Four police officers and two others went on trial in Athens Wednesday for the 2018 "lynching" murder of gay activist Zak Kostopoulos, who was beaten to death in 2018. Hundreds of people gathered t the outside the court brandishing banners proclaiming "Justice for Zackie". Kostopoulos was an active member of the local LGBTI community and also campaigned for the rights of HIV-positive people. The 33-year-old died on September 21, 2018 after allegedly being kicked by the owner of a jewellery shop, and a passer-by, inside the shop premises. He apparently managed to smash the shop window and escape into the street. Video footage posted online showed Kostopoulos trying to run away before collapsing and being handcuffed by police. He was declared dead a few hours later at a local hospital. Four police officers, the owner of the jewellery shop and another person were all charged with inflicting "fatal body injuries". The family of Zak Kostopoulos has called for the charges against the defendants to be upgraded to homicide. Amnesty International has denounced the death as a "lynching" and criticised the violence of the police arrest. It has also suggested that some early reports of the case were coloured by anti-gay prejudice. The violent death of Kostopoulos Head of the presiding court, Yiorgos Kassimis, spoke Wednesday of a "historic case" as he addressed the four-member jury. In the absence of the defence lawyer, due to a coronavirus test, the trial was suspended until November 6. Homophobic attacks are not rare in Greece where the Greek Orthodox Church, officially frowns upon same-sex relations. The civil union of same-sex couples was only approved by the Greek parliament in 2015 str-hec/chv/pvh/har