At least 99 people were arrested, only this Friday, and 50 were injured during the riots against the Greek government, on the date that marks the second anniversary of a rail accident that caused 57 dead.
February 28, 2023, a train of goods collided head -on with a train with more than 350 passengers near the city of Tempe, about 350 kilometers north of Athens, resulting in Death of 57 people.
Beyond human error assigned to the head of the local station that night, investigations immediately revealed severe neglect in the rail network, in particular Failure to adapt security systems to the required standards.
Two years later, many protesters point to a alleged cover -up by the government Responsible for the worst train accident in Greece – an accusation made by the collective of families of the victims and civil society.
A specialized report funded by the victims’ families concluded that the commodity of goods was carrying a illegal and non -declared load of explosive chemicals, which may have contributed to the high number of dead.
The conservative government repeatedly rejected the accusations of opposition parties that there was an “organized plan” to cover up high employees.
The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakisreelected just four months after the disaster, he denounced an attempt to “destabilize” the country, criticizing “the political instrumentalization of human pain.”
Athens Iron and Fire
This Friday, on the second anniversary of the accident, about 300,000 Greeks participate in a general strike and in memory of the 57 dead.
In front of Parliament, there were 200,000 of these protesters to demand answers to the exact causes of this accident.
Mobilization began to be peaceful; Until a group of masked people appeared that threw ‘cocktails’ Molotov and stones against the antimotim police, who responded with tear gas.
Confrontations between protesters and police spread through the capital, having been registered conflicts in several streets and central zones of Athens; and in other parts of the country, such as Patras and Salonica.
So far, The police detained 99 people in all.
And the whole country stopped
According to the spokesman for the main union of the private sector, GSEE, Dimitris Karayeorgopoulos, about 500,000 people participated in the demonstration in Athens.
“In the 27 years I am in the union, I have never seen such a great concentrationsuch a large demonstration, such a protest, ”Karayeorgopoulos told Spanish agency Efe.
Protests were also registered in 250 other Greek cities and villages, as part of the 24 -hour general strike called by the main Greek unions, which joined sailors, rail workers and air controllers.
With paralyzed transport, schools, universities, administrations and stores closed, The country was practically stopped this Fridayresponding to the appeal of a 24 -hour general strike.
