Greek workers strike and thousands join protests amid anger over rail disaster
Demonstrations are marking two years since the Tempe rail disaster, which killed 57 people.
Scores of youths have hurled rocks and petrol bombs at police in front of Greece’s parliament building during mass protests to mark the the second anniversary of a devastating train crash in the north of the country.
Following hours of peaceful rallies in Athens to mark two years since the Tempe rail disaster, youths with hammers smashed paving stones, throwing the rubble and makeshift firebombs at police, who responded with tear gas.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of cities across Greece on Friday in a mass mobilisation, led by relatives of the 57 people killed.
The protests – among the largest since the country’s debt crisis more than a decade ago – have been fuelled by public resentment against the conservative government’s perceived inaction.
Critics 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.
The disaster on February 28 2023 in Tempe – where a passenger train collided head-on with an oncoming freight train – was Greece’s worst railway accident.
The fiery crash also left dozens injured and exposed deficiencies in the country’s transportation infrastructure.
Yannis Panagopoulos, president of the General Confederation of Greek Workers, the country’s largest union, said: “The full truth must come to light, and those responsible, no matter how high their position, must be held accountable.
“Let us all take to the streets, expressing the outrage and demands of the overwhelming majority of the
Greek people.”
Flights and rail services have been cancelled, ferries halted and public transportation across the country has been severely disrupted.
Private businesses and public services have also been affected, with many stores in Athens closed, leaving messages of solidarity for the victims’ families in front windows.
Tens of thousands gathered on Friday in front of parliament, while other demonstrations are planned in more than 300 cities and towns in Greece and abroad.
Protesters in Athens, chanting: “You count profits. We count lives,” carried black balloons and anti-government banners and blared aerosol horns.
Athens municipal worker Costas Reintzopoulos said the rail crash had highlighted longstanding demands for safer working conditions. Eleven of the people who died at the Tempe disaster were railway employees.
“Every day, there is a demand to know the truth about what happened, and every day there is demand to for better safety measures in the workplace. That is a key reason why this remains relevant,” he said.
“We don’t want to mourn more dead people, who leave in the morning to go to work and we don’t know if they’ll come back.”
More than 5,000 police officers were deployed in the capital to manage crowds and potential unrest.
Memorial services will be held at Orthodox churches in Athens for the victims, who included many university students returning from a long weekend.
Their families have urged protesters to keep the focus on remembrance, rather than politics.
“This day is one of remembrance, respect and reflection,” an association representing the families said in a statement.
“It is dedicated to those who were unjustly lost, to the grieving families, and to the pursuit of justice that remains unresolved.”
However, the protests have created a politically precarious moment for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government.
His conservatives maintain a strong lead in the polls, but public dissatisfaction over the Tempe disaster has led to surging support for anti-establishment parties on both the left and right.
Opposition leaders, who are struggling to gain traction, are weighing whether to put forward a censure motion.
Mr Mitsotakis promised to continue work to improve rail safety, adding: “Every Greek participates in this mourning, united under the common demand for truth.”
