Thousands of people demonstrated across Greece on Sunday March 12, twelve days after the country’s deadliest ever train crash, increasing pressure on the government. The demonstrators demand, among other things, a thorough investigation so that the culprits are brought to justice and that the necessary security measures are taken to prevent such a disaster from happening again.
Some 5,000 protesters gathered in Athens and a similar number took to the streets in Thessaloniki, the country’s second largest city, according to the police count. Other rallies took place in Larissa, Heraklion, Chania and other cities.
In the capital, protesters occupied Syntagma Square, near Parliament, with banners reading “We will not forget, we will not forgive” and “We will be the voices of all the dead”. “It was anger and rage that brought me here,” said a 65-year-old protester living in Athens who declined to be named. “We are desperate. We don’t know what to say, what to do, all we can do is participate in the demonstration”, regrets for his part Alexandros, 26, also on condition of anonymity.
The resignation of the Prime Minister demanded
The collision between two trains that occurred on February 28 in Tempé, about 350 kilometers north of Athens, claimed the lives of 57 people. Four railway officials are being prosecuted following this accident, which has highlighted the chronic problems of the Greek railway network.
The drama, which affected mostly young people, sparked massive protests against the Conservative government as a general election looms before July. The biggest protest took place on Wednesday, with 65,000 people taking to the streets to hold Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to account.
His resignation was demanded by protesters. He had been criticized for initially pointing to “human error” due to a station master, one of the four employees prosecuted.
But the unions have long warned of the lack of personnel in the railways and the delays in the modernization of safety systems.
Greece’s transport minister resigned after the crash and Mr Mitsotakis sought to assuage public anger by repeatedly apologizing and promising a transparent investigation.
For weeks, the Greek press has been buzzing with rumors about the date of the poll, April 9 being so far the most often chosen by observers. But most analysts now believe that the elections should be held later, perhaps at the end of May.
