Greece witnessing "social revolution": activist

ATHENS (Reuters) - Protests triggered by the police shooting of a Greek teen-ager mark a "social revolution" that will last as long as is necessary to topple the government, a representative of leftist activists said Monday.

Panagiotis Sotiris, 38, is a spokesman for Uniting Anti-Capitalist Left, a coalition of leftist groups which helped take over the Athens Law School Monday.

He spoke to Reuters on the phone from inside the occupied building. Following is a transcript of the conversation.

Q - What are you protesting against?

A - The killing of the 15-year-old boy was not incidental, it was part of the state's generally authoritarian policy of poverty, privatizations, and violation of workers and young people's rights. This struggle is not connected only to the specific incident but is a struggle to overthrow the government's policy. We are experiencing moments of a great social revolution.

Q - What is your view of the shooting incident and the police in general?

A - The policeman's reaction was extreme. It was not a mistake that the boy was killed. Police are trained to see young people and workers as their enemies. As a result young people see policemen as the tools of an oppressive power.

Q - Why have you occupied the building?

A - We take part in the occupation of the Law School in Athens to focus our struggle and create a center of alternative information for people participating in the protests. Hundreds are participating in this occupation. At the moment, almost all universities in Greece are closed or under occupation. High school students are also staying away from school.

Q - What are you trying to achieve with the protests and how long will they last?

A - We ask for the ministers who are responsible for this to resign and we want to topple the government and its policies. The protests will last as long as necessary.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou, editing by Mark Trevelyan)