The night of December 6, 2008, remains etched in the collective memory as a watershed. The 15-year-old Alexander Grigoropoulos dropped dead in Exarchia when he was shot in cold blood by special guard Epaminondas Korkoneas.

Every December, as the city decorates for the holidays, the mind always returns there, to the mother who never saw her child again. Seventeen long years have passed since that tragic night, and on Saturday, which is the anniversary of Grigoropoulos’ death, the citizens and students of Athens are preparing to honor his memory again with marches at the site where Alexander drowned.

At the corner where Alexander fell dead, the light never went out. On Saturday, thousands of citizens will walk the streets of the city to say they have not forgotten. People of all ages – young people born after 2008, but also older people who lived through those troubled days – will stand on the corner where Alexander Grigoropoulos was lost.

Some will leave flowers, others will light a candle, many will stand in silence because silence often speaks louder than slogans.

Seventeen years later, it is not anger that prevails. It is the wound. A wound does not close and cannot be forgotten. Alexander didn’t live to be an adult – he lived forever at 15 – his photograph remains frozen in time while his name became a symbol.

The murder that marked an entire generation

A few minutes after 9 pm on Saturday, December 6, 2008, a seemingly ordinary patrol in the alleys of Exarchia turned into one of the darkest moments in modern Greek history.

At the junction of Tzavela and Messolonghios streets, the fateful encounter between special guard Epaminondas Korkoneas and a group of young people – among them 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos – would become the starting point of a social explosion that paralysed the country for days.

It all started when a verbal confrontation broke out between the young men and two special guards, Epaminondas Korkoneas and Vassilis Saraliotis. The police officers, as ordered by the police, were initially removed from the scene.

However, a short time later, they returned on foot to Tzavela Street, where the group of young people were still standing. As tensions flared, Korcones drew his service weapon. Three shots rang out in the alleys of Exarchia.

One of the bullets hit Alexander Gregoropoulos, who collapsed instantly. The 15-year-old was taken to “Evangelismos,” where his death was simply determined.

The two special guards informed their agency claiming they were attacked by the youths. The first official police statement called the bullet “ricocheting”.

News of Grigoropoulos’ death sparked an unprecedented social explosion. From 7 December 2008 until 10 December 2008, the streets of the country were flooded with people.

From 7-7 October 2008 to 7-7 July 2008, the streets of Greece were filled with people from all over the world.

Pupils, students, workers, and thousands of people demonstrated daily, demanding justice and denouncing police arbitrariness. Schools were occupied, classes were cancelled, and marches in dozens of cities across the country often turned violent.

In dozens of cities across the country, violence erupted in violent clashes.

Athens recorded the most extensive destruction; public buildings, banks, shops, and monuments were targeted by protesters in a scene reminiscent of a riot.

Decades later, the name of Alexandros Grigoropoulos continues to be a symbol with memories still alive in places.