Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in cities and towns across Greece on Friday to demand justice on the second anniversary of the country’s deadliest-ever train crash, and striking workers grounded flights and halted sea and train transport.
Fifty-seven people were killed when a passenger train filled with students collided with a freight train on February 28, 2023, near the Tempi gorge in central Greece.
Two years later, the safety gaps that caused the crash have not been filled, an inquiry found on Thursday. A separate judicial investigation remains unfinished and no one has been convicted in the accident.
Mass demonstrations were planned in dozens of cities across the country. All international and domestic flights were grounded as air traffic controllers joined seafarers, train drivers, doctors, lawyers and teachers in a 24-hour general strike to pay tribute to the victims of the crash. Businesses were shut and theatres cancelled performances.
By early morning, tens of thousands had gathered in Syntagma Square in the centre of Athens, watched by police in riot gear. A sign read: “Government of murderers.” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ centre-right government, which won re-election after the crash in 2023, has faced repeated criticism by relatives of the victims for failing to initiate a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility.
The government denies wrongdoing and says it is up to the judiciary to investigate the accident. Friday’s protests reflected mounting anger over the disaster in Greece, where mistrust of government is common following a 2009-2018 debt crisis in which millions lost out on wages and pensions, and public services suffered from underfunding.” (Reuters)
