( CNN ) -- Youths have rioted on the streets of Athens and other Greek cities for the past three days . Stores and cars have been torched , barricades erected and rioters have fought running battles with police . Athens riot police come under attack near the capital 's main police station Sunday . The unrest came after police shot dead teenager Alexandros Grigoropoulos , 15 , who they allege was about to throw a fuel-filled device at them , as a gang of youths pelted a patrol vehicle . What has been the political reaction to the unrest ? The Greek government , led by Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis ' center-right New Democracy party since 2004 , has appealed for calm . Interior minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos and his deputy tendered their resignations , but this offer was rejected by Karamanlis . The government has been quick to condemn the death of Grigoropoulos in a bid to defuse the crisis . Two police officers have been arrested . Watch youths riot in Greece » . `` An investigation is under way and those found responsible with be punished , '' said Pavlopoulos Sunday . `` Measures will also be taken to avoid such incidents again in the future . '' Much of the violence have been blamed on self-styled anarchists -- although opposition parties have been quick to blame the Greek government for the crisis . The Communist party has announced that a rally will take place in Athens Monday . See images of anarchy on Greek streets » . Is there a wider political context to the unrest ? Greece has endured a tumultuous 18 months . Karamanlis called a snap election in mid-2007 to back his proposals for reforming Greece 's social and economic system , including the privatization of ailing public institutions such as Olympic Airlines . He has argued that such reforms are necessary if Greece is to compete with the rest of Europe and the wider world . Karamanlis assured workers -- one in five of whom lives below the poverty line according to government statistics -- that massive layoffs would not result from the reforms . What happened ? Just weeks before the September election , forest fires ravaged much of Greece , leaving at least 70 people dead . Many blamed Greece 's slow bureaucracy for not responding quickly enough to the disaster . For his part Karamanlis suggested that the blazes might have been set by political extremists ahead of the vote -- a claim that his left-wing rivals claimed was made to destabilize the nation . Karamanlis was re-elected for a second term -- but only by a slim majority . How have the reform plans fared ? Not well . Union leaders -- who represent around half the Greek workforce to a union -- have argued that planned pensions reforms , which would end most forms of early retirement , fail to protect workers . `` It is unjust and unfair to all categories of workers , mainly working mothers and young people entering the labor force , '' Yiannis Panagopoulos , head of GSEE , one of the two main labor unions , said in March . The government has argued that such reforms are especially necessary , given how the nation 's low birthrate will likely impose a burden on future generations . There have been several strikes during the past year that at various times have hit all transport networks , including international airports , schools , courts , banks , public offices , hospitals , utilities and media organizations . At times garbage has been left uncollected and homes and offices have suffered power blackouts . A demonstration in Athens during the latest general strike during October descended into skirmishes as protesters confronted police , who responded with tear gas . The worldwide financial crisis has hit Greece hard as well . The government has been forced to cut ambitious growth targets , despite a projected GDP growth of about 3 percent -- above fellow Eurozone nations . Flagging revenues have also forced the government to impose new taxes on capital gains and the self-employed , and also to bring forward plans for privatization . Is there a history of unrest in Greece ? Greece gave the world the word and ideal `` democracy '' and has itself enjoyed a period of political stability since the mid 1970s . A member of NATO and the European Union , it became a parliamentary democracy in 1952 following civil unrest after the end of World War II . But a coup in 1967 saw the army take control , ban elections and institute a repressive right-wing junta that eventually abolished the monarchy in 1973 . Civil unrest saw the overthrow of the regime and the introduction of a republic in 1975 . Since then Greece has gradually sought to redefine and modernize its image , especially during the past decade , staging the Olympics in 2004 and attempting to forge stronger ties with Turkey , its traditional rival . But Greece has not been without civil strike beyond street demonstrations . For more than two decades the November 17 terror group carried out at least 25 murders against Greeks and other nationals , including the assassinations of U.S. CIA Athens chief Richard Welch in 1975 and British diplomat Brigadier Stephen Saunders in 2000 . The remaining members of the group were eventually caught in 2002 . What next for Greece ? Even if the street violence subsides , the political pressure on Karamanlis is unlikely to subside -- more so given how he has staked his name on economic reform . His administration survived a turbulent 2007 -- and 2008 has given Greece more of the same .
Greece has endured unrest with youths attacking police on the streets . Greece has endured a rocky period as it fails to introduce economic reform . Opposition parties , unions , argue planned unemployment will benefit workers . Greece has had a period of democracy since military dictatorship ##s in 1970s .