain, Denmark, and Italy smashed shop windows, pelted police with bottles, and attacked banks this week, while in France, cars were set ablaze yesterday outside the Greek consulate in Bordeaux, where protesters scrawled graffiti warning about a looming "insurrection."

At least some of the protests were organized over the Internet, showing how quickly the message of discontent can be spread, particularly among tech-savvy youth.

One website Greek protesters used to update each other on the locations of clashes asserted there have been sympathy protests in nearly 20 countries.

More demonstrations were set for today in Italy, France, and Germany.

Still, the clashes have been isolated so far, and nothing like the scope of the chaos in Greece, which was triggered by the police killing of a teenager on Saturday and has ballooned into nightly scenes of burning street barricades, looted stores, and overturned cars.

Nevertheless, authorities in Europe worry conditions are ripe for the contagion to spread.

As Europe plunges into recession, unemployment is rising, particularly among the young.

Even before the crisis, European youths complained about difficulty finding well-paid jobs - even with a college degree - and many said they felt left out as the continent grew in prosperity.

In Greece, demonstrators handed out fliers yesterday listing their demands, which include the reversal of public spending cuts that have brought layoffs, and said they were hopeful their movement would spread.

"We're encouraging nonviolent action here and abroad," said Konstantinos Sakkas, a 23-year-old protester at the Athens Polytechnic, where many of the demonstrators are based. "What these are abroad are spontaneous expressions of solidarity with what's going on here."

Across the continent, Internet sites and blogs have popped up to spread the call to protest.

Elsewhere in Europe, reports about the clashes in Greece were quickly picked up online by citizen journalists, some of whom posted details of confrontations on Twitter.

At the Independent Media Center site, photos and video of the demonstrations were uploaded and plans were listed for "upcoming solidarity actions" in London, Edinburgh, and Berlin.

In cities across Europe, protests flared in solidarity with the demonstrations in Greece.

One rally outside the Greek Embassy in Rome turned violent on Wednesday, damaging police vehicles, overturning a car, and setting a trash can on fire.

In Denmark, protesters pelted riot police with bottles and paint in downtown Copenhagen; 63 people were detained and later released.

And in Spain, angry youths attacked banks, shops and a police station in Madrid and Barcelona late Wednesday. Some of the protesters chanted "police killers" and other slogans.

Eleven people - including a Greek girl - were arrested at the two rallies, which drew a total of about 200 protesters.