Riots erupt in Greece after 'martyr' shoots himself over debt crisis

• 1,000 mourners gather in the spot where 'martyr' died
• Dimitris Christoulas, 77, a retired pharmacist, shot himself yards from the Greek parliament
• He said state pension had been slashed in suicide note

By Nick Mcdermott and Daniel Martin

PUBLISHED: 16:42 GMT, 5 April 2012 | UPDATED: 23:35 GMT, 5 April 2012

He lived, said neighbours, an ‘everyday’ life.

But in death Dimitris Christoulas has become an extraordinary symbol of how Greeks are struggling to cope as their country falls apart under the burden of austerity measures.

On Wednesday morning, the 77-year-old former pharmacist walked into Greece’s Syntagma Square, just yards from the nation’s parliament.

As thousands of commuters swarmed to work, the pensioner shot himself, deciding to end his life rather than face his final years on the breadline.

His death has shocked Greece, even though the nation has already seen suicide rates increase by around 20 per cent in the past two years.

Yesterday, police clashed with demonstrators for a second day at the site where Mr Christoulas killed himself in downtown Athens.

Several dozen youths dressed in hoods and crash helmets smashed paving stones with hammers and threw the rubble at riot police, chanting ‘Killers! Killers!’ as police responded with tear gas and flash grenades.

By yesterday, the spot where Mr Christoulas took his life had become a shrine to the man who is fast becoming a totem for ordinary Greeks trying to exist day-by-day in a country teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Last night, about 1,000 mourners once again gathered at the corner of Syntagma Square where he died, with the spot adorned by flowers and candles.

FULL STORY: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2125686/Greece-prepares-fre...