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Thousands of people demonstrated again in Greece on Sunday after the country’s deadliest train accident, mounting pressure on the government.
Anger does not descend on Greece. Thousands of people took to the streets again this Sunday, March 12, to demand responsibilities from the Government, after the train accident that claimed the lives of 57 people at the end of February.
At the call of various unions and political parties, some 12,000 protesters gathered in Athens and 5,000 took to the streets of Thessaloniki, the country’s second city, according to the police count.
“We will not forgive”
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.”
The collision between two trains that occurred on February 28 in Tempé, about 350 km north of Athens, claimed the lives of 57 people.
“It was anger and rage that brought me here,” said Markella, a 65-year-old woman who lives in Athens and declined to be named.
“We are desperate. We don’t know what to say, what to do, the only thing we can do is participate in the demonstration,” Alexandros, 26, said, also on condition of anonymity.
Police reported in a press release an “isolated incident”, “a small group” that “threw stones and other objects” at officers, causing no injuries. Ten people were arrested.
Four railway officials are on trial following this accident, which has exposed the chronic problems of the Greek rail network.
They demand the resignation of the prime minister
The accident, which involved mostly young people, sparked mass protests against the Conservative government as a general election looms before July.
The largest demonstration took place on Wednesday, with 65,000 people taking to the streets to demand accountability from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
His resignation was demanded by the protesters. He had been criticized for initially claiming “human error” due to a station manager, one of the four employees prosecuted.
But unions have long warned about understaffing at the railways and delays in modernizing safety systems.
Greece’s transport minister resigned after the accident, and Kyriakos Mitsotakis tried to assuage public anger by repeatedly apologizing and promising a transparent investigation.
For weeks, the Greek press has been abuzz with rumors about the date of the vote, with April 9 being the most chosen by observers so far. But most analysts now believe the election should take place later, perhaps at the end of May.
*Article adapted from its original in French
with AFP
