Greek police charged with murder

But lawyers defending the officer who fired the shot say the bullet ricocheted and accidentally killed the teenage boy.

Violence has erupted in Athens, the Greek capital, as people across the country took part in a general strike against the government's economic policies.

Murder charges

Other major demonstrations took place in the northern cities of Thessaloniki and Kavala.

Groups of youths threw petrol bombs near the country's parliament on Wednesday and riot police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds as more than 10,000 people marched through the city's centre.

The march and strike follow five days of rioting in Greece after a 15-year-old boy was shot dead by police.

The strike has paralysed much of the country's infrastructure, closing down schools, public services and hospitals and grounding flights.