Mass protests, general strike hit Greece on deadly train crash anniversary
Mass protests and a general strike have rocked Greece on the second anniversary of the deadliest-ever train crash in the country, bringing air, sea and train transport to a halt.
On Friday, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of cities and towns nationwide to demand justice.
No individual has been convicted over the February 28, 2023 crash.
Fifty-seven people were killed when passenger train filled with students collided with a freight train near the Tempi gorge, central Greece.
A judicial investigation into the accident remains unfinished.
A separate inquiry found on February 27 that the safety gaps that caused the crash have not been filled.
In the capital Athens, protesters were carrying a sign reading, “Government of murderers.” They were discontent with the failure of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government to initiate a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility.
“The government hasn’t done anything to get justice,” 57-year-old Christos Main said at the Athens rally, adding “This wasn’t an accident, it was murder.”
Another demonstrator, who gave her name as Evi, said she attended the protest to mourn the dead, “but also because the government has tried to cover things up.”
Air traffic controllers, seafarers, train drivers, doctors, lawyers and teachers joined the 24-hour general strike that was staged on Friday to pay tribute to the victims of the crash.
Businesses were shut and theatres canceled performances.
The government denies any wrongdoing and says it is up to the judiciary to probe the crash.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Mitsotakis said his government would work to modernize the railway network and make it safer.
“That night, we saw the ugliest face of the country in the national mirror,” he wrote of the night of the crash.
“Fatal human errors met with chronic state inadequacies.”
Opposition parties have accused the government of covering up evidence and called on it to step down.
In a recent survey conducted by Pulse pollsters, 82% of respondents said the train crash was “one of the most” or “the most” important issue in the country and 66% said they were dissatisfied with the investigations into the accident.
The Greek parliament is to debate whether to set up a committee to investigate possible political responsibility in the accident.
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