Mass protests paralyze Greece on second anniversary of deadly train crash
ATHENS — Hundreds of thousands of people across Greece joined protests and strikes on Friday on the second anniversary of the nation's deadliest train crash, which has become a symbol of institutional failure and piled pressure on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Flights and rail services have been canceled, ferries halted and public transportation across the country has been severely disrupted, with air traffic controllers, seafarers and train drivers joining teachers, lawyers and doctors in a 24-hour general strike.
Rallies are taking place nationwide, and tens of thousands gathered in Syntagma Square in central Athens on Friday morning, under the watch of police in riot gear. One banner held by protesters read: "Government of murderers".
Fifty-seven people — almost all students — were killed on 28 February 2023 when a passenger train collided with a freight train near the Tempe gorge in central Greece. The crash also left dozens injured and exposed deficiencies in the nation's transport infrastructure.
The protests, led by relatives of the victims, have been fuelled by resentment against the conservative government's perceived inaction. Critics of the Mitsotakis administration say that politicians should be held accountable for failures that led up to the crash, but so far, only rail officials have been charged with any crimes, and no trial has been held yet.
"The full truth must come to light, and those responsible, no matter how high their position, must be held accountable," said Yannis Panagopoulos, president of the General Confederation of Greek Workers, the country's largest labor union.
A long-awaited report on the investigation into the country's worst railway accident — released on Thursday — blamed human error, outdated infrastructure and major systemic failures. A separate judicial investigation is still ongoing.
The protests have put Mitsotakis' government in a precarious position. While his New Democracy party maintains a strong lead in the polls, but public dissatisfaction over the disaster has led to surging support for anti-establishment parties on the left and right.
An opinion poll carried out this week by Pulse showed that 82% of Greeks said the train disaster was the most or one of the most important issues in the country, while two-thirds said they were dissatisfied with the investigations into the disaster.
Greece's main opposition party — the socialist Pasok-KINAL — said it will submit a censure motion against the government next week. In response, government spokesperson Vangelis Marinakis ruled out the possibility of snap general elections.
"We saw the ugliest face of the country in the national mirror," he wrote on Facebook, referring to the crash. "Fatal human errors met with chronic state inadequacies."
The aftermath of the crash was marked by scenes of chaos, with surviving passengers describing tumbling carriages, fires and smashed windows as they scrambled to escape.
That was followed by the gruesome task of victim recovery and identification as many bodies were severely burned or dismembered. Funerals were held throughout Greece, many streamed or broadcast live, turning private grief into a shared national experience. — Euronews
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