ATHENS, Dec 18: The Greek capital was suffocating under a barrage of tear gas on Thursday as 5,000 protesters swamped riot police outside parliament, 12 days after the killing of a teenager by police sparked riots.

Militant youths tried to breach a cordon guarding the Syntagma Square complex, prompting police to use teargas.

Later, they attacked the city’s giant Christmas tree on the square which had only been replaced on Tuesday after the first went up in flames on Dec 8, the third day of rioting and looting.

Greek authorities had earlier this week sent out urgent appeals to foreign countries for fresh stocks of tear gas and warned the public to steer clear of the city centre after a coalition of students, teachers, unions and left-wing demonstrators vowed to step up anti-government sentiment.

When the initial attack at the parliament was repelled, protesters came back with a hail of oranges before setting cars, bins and pavement cafe furniture ablaze as they retreated towards their rallying point, the Athens Polytechnic university.—AFP